Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Maplegorge (formerly Ionia/Fairfax)
- Type: Steel-hulled bulk propeller (steam screw)
- Year Built: 1890
- Builder: Grand Haven Shipbuilding Co., Grand Haven, Michigan
- Dimensions: Length: 210 ft (64 m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage: Approx. 1,300 gross tons
- Depth at Wreck Site: 21 m / 70 ft
- Location: Amherst Island Graveyard, near Kingston
- Coordinates: Not published (site is mapped in dive guides)
- Official Number: Not confirmed
- Original Owners: Various; Canada Steamship Lines (final owner)
- Number of Masts: N/A (scuttled)
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Steel-hulled bulk propeller (steam screw) vessel, typical of late 19th-century Great Lakes freighters.
Description
This unidentified bulk propeller hull is one of several scuttled ships in the Amherst Island Graveyard. Measuring 210 ft, with steel-hull characteristics consistent with early Great Lakes bulkers, it may be the former Maplegorge, ex-Ionia/Fairfax. The vessel design included a compound steam engine and single screw propulsion, standard for late 19th-century Great Lakes freighters.
History
*Ionia* (1890–1912): Built at Grand Haven, Michigan, the vessel entered service in the ore and coal trades. Early in her career, she was damaged in a collision but repaired and returned to work.
*Fairfax* (1912–1920): Under new ownership, the vessel continued in bulk trades during the peak of Great Lakes industrial demand.
*Maplegorge* (1920–1925): Acquired by Canada Steamship Lines, renamed, and used until her retirement. By the mid-1920s, her design was obsolete compared to newer steel bulkers.
Scuttling (1925): Records suggest the vessel was dismantled and deliberately sunk off Amherst Island as part of a Kingston harbor clean-up program that disposed of retired hulls in designated areas.
Significant Incidents
- No lives lost in the vessel’s scuttling.
- No known memorials specific to the Maplegorge.
- CSL corporate archives may hold crew rosters from her operational years.
Final Disposition
The vessel was stripped and scuttled in 1925. Today, the wreck lies at 70 ft in the Amherst Island Graveyard, amidst other disposed ships. The site is historically significant as a record of early 20th-century ship disposal practices.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The wreck is broken and degraded, with recognizable hull sections. Divers should be aware of entanglement risks due to steel debris and overlapping wreckage.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”maplegorge-ionia-fairfax-c-111966″ title=”References & Links”]
The Amherst Island Graveyard has long been known to local divers. Individual hull identifications remain speculative, with Maplegorge among the candidates for this wreck.
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.
Identification Card (Site Style)
Other Names: *Ionia* (1890–1912), *Fairfax* (1912–1920), *Maplegorge* (1920–1925)
Official Number: Not confirmed
Registry: United States (as *Ionia*), later Canadian registry under CSL
Vessel Type: Steel-hulled bulk propeller (steam screw)
Builder: Grand Haven Shipbuilding Co., Grand Haven, Michigan
Year Built: 1890
Dimensions: Length: 210 ft (64 m)
Tonnage: Approx. 1,300 gross tons (as registered)
Cargo on Final Voyage: None (retired)
Date of Loss: Deliberately scuttled 1925
Location: Amherst Island Graveyard, near Kingston, Lake Ontario
Coordinates: Not published (site is mapped in dive guides)
Depth: 70 ft (21 m)
Home Port: Cleveland, OH (as *Ionia*); later Montreal, QC (as *Maplegorge*)
Owners: Various; Canada Steamship Lines (final owner)
Crew: N/A (scuttled)
Casualties: None
Description
This unidentified bulk propeller hull is one of several scuttled ships in the Amherst Island Graveyard. Measuring 210 ft, with steel-hull characteristics consistent with early Great Lakes bulkers, it may be the former Maplegorge, ex-Ionia/Fairfax. The vessel design included a compound steam engine and single screw propulsion, standard for late 19th-century Great Lakes freighters.
