Brockville · Canada · Wreck · Freshwater
Muscallonge
A tug broken in two by her own fuel tanks, at 29 m off Brockville
Area photo: Tutku Çetinel · CC BY 3.0
The largest tug on the river in her day, lost in August 1936 when fire in her boiler room reached the fuel tanks and the explosion broke her hull in two. She lies just east of downtown Brockville at around 29 m in a medium current, opened up rather than intact, with the boiler, engine and winches still the recognisable landmarks in the wreckage.
Also known as Muskie.
Where it is and how deep
44.6048° N, 75.6532° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
She sits at around 29 m in a medium to good current just east of downtown Brockville, on a clay base covered in periwinkles. This is not an intact hull: the fuel-tank explosion practically obliterated her and she broke in two, so the dive is a read of wreckage rather than a tour of decks. The boiler, the engine, the winches and assorted ship's parts are the landmarks, and finding them is most of the work.
Depth and current set the limits. The site is charted to 30 m, the current is a genuine one rather than a nuisance, and the propeller and rudder lie out in the main shipping lane, which puts that part of the wreck out of bounds entirely. The clay bottom and the shelter of the broken hull have made it one of the busier sites for the local fish population, which is more than most of the wrecks on this stretch can claim.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Muscallonge
- Type
- Steam tug
- Length
- 39 m (128 ft)
- Built
- 1896
- Sunk
- 1936
- Cause
- Fire in the boiler room reached her fuel tanks and the explosion broke her hull in two
- Lies
- Broken in two east of Brockville, the bow settled into 27 m
Built in 1896 and 39 m long, the Muskie was the largest tug on the river at the time. Shortly after midnight on 15 August 1936 fire was discovered in her boiler room and spread quickly; the tug Ajax chased her down and took the crew off the burning ship to safety while she burned to the waterline. At 5:30 the fire reached her fuel tanks and exploded, practically obliterating her hull and breaking her in two, and the bow settled into 27 m of water east of Brockville.
Marine life and season
- Freshwater fish
| 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 propeller and rudder lie in the main shipping lane and are considered too dangerous to dive: stay on the inshore side of the wreckage.
- Thirty metres in a medium to good current leaves little margin, so plan gas for a short bottom time and set a turn point before you descend.
Dive videos
Muscallonge Wreck Dive · Martin Brown on YouTube
Sources
- Muscallonge — Dive Brockville — Dive Brockville Adventure Centre
- Diving in Canada — Wikivoyage
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