Identification & Site Information

Vessel Type

Originally commissioned as an armed patrol gunboat during Fenian concerns, later repurposed for passenger, freight, and logging support duties (Wikipedia).

Description

Constructed with iron-reinforced Hull and originally fitted with armor plating and a cannon, Metamora later had those features removed in the 1870s. After her military role ended she served primarily in freight, passenger, and towing roles aboard logging booms and barges (Wikipedia).

History

  • Commissioned in 1864 as part of Upper Canada gunboat fleet during Fenian raids (Wikipedia).
  • Converted to civilian service: passenger, freight and logging Tug. Sold to William Burton Brothers of Collingwood then to Midland Towing & Wrecking Co. owned by Midland lumber magnate James Playfair (Wikipedia).
  • Regular services conducted in Georgian Bay, often towing boom logs to Byng Inlet and other mills.

Final Disposition

  • On 29 September 1907, while towing a boom, she struck a shallow shoal near Turning Island, west of Pointe au Baril (Wikipedia).
  • Aboard at the time, crew and any passengers all survived by swimming ashore. The vessel caught fire and burned to the waterline, sinking in shallow water (~6 ft). A portion of the upper Deck remained visible for years; the boiler remains above water marked as a navigational hazard (Wikipedia).

Located By & Wreck Site

  • Site remains near Turning Island in Georgian Bay.
  • Wreck’s boiler protrudes above water and is painted white; channel marker installed as hazard warning (Wikipedia).
  • Wreck lies in approximately six feet of water, popular with local divers.

NOTMARs & Advisories

None noted officially. However, the exposed boiler now serves as a marked navigational warning locally.

Resources & Links

Conclusion

Metamora serves as a compelling example of a 19th-century vessel adapted from military repression to commercial service. After over 40 years of adaptation—from armored gunboat to logging Tug—she met her end in shallow Georgian Bay belt when a shoal strike ignited a fire that put her beyond repair. Her remains, particularly the boiler visible today, offer a tangible and protected reminder of Great Lakes maritime history. It remains a low-depth heritage site, accessible to recreational divers in safe conditions.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

Georgian Bay, steam Tug, logging boom Tug, Fenian gunboat, shallow water wreck, boiler marker, Great Lakes heritage diving.