Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Victoria
• Type: Wooden steambarge
• Year Built: 1870
• Builder: Thomas Fairbairn Jr., Detroit, Michigan
• Dimensions: 77.8 ft (23.7 m) × 21.6 ft (6.6 m) × 9 ft (2.7 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 64.18 gross tons (U.S.); 88 gross / 69 net tons (Canada)
• Location: Kettle Point, northeast of Sarnia, Ontario
• Coordinates: Approximate Kettle Point area
• Official Number: 28354 (U.S.); C61161 (Canada)
• Original Owners: Thomas Fairbairn Sr. & Jr. (1870); C. McElroy (1872); Canadian owners from 1873 onward
• Number of Masts: 0 (steambarge, not rigged as sailing vessel)

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Victoria was a wooden-hulled screw steambarge designed for cargo transport on the lower Great Lakes. She was fitted with a single-cylinder high-pressure steam engine rated at 50 hp.

Description

The Scotia, later renamed Victoria in 1873, was a small utility vessel measuring 77.8 feet in length. She was primarily used in the bulk and lumber trade, as well as for passenger and general cargo service.

History

Launched in 1870, the Scotia initially operated in the Detroit–Toledo trade, carrying general cargo such as timber products. In 1872, she was sold to C. McElroy of New Baltimore, Michigan. By 1873, she was transferred to Canadian registry (C61161), renamed Victoria, and listed at 88 gross / 69 net tons with revised hull depth.

Throughout the 1870s and early 1880s, the vessel operated from Sarnia, Ontario, servicing regional trade to Wallaceburg, Detroit, and other Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair ports. She was owned successively by Alex Tronie of Dresden (1877) and R.M. Jax of Sarnia (1884).

On October 27, 1884, the Victoria stranded at Kettle Point, Lake Huron, northeast of Sarnia. Declared a total wreck, she was abandoned, ending a 14-year career.

Significant Incidents

• Stranded and wrecked at Kettle Point on October 27, 1884.

Final Disposition

The Victoria was wrecked and abandoned at Kettle Point, Lake Huron, on October 27, 1884. She was declared a constructive total loss, with no casualties reported. The wreck was likely broken up by storms or salvaged for materials.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The wreck is presumed to be near Kettle Point, Ontario, but no modern archaeological survey has been reported. The site is not charted and is presumed to contain scattered remains nearshore.

Resources & Links

References are being reviewed for this wreck.

Access to the wreck is limited, and it is not considered an established dive site. Divers should be aware that permits are required for any archaeological disturbance.

Description

The Scotia was a wooden-hulled screw steambarge built in 1870 at Detroit by Thomas Fairbairn Jr. Designed for cargo transport on the lower Great Lakes, she was fitted with a single-cylinder high-pressure steam engine rated at 50 hp. At 77.8 feet in length, she was a small utility vessel used in bulk and lumber trade as well as passenger and general cargo service. In 1873, under Canadian ownership, she was renamed Victoria.

History

Launched in 1870, the Scotia initially operated in the Detroit–Toledo trade, carrying general cargo such as timber products. In 1872 she was sold to C. McElroy of New Baltimore, Michigan. By 1873 she was transferred to Canadian registry (C61161), renamed Victoria, and listed at 88 gross / 69 net tons with revised hull depth.

Through the 1870s and early 1880s, the vessel operated from Sarnia, Ontario, servicing regional trade to Wallaceburg, Detroit, and other Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair ports. She was successively owned by Alex Tronie of Dresden (1877) and R.M. Jax of Sarnia (1884).

On October 27, 1884, the Victoria stranded at Kettle Point, Lake Huron, northeast of Sarnia. Declared a total wreck, she was abandoned, ending a 14-year career.

Final Disposition

Wrecked and abandoned at Kettle Point, Lake Huron, on 27 October 1884. Declared a constructive total loss. No casualties reported. The shallow wreck was likely broken up by storms or salvaged for materials.

Located By & Date Found

Known since the time of wreck (1884). Site presumed near Kettle Point, Ontario. No modern archaeological survey reported.

Notmars & Advisories

None issued. Wreck not considered a navigation hazard in modern times.

Dive Information

Access: Wreck not charted; presumed scattered remains nearshore
Entry Point: Kettle Point, Ontario
Conditions: Shallow, sand-bottom nearshore; wreckage may be buried or dispersed
Depth Range: Likely <30 ft (9 m)
Emergency Contacts: Canadian Coast Guard, Sarnia, Ontario
Permits: Required for archaeological disturbance
Dive Support: Limited; not an established dive site

Crew & Casualty Memorials

No casualties recorded. No memorials located.

Documented Statements & Extracts

“The steambarge Victoria, formerly the Scotia, stranded and was wrecked at Kettle Point on Lake Huron, northeast of Sarnia, on October 27, 1884.” — Great Lakes casualty records.

Registry, Enrollment & Insurance Trails

U.S. registry No. 28354, enrolled at Detroit in 1870. Sold to Canadian ownership in 1873, entered Canadian registry as C61161 and renamed Victoria. Successive Canadian owners through 1884. Insurance records not located.

Site Documentation & Imaging

No modern imaging or archaeological survey of the wreck reported. Wreck likely fragmented and dispersed in shallow nearshore waters of Kettle Point.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Vessels Database (BGSU/HCGL)
• David Swayze Shipwreck File
• Ontario Archives – Canadian Vessel Registries

References

1. U.S. Enrollment Records, Official No. 28354 (Detroit, 1870).
2. Canadian Vessel Registry C61161 (renamed Victoria, 1873).
3. Great Lakes casualty lists, October 1884.

NOAA/WHS Shipwreck Record Card