Brockville · Canada · Wreck · Freshwater · Drift
Lillie Parsons
An upturned schooner on the bank, then a drift along the island wall
Area photo: Tutku Çetinel · CC BY 3.0
An 1868 schooner lying upside down on a rock slope against Sparrow Island, bow downstream at 21 m and stern and rudder upstream in about 6 m. Divers follow the anchor chain down through a quick current to the railing, work the hull and the coal spilled from her hold, then let go and finish on the island wall with the current behind them.
Also known as Mary Anna.
Where it is and how deep
44.5562° N, 75.7188° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The descent follows the anchor chain down through a quick current to the railing between midships and the bow, which is the sheltered way onto the wreck. She lies fully upside down on a rock slope against the side of the island: bow downstream in about 21 m, stern and its rudder upstream at about 6 m. Working the wreck from the deep end back toward the stern keeps the shallow water for the end of the dive.
Divers can penetrate the stern, slipping past the ship's stove and the rudder post up into the interior. She sits on top of part of her cargo hold and the coal has spilled out from under her — the same 500 tons that were still aboard when three members of the local diving club found the wreck in 1963, more than eighty years after she went down.
The dive usually ends as the Parson's Escape: let go of the wreck and follow the contour of Sparrow Island, with the current carrying you along the wall. The recommendation is to drift at about 12 m and stay in close to the island, because the shipping lane is only a few feet away and the real river bottom is roughly 60 m below you.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Lillie Parsons
- Type
- Two-masted centreboard schooner
- Length
- 40 m (131 ft)
- Built
- 1868
- Sunk
- 1877
- Cause
- A squall shifted her coal cargo and pushed her onto Sparrow Island
- Lies
- Upside down on a rock slope against the island, bow downstream at 21 m
Lillie Parsons was launched at Tonawanda, New York on 14 September 1868, a double-masted schooner with a retractable centreboard, 40 m long, with a 500-ton capacity in a 3 m hold. On 5 August 1877 she was carrying 500 tons of coal when a squall shifted the cargo and pushed her into Sparrow Island; she hit a rock, took on water and sank. Three members of the local diving club found her on 6 August 1963, upside down on the slope with the whole cargo still aboard.
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
- The shipping lane runs within a few feet of the drift route. Stay close to the island wall at around 12 m and keep the team together rather than spreading out into the channel.
- The river bottom below the wall is roughly 60 m down, so a drift that comes off the island loses its depth reference quickly.
- The current is quick enough that the descent has to be made on the anchor chain; a free descent puts you past the wreck before you reach it.
Dive videos
Brockville, Ontario Dive - May 15th 2011 - Lillie Parsons · MaximumDiver on YouTube
Wreck of the Lillie Parsons (Lillie Long Drift) - Scuba in Brockville · Toronto Diver on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Lillie Parsons?+
Her bow lies downstream in about 21 m and her stern and rudder upstream at about 6 m, so the wreck spans a shallow range and most of the dive is spent well above the deepest point.
What is the Parson's Escape?+
It is the drift that ends the dive: divers leave the wreck and follow the contour of Sparrow Island with the current, staying at about 12 m and close in to the wall, which adds a wall and drift to what is otherwise a wreck dive.
Sources
- Lillie Parsons — Dive Brockville — Dive Brockville Adventure Centre
- Lillie Parsons — Wikipedia
- Wrecks - Lillie Parsons (archived) — Northern Tech Diver (Wayback Machine)
In The Logbook
- Cold-water diving: is it worth the drysuit?Cold water · 8 min read
- Freshwater diving: lakes, springs and quarriesFreshwater · 15 min read
- Drift diving: how to read and ride a currentDrift & current · 8 min read
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