Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Metamora
- Type: Wooden steam tug (formerly armed as a gunboat)
- Year Built: 1864
- Builder: Peck & Masters
- Dimensions: ~121 ft (37 m) length × 21 ft beam; ~239 gross tons, 152 net tons
- Registered Tonnage: 239 gross tons, 152 net tons
- Depth at Wreck Site: 1.83 m / 6 ft
- Location: Shawanaga Bay, Georgian Bay, Lake Huron
- Official Number: C51668
- Original Owners: William Burton Brothers, Midland Towing & Wrecking Co.
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Originally commissioned as an armed patrol gunboat during Fenian concerns, later repurposed for passenger, freight, and logging support duties.
Description
Constructed with an iron-reinforced hull and originally fitted with armor plating and a cannon, Metamora later had those features removed in the 1870s. After her military role ended, she served primarily in freight, passenger, and towing roles aboard logging booms and barges.
History
- Commissioned in 1864 as part of Upper Canada gunboat fleet during Fenian raids.
- Converted to civilian service: passenger, freight, and logging tug. Sold to William Burton Brothers of Collingwood then to Midland Towing & Wrecking Co. owned by Midland lumber magnate James Playfair.
- Regular services conducted in Georgian Bay, often towing boom logs to Byng Inlet and other mills.
Significant Incidents
- On 29 September 1907, while towing a boom, she struck a shallow shoal near Turning Island, west of Pointe au Baril.
- Aboard at the time, crew and any passengers all survived by swimming ashore. The vessel caught fire and burned to the waterline, sinking in shallow water (~6 ft). A portion of the upper deck remained visible for years; the boiler remains above water marked as a navigational hazard.
Final Disposition
The wreck site remains near Turning Island in Georgian Bay. The wreck’s boiler protrudes above water and is painted white; a channel marker has been installed as a hazard warning. The wreck lies in approximately six feet of water, making it popular with local divers.
Current Condition & Accessibility
None noted officially. However, the exposed boiler now serves as a marked navigational warning locally.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”metamora-c-51668″ title=”References & Links”]
Metamora serves as a compelling example of a 19th-century vessel adapted from military repression to commercial service. After over 40 years of adaptation—from armored gunboat to logging tug—she met her end in shallow Georgian Bay when a shoal strike ignited a fire that put her beyond repair. Her remains, particularly the boiler visible today, offer a tangible and protected reminder of Great Lakes maritime history. It remains a low-depth heritage site, accessible to recreational divers in safe conditions.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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