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.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Original Name: Mary R. Robertson
• Later Names: SIMCOE (1880)
• Official Number: 78023
• Year Built: 1872
• Built At: Chatham, Ontario
• Builder: Hyslop & Ronald
• Final Owner: Great Northern Transit Co., Collingwood, ON
• Final Loss Location: 15 miles SW of Providence Bay, Manitoulin Island
• Lake: Huron
• Date of Loss: 24 November 1880
• Coordinates: Approx. 45.45° N, 82.35° W (estimated from narrative location)
• Final Cargo: Corn and general freight
• Crew On Board: 21
• Casualties: 13 crew lost

Vessel Type

• Class: Steambarge
• Propulsion: Single screw, high-pressure engine (36″ x 36″, 100 hp)
• Hull Material: Wood
• Configuration: 1 deck, later rebuilt with 2 decks, 1 mast
• Use: Freight and later passenger service

Description

The Mary R. Robertson was originally built as a wooden screw steambarge with a single deck and powered by the first compound marine engine constructed in Canada West. After multiple fire incidents and rebuilds, she was significantly modified into a two-deck passenger and freight steamer measuring approximately 140 ft (42.7 m) in length, 26.2 ft (8.0 m) in beam, and 11 ft (3.4 m) in depth. At her peak, she registered 635 gross tons. Her design was standard for mixed-use transit on the Upper Lakes during the 1870s.

Operational History

• 1872 (Aug 29): Burned on Lake Michigan near the Straits of Mackinaw; drifted into Hog Island Bay and was abandoned. Owned at the time by Robinson Brothers, Goderich, ONT.
• 1872 (Nov): Reconstructed in Detroit, Michigan.
• 1873 (Apr): Owned by Craig & McKellar of Kincardine, Ontario.
• 1873 (Oct): Sank at Little Current, ONT; later raised and repaired in Detroit.
• 1875–77: Changed hands multiple times, including to McKellar of Chatham and Charles S. Wilson of Picton, ONT.
• 1878 (Jul 29): Burned to the waterline at Byng Inlet while docked.
• 1879–80: Fully rebuilt as a larger passenger-freight steamer.
• 1880 (Apr): Registered to Charles Cameron & partners in Collingwood.
• 1880 (May 15): Renamed SIMCOE.

Final Disposition

• Date: 24 November 1880
• Cause: Foundered in a gale while en route on Lake Huron
• Location: Approximately 15 miles southwest of Providence Bay, off the south coast of Manitoulin Island
• Outcome: 13 of 21 crew lost. One of several late-season disasters in 1880 during severe November storms. No details of cargo recovery or hull salvage.

Located By & Date Found

• Not located. No modern wreck discovery or confirmed sonar image; likely lies at depth in southwestern Manitoulin coastal waters.

Notmars & Advisories

• None noted. No charted hazard in the area corresponding to this vessel’s loss.

Resources & Archival Links

• Great Lakes Vessels – HCGL BGSU Database
• C. Patrick Labadie Collection – NPS
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Newspaper searches for “SIMCOE foundered 1880” in Ontario dailies and Collingwood region papers are recommended for personal identifications of lost crew.

Conclusion

The Mary R. Robertson, later renamed Simcoe, exemplifies the rapid evolution and turnover in Canadian Great Lakes commerce during the 19th century. Suffering multiple burn incidents, strandings, and repairs, her story culminated in a tragic loss during a late-season freight run in 1880. With 13 of 21 lives lost, she stands as a reminder of the perils faced by wooden steamers in early Canadian transit development.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary

• Region: Lake Huron, Manitoulin Island
• Vessel Type: Wooden Steambarge (later passenger/freight steamer)
• Cause of Loss: Storm, Foundering
• Period: 1870s–1880s
• Casualties: Yes
• Dive Status: Unconfirmed
• Engine: Early Canadian high-pressure marine compound engine

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