Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Angler's Point Wreck
- Type: Pleasure Boat
- Year Built:
- Builder:
- Dimensions: 30 ft (10 m); Beam; Depth of hold 16 m
- Registered Tonnage:
- Depth at Wreck Site: 16 m / 48 ft
- Location: Angler's Point, Clayton, New York
- Coordinates: N 44° 17' 38.0" W 76° 03' 56.0"
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Angler’s Point Wreck is identified as an unidentified pleasure boat, resting in the depths of the St. Lawrence River.
Description
Located near Angler’s Point in Clayton, New York, this wreck features a steel hull that remains surprisingly intact. The vessel’s once vibrant paint has faded, now covered by zebra mussels, hinting at its submerged history.
History
The area around Angler’s Point has a rich maritime history, with the nearby Picton Island Quarry operational from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. This quarry was known for providing limestone for many historical structures in Kingston and Clayton. The wreck may be linked to the quarry’s past, possibly having encountered the pilings that once supported the dock.
Significant Incidents
- The pleasure craft may have strayed too close to the pilings of the Picton Island dock, leading to its sinking.
- Local lore suggests that the river has a memory of its past tragedies, including the loss of the Picton Island Barge during a storm.
Final Disposition
The wreck is confirmed and remains submerged in the St. Lawrence River, serving as a reminder of the area’s maritime history.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Dive conditions at the site can vary, but the wreck is accessible for divers with intermediate skills. The surrounding area is known for its aquatic life, including schools of black bass that have made the wreck their home.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”anglers-point-wreck” title=”References & Links” show_ref_button=”yes”]
As divers explore the Angler’s Point Wreck, they are encouraged to practice no-touch documentation methods, leaving only bubbles and taking only memories. The site offers a unique opportunity to connect with the history of the St. Lawrence River.
Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record
This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.
- Unidentified Pleasure boat
- 30ft 10m lengths
- 48ffw 16m Depths
- Angler’s Point St. Lawrence River
- Clayton New York
- N 44* 17’38.0″ W 76* 03’56.0″
Clayton locals had a saying: “The River remembers.” It wasn’t just about the mighty St. Lawrence’s ever-changing moods, but the secrets it held beneath its surface. Take the Picton Island Barge, for example. A wooden vessel full of rose granite sitting on the bottom of the river, a silent testament to a furious storm that shut down the island’s quarry back in the late 1800s. The quarry itself, once a busy hive of activity, was now a wooded shoreline with protruding rock cliffs and a stack of stone that never left the dock, a chilling reminder of the river’s power.
Fast forward to present day. Your dive boat sliced through the glassy morning surface near Angler’s Point, a familiar landmark for those who frequent the area. But today, the River had unearthed a new mystery. A blip of something on the screen reveals something on the bottom which caught your eye – the unmistakable hull of a pleasure craft, its once vibrant paint dulled by the water’s embrace and the congregation of zebra mussels. This wasn’t your typical shipwreck; this one had a secret story to tell from a bygone timeIntrigued, you descended. The steel hull, surprisingly intact, whispered of a misfortune or possibly a tragic loss. As you explored the wreckage, you notice a large school of black bass have made it their home but a hint of rusted metal nearby caught your attention. It appears to be a section of the Picton Island dock, half-buried in the silt. An unsettling connection began to form.
The Picton Island Quarry, operational from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, had provided the limestone that built much of Kingston and well known historical structures in Clayton. Now, an eerily similar metal object lay wrecked nearby. Could there be a link? Perhaps the pleasure craft had strayed too close to the pilings that once supported the dock, a silent sentinel warning of the river’s fury. Or maybe a rogue current, the same one that claimed the barge over a century ago, had played a role in this new tragedy.
The dive yielded no immediate answers, only a deeper sense of the River’s history. The pleasure craft, a stark contrast to the weathered barge, spoke of a past where this portion of the river was once the center point for barges, tug boats, and those enjoying the river who wished to watch the quarry operate. Back on the surface, the Clayton locals, their eyes reflecting the knowledge passed down through generations, would likely nod knowingly. The River remembers, they’d say. And perhaps, with your next dive into the submerged dock of the Picton Island Quarry, you’d be able to coax another piece of the story from its watery depths.