Prince Edward C 71095

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Prince Edward
• Type: Sidewheel steamer (passenger/freight)
• Year Built: 1868
• Builder: M. Simpson, St. Catharines, Ontario
• Dimensions: 81 ft × 36 ft; approximately 97 tons
• Registered Tonnage: 97 tons
• Location: Belleville, Ontario, Lake Ontario
• Official Number: C71095
• Original Owners: Operated by a Belleville ferry company

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

• Wooden sidewheel passenger and package freight steamer used as a ferry service during the 1870s through early 1880s (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Description

• As a sidewheel steamer of modest dimensions, Prince Edward was a regional ferry vessel connecting Belleville and surrounding communities on Lake Ontario during the late 19th century.
• The vessel was rebuilt in 1878, suggesting either renovation or structural update before her eventual loss in 1884 (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).

History

• Routinely employed on ferry and passenger packet routes during the 1870s and early 1880s (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
• Possible earlier stranding: Likely the same vessel reported wrecked near Cove Island, Lake Huron during a storm on 21 November 1870, although accounts vary and naming may have overlapped (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Significant Incidents

• Date of Loss: 4 June 1884
• Loss Location: Belleville, Ontario, Lake Ontario
• Cause of Loss: Caught fire and burned to a total loss while at Belleville—no loss of life reported, and no cargo at time of burning besides “light” package freight (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Final Disposition

• Vessel was destroyed by fire; hull burned to the waterline and rendered unsalvageable
• Registry entry closed and vessel removed following the incident in June 1884

Current Condition & Accessibility

• The lack of modern archaeological documentation suggests she remains unlocated, with remains likely dispersed by fire and lake activity.

Resources & Links

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Prince Edward was a wooden sidewheel steamer built in 1868, serving as a regional ferry and passenger packet vessel. She burned to a total loss on 4 June 1884 in Belleville, Ontario, with no recorded fatalities. There was an earlier possible incident—grounding near Cove Island in November 1870—that may involve this same vessel.