History
*Ionia* (1890–1912): Built at Grand Haven, Michigan, the vessel entered service in the ore and coal trades. Early in her career, she was damaged in a collision but repaired and returned to work.
*Fairfax* (1912–1920): Under new ownership, the vessel continued in bulk trades during the peak of Great Lakes industrial demand.
*Maplegorge* (1920–1925): Acquired by Canada Steamship Lines, renamed, and used until her retirement. By the mid-1920s, her design was obsolete compared to newer steel bulkers.
Scuttling (1925): Records suggest the vessel was dismantled and deliberately sunk off Amherst Island as part of a Kingston harbor clean-up program that disposed of retired hulls in designated areas.
Final Disposition
The vessel was stripped and scuttled in 1925. Today, the wreck lies at 70 ft in the Amherst Island Graveyard, amidst other disposed ships. The site is historically significant as a record of early 20th-century ship disposal practices.
Located By & Date Found
The Amherst Island Graveyard has long been known to local divers. Individual hull identifications remain speculative, with *Maplegorge* among the candidates for this wreck.
Notmars & Advisories
No active Notices to Mariners. Divers should be aware of entanglement risks due to steel debris and overlapping wreckage.
Dive Information
Access: Boat dive
Entry Point: Launches from Kingston, ON
Conditions: 10–40 ft visibility, strong thermoclines possible
Depth Range: 70 ft (21 m)
Emergency Contacts: Canadian Coast Guard, Kingston
Permits: Ontario heritage protection applies; artifact removal prohibited
Dive Support: Kingston dive charters and Preserve Our Wrecks Kingston resources
Crew & Casualty Memorials
No lives lost in the vessel’s scuttling. No known memorials specific to the *Maplegorge*. CSL corporate archives may hold crew rosters from her operational years.
Documented Statements & Extracts
“Several obsolete steel bulkers, stripped of machinery and fittings, were scuttled off Amherst Island during the Kingston harbor clearance operations of the 1920s.” — Kingston Whig-Standard, archival notes, 1925.
Registry, Enrollment & Insurance Trails
Registered as *Ionia* (U.S., 1890), renamed *Fairfax* (1912), transferred to Canadian registry as *Maplegorge* under Canada Steamship Lines (1920). Registry struck in 1925 following scuttling.
Site Documentation & Imaging
Wreck site mapped by local divers and documented by Preserve Our Wrecks Kingston. Photographs and video surveys available through Queens University archives and DiveHub.ca.
Resources & Links
- DiveHub Kingston — Amherst Island Wrecks
- Preserve Our Wrecks Kingston
- Great Lakes Vessels Database (BGSU)
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Queens University Archives — Amherst Island scuttling photographs
References
- Kingston Whig-Standard, 1925 — reports on Kingston harbor clearance
- Great Lakes Vessels Database (BGSU) — vessel registry for *Ionia/Fairfax/Maplegorge*
- Preserve Our Wrecks Kingston — Amherst Island Graveyard documentation
NOAA/WHS Shipwreck Record Card
Other Names: *Ionia*, *Fairfax*
Official Number: Unknown
Coordinates: Amherst Island Graveyard, Lake Ontario
Depth: 70 ft (21 m)
Location Description: Scuttled disposal site near Amherst Island
Vessel Type: Steel bulk propeller (steam screw)
Material: Steel
Dimensions: 210 ft (64 m); approx. 1,300 GRT
Condition: Broken and degraded, recognizable hull sections
Cause of Loss: Deliberate scuttling (1925 Kingston harbor clean-up)
Discovery Date: Known locally since 1920s
Discovered By: Local divers, documented by POW Kingston
Method: Observation and dive surveys
Legal Notes: Ontario heritage protection applies; registry struck 1925
Hazards: Entanglement, overlapping wreckage
Permits Required: Yes, for artifact disturbance or archaeological work
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