Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Annie Craig
- Type: Wooden-hulled screw steamer
- Year Built: 1879
- Builder: David Foster, Port Burwell, Ontario
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage: 40 net tons
- Location: Church Street Slip, Toronto Harbour, Ontario, Canada
- Coordinates: Google Maps
- Official Number: Canada registry item #3273
- Original Owners: Humber Steam Ferry Company
- Number of Masts: Not applicable
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Wooden-hulled screw steamer, originally built as a tug and converted to a passenger ferry.
Description
The Annie Craig was constructed in 1879 for towing and general work duties on Lake Erie. In 1880, the vessel underwent substantial rebuilding to accommodate passenger service, allowing her to carry up to 300 passengers. She was modest in size, at 40 net tons, but provided essential ferry service connecting Toronto’s downtown to emerging recreational zones along the Humber River.
History
Initially active on Lake Erie, the Annie Craig served briefly out of Port Dover. Notably, she transported the Governor General and entourage to the Long Point hunting grounds and intervened in an attempted illegal prizefight on Long Point beach in 1880.
By 1882, she had been acquired by the Humber Steam Ferry Company — a syndicate of Toronto hoteliers and brewer Eugene O’Keefe — to ferry guests from downtown Toronto to hotels along the Humber River before the area was serviced by streetcars. The Annie Craig was pivotal in this new venture, running from the foot of Yonge Street with stops including the Exhibition Grounds and High Park.
Captain Fred Twitchell commanded the vessel during this period. He was fined under Ontario’s Sabbath laws for operating the ferry on Sundays — highlighting ongoing tensions between commercial recreation and conservative legal frameworks of the time.
Her operational life was cut short by the massive Esplanade Fire of August 3, 1885, which engulfed several ships docked in Toronto Harbour. The Annie Craig burned to a total loss, along with many other vessels. The incident contributed to the end of the Humber Steam Ferry Company’s operations by July 1886.
Significant Incidents
- Transported the Governor General to Long Point hunting grounds.
- Intervened in an illegal prizefight on Long Point beach in 1880.
- Fined for operating on Sundays under Ontario’s Sabbath laws.
- Destroyed in the Esplanade Fire on August 3, 1885.
Final Disposition
The Annie Craig was destroyed by fire in Toronto Harbour. No wreck remains submerged; her boilers were salvaged. She was not rebuilt.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Not applicable – no submerged wreck to be discovered.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”annie-craig-c-3273″ title=”References & Links” show_ref_button=”yes”]
The Annie Craig is remembered more for her place in Toronto’s evolving ferry and leisure landscape than for the dramatic nature of her loss. She represents an era of experimentation with passenger services before mass transit lines developed. Her loss in the 1885 fire also contributed to greater scrutiny of fire safety on the Toronto waterfront.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
Join Shotline to read more →