Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Traveller
- Type: Tugboat
- Year Built: 1879
- Builder: James L. Playfair, Midland, Ontario
- Dimensions: Length 102.5 ft (31.2 m); Beam 23.0 ft; Depth of hold 11.5 ft
- Registered Tonnage: 179 tons (before rebuild)
- Location: Thessalon, Ontario, North Shore of Lake Huron
- Official Number: 102463
- Original Owners: Hugh Keefer, Lake Superior Paper Company Ltd. / Abitibi Power and Paper Company Ltd., J. F. McColman
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Traveller is classified as a tugboat, designed for towing and assisting larger vessels on the Great Lakes.
Description
The Traveller, later renamed G. R. Gray (II), was a wooden-hulled tugboat built in 1879. It was robustly constructed to handle the demands of towing schooners and other large vessels, primarily operating in the Toronto area before its later service on Lake Superior.
History
The Traveller was built by James L. Playfair for Hugh Keefer and served in the Great Lakes shipping trade for several decades. In 1920, it was sold to the Lake Superior Paper Company Ltd., which undertook a significant rebuild to adapt the vessel for log-rafting operations. Renamed G. R. Gray (II) in May 1921, it played a crucial role in transporting pulpwood until its loss in a storm on November 16, 1937.
Significant Incidents
- 1920: Sold to Lake Superior Paper Company Ltd.
- 1937-11-16: Encountered heavy weather, leading to the loss of the smokestack and rendering the vessel unmanageable.
- 1946: Sold to J. F. McColman; stripped of valuable equipment.
- 1959: Hull burned in a marine “boneyard”.
Final Disposition
The G. R. Gray (II) was decommissioned and abandoned in Thessalon, Ontario, after being stripped of its equipment. It was ultimately burned in 1959.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The wreck of the Traveller is no longer extant, as the vessel was burned in 1959. The site where it was abandoned is now part of a marine “boneyard”.
Resources & Links
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The Traveller, later known as G. R. Gray (II), serves as a reminder of the evolution of Great Lakes shipping and the importance of tugboats in the industrial history of the region. As divers, remember to respect these historical sites and leave only bubbles behind.
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