Tobermory Waterfront Cottage Shore Scuba Dive - August 2016

[Vitesse2l]

Looks like you could just pump the water out of Thomas Hume and tow her into harbour.

The depth is within the qualification I'm working on at the moment but I need quite a bit more experience first and this year hasn't had the best start.

Arabia looks pretty impressive too with those anchors in place.

 

[Marie13]

Silly question then, was there access for seagoing vessels in Tobermory before the St Lawrence opened? Given the size of that anchor it had tp come from a decent sized vessel. The vis is impressive.

And one thing I forgot to mention - there were many boats that went within the Great Lakes themselves and had no need to go to sea. The water was the most efficient way to move the cargo and there was lots of it.

 

[Vitesse2l]

And one thing I forgot to mention - there were many boats that went within the Great Lakes themselves and had no need to go to sea. The water was the most efficient way to move the cargo and her was lots of it.

That's what made me wonder about access from the sea. A ship the size of HMS Ontario was too big to get through so had to be locally built.

 

[Jared0425]

Also a fun fact, the Arabia was one of the first great lakes ships to ever cross the Atlantic before any lock system was placed on the St. Lawrence. It was very rare for them to ever return to the lakes as they could not get back up the seaway afterwards. However when the Arabia returned in 1857 a rudimentary lock system was in place that allowed her to return. She was the first transatlantic ship to dock at Chicago!

The anchor pictured was in use in the 1850s through the 1890s and was phased out by the folding stock anchor designs afterward. The wooden stock was mostly used by sailing ships as the wood would help the anchor land upright on the bottom which made it (supposedly) easier to retrieve without much machinery. Apparently it didnt end so well for this one.

I'm surprised that nobody has tried to retrieve it. They make great lawn ornaments!

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

[QUOTEI'm surprised that nobody has tried to retrieve it. They make great lawn ornaments![/QUOTE]

Because thankfully the "Ontario Heritage Act" prevents selfish people from doing dumb stuff like that, so that all divers can enjoy it in it's final resting place.

 

[shoredivr]

The Arabia sank in 1884. Vessel launching date and sinking date are two very different things.

By comparison, the Sandusky in the Straits of Mackinac was built in 1848 and sank in 1856. She's the oldest located wreck in the Straits.

Sure, build and sinking are usually different dates. I was indicating that the anchor likely came from a ship that was sailing after the Arabia was built.

 

[Stoo]

There are at least three wooden-stock anchors around Tobermory... Four if you include the one in front of the Sweet Shop, but it's identity is known of course.