Identification & Site Information

  • Name: Island Queen
  • Former Names: None known
  • Registration Number(s): Not found in official registry sources
  • Date Built and Launched: Built over 1895–1897
  • Measurements: Specific official measurements not recorded; enlarged later with modifications to centreboard, Keel, rigging, and rig layout
  • Date Lost / Destroyed / Abandoned: Circa 1925, Whitby Harbour, Ontario
  • Whitby Harbour on Google Maps

Vessel Type

Stonehooker Schooner

Description

The Island Queen was a two-masted Schooner of crude and improvised construction, reflecting the declining era of traditional lake schooners on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Originally constructed over several years using salvaged timber and materials, she was a classic example of a utilitarian craft serving low-margin, high-labour trades.

History

The Island Queen was built by a man named Smith in Port Rowan on the north shore of Lake Erie, using materials largely salvaged from the beach of Long Point and inland sources. The materials spanned a variety of woods including white oak, black cherry, rock elm, basswood, and even reclaimed furniture and barn wood. Completed between 1895 and 1897, she was described as ugly, sluggish, under-rigged, and poorly balanced—a flat-bottomed Hull with a boxy Stern and awkward lines, unsuitable for any defined commercial use.

Despite her unsightly design, she was purchased in 1898 by Anderson under the influence of Captain Alfred “Black Jack” Loomas for stonehooking—gathering stone from shallow lake bottoms for construction. From there, the Schooner passed between numerous owners and masters, none able to make her profitable. Several efforts were made to Rebuild or enlarge her, including a major refit by a second Smith from Oakville, and a particularly thorough Rebuild by Mike Raines and Delaney around 1900–1905. This included installing a larger centreboard, improved rigging, and Hull modifications which slightly improved her sailing performance.

For a brief time under Raines and Delaney she earned some modest income hauling roofing gravel, particularly from ports like Port Credit and Whitby. Later, she fell into disuse and neglect. After being sold to Tiney Cox, she was left to rot in Whitby Harbour, likely Abandoned around 1925. Over time, she fell apart at her moorings and her remnants were eventually declared an “unsightly” nuisance by the Whitby town council.

Final Dispositions

Abandoned and deteriorated in Whitby Harbour, Ontario, circa 1925. Her wreck was scavenged over the years and gradually deteriorated until her final removal was requested by municipal authorities.

Located By & Date Found

Nil known—no formal rediscovery or site documentation currently recorded.

NOTMARs & Advisories

No current Canadian NOTMARs (Notices to Mariners) mark this site. The vessel is no longer present in Whitby Harbour.

Resources & Links

Conclusion

The Island Queen exemplifies a bygone era of make-do lake craft hastily constructed for marginal trades. Her life was defined by continual patchwork repairs, frequent abandonments, and a string of hopeful but ultimately failed owners. Though not notable for grandeur, her story reflects the gritty resourcefulness of the Schooner era’s twilight years.

Keywords: Island Queen, Patchwork Hooker, Stonehooker, Lake Ontario, Whitby Harbour, Port Rowan, Long Point, Schooner Days
Categories: Abandoned Vessels, Lake Ontario Shipwrecks, Working Craft, 19th Century Schooners
Glossary Terms:

  • Stonehooker: A vessel used to gather building stone from shallow lakebeds.
  • Centreboard: A retractable Keel used to improve sailing efficiency.
  • Deadwood: Structural timber reinforcing the lower Hull or Stern.
  • Deadrise: The angle between the Keel and the bottom of the Hull, affecting performance.

Would you like the GPS location of Whitby Harbour linked to this wreck or explore other stonehookers in the region?