Brockville · Canada · Wreck · Freshwater
John B. King
Blown apart by lightning in 1930, at 24 m off Cockburn Island
Area photo: Tutku Çetinel · CC BY 3.0
A wooden drill barge that was deepening the narrows when lightning struck her drill on 26 June 1930, detonating the dynamite already placed on the river bed and killing 30 of the 42 men aboard. What is left of her lies at about 24 m off Cockburn Island, in quick current along the edge of the downstream shipping lane, with a memorial to the dead on the island above.
Also known as J. B. King.
Where it is and how deep
44.5628° N, 75.7118° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck lies at about 24 m off Cockburn Island, in quick current, running along the edge of the downstream lane of the shipping channel. What is on the bottom is the remains of a barge destroyed by an explosion rather than a hull that sank intact, so the dive is a read of broken structure in moving water. Settle the approach and the drop with the charter before you get in: where you land on the site and how the run is timed around traffic matter more here than the depth does.
Thirty men died on her, and the operator asks divers not to disturb what is left, out of respect for them; a memorial plaque stands on the north-west corner of Cockburn Island above the site. It is a popular wreck and divers have lost their lives on it, which together with the current and the shipping lane puts it firmly in experienced-diver territory rather than a casual second dive of the day.
The wreck
- Vessel
- John B. King
- Type
- Wooden drill barge
- Length
- 43 m (141 ft)
- Built
- 1863
- Sunk
- 1930
- Cause
- Lightning struck the barge, travelled down the drill and detonated the dynamite on the river bed
- Lies
- At about 24 m off Cockburn Island, on the edge of the downstream shipping lane
The King was a 43 m wooden drill barge (140 ft) built in 1863 and owned by John P. Porter and Sons of St Catharines, working to deepen the narrows to 8 m (27 ft). At 4:30 pm on 26 June 1930, while she was drilling another hole, a bolt of lightning struck the boat, travelled down the drill and ignited the dynamite already laid on the river floor. Thirty men were killed. A United States Coast Guard cutter patrolling nearby witnessed the explosion and raced to the scene, rescuing 12 of the crew of 42; the operator's account gives 11 survivors from 43 aboard. A memorial plaque was erected on the north-west corner of Cockburn Island by the Department of Public Works Canada in 1930.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Brockville: May–Oct is the season, with the clearest water in late autumn; the river ices over and charters stop entirely in winter.
Know before you go
- Quick current along the edge of the downstream shipping lane: commercial traffic uses the same water, and the dive has to be planned and timed around it.
- Divers have lost their lives on this wreck. Treat the depth, the current and the broken structure as the serious combination they are, and dive it with an operator who knows it.
Dive videos
Diving the wreck of the JB King · Scuba Geek Canada on YouTube
Diving the Wreckage of the JB KING Part 1 Dark & Deep 150' - 130' · Dr. George J. Surko on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How did the John B. King sink?+
Lightning struck the barge at 4:30 pm on 26 June 1930 while she was drilling, travelled down the drill and detonated the dynamite already placed on the river floor. Thirty of the 42 aboard were killed; a US Coast Guard cutter patrolling nearby witnessed the explosion and picked up the survivors.
How deep is the John B. King?+
The wreck lies at about 24 m, off Cockburn Island on the edge of the downstream lane of the shipping channel, in a quick current.
Sources
- J. B. King — Dive Brockville — Dive Brockville Adventure Centre
- John B. King explosion — Wikipedia
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