Scuba

Muscallonge

Type: ?? Area: Brockville Location: Map Depth: 99'
Length: 128' Build Date: 1896 Sunk: August 15, 1936 Orientation: Upright
Access: Boat Dive: Advanced

In her day, the Muscallonge was touted to be the largest tug boat on the Great Lakes and deemed to be a very important vessel along the St. Lawrence Seaway. On August 15th, 1936, while towing the small tug boat Ajax and the barge Bruce Hudson and filled with 9000 gallons of crude oil, the Muscallonge mysteriously caught on fire. In an effort to save his crew and his ship, the fast-thinking Captain S. Ahearn, cut loose the two boats that were in tow and ran his vessel ashore. His attempt was successful and all crew members were saved (by boarding the Ajax). Of course, the Muscallonge was engulfed in a raging fire, flames stretching out across the beach. The ship continued to burn through the night.
Despite burning on the shore, the vessel broke off bit by bit in the fire and fell into the river. Today, this advanced dive site can only be accessed by boat since the majority of the remains are about 300 feet from the shoreline and about 90-100 feet deep. The Musky or Muskie (as she’s often referred to by seasoned divers) lies at about 100 degrees, her starboard side in much better condition than the rest of her! Given her tragic end, you will surely see evidence of the fire on the wreck but the engine and boiler and still in pretty good condition (and can be found a little downstream).
You’ll have lots of company while visiting the “Muskie”-- Lots of aquatic life to check out (Here’s a sneak peek:) Since this ship is protected by the SOS (Save Our Shipwrecks) organization, there is a commemorative plaque to check out too.
Happy Divers

Want to explore the world underwater but don't know where to start? We found the perfect dive shop that had the answers to all of our scuba questions.

We took the plunge of a lifetime with the "Dive Momma" at Happy Divers in Streetsville.
For more information:

GPS Coordinates: GPS: N 44 36.290 W 075 39.191

Shipwreck Accounts from Eastern Ontario Newspapers.

http://www.saveontarioshipwrecks.on.ca/News/Shipwreck%20articles.html#Muscallonge

And a couple more videos for your viewing pleasure

The Conestoga and Muscallonge Dive (Muscallonge footage starts at about 2min40sec)