AH-WR-0257

Arabia

Barque · Canada · Lost 1884 · Georgian Bay & the North Channel

A three-masted grain barque that foundered off Echo Island after an 18-hour fight with a gale, her crew escaping alive.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Arabia carried grain and general cargo on the Great Lakes for more than three decades, including at least one transatlantic run. On her final voyage from Chicago to Midland with corn, she was caught in a fierce gale near the entrance to Georgian Bay and foundered off Echo Island in October 1884. Her crew escaped safely. She was not identified again until 1971 and now lies within Fathom Five National Marine Park.

Vessel

Built: 1853
Builder: George Thurston
Yard: Kingston, Ontario
Material: Wood
Length: 131 ft
Beam: 26 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail, three masts
Owners: Henry Douville

Loss

Date: October 5, 1884
Cause: Storm
Location: Off Echo Island, entrance to Georgian Bay
Water: Georgian Bay / Lake Huron
Voyage: Chicago, Illinois → Midland, Ontario
Cargo: 20,000 bushels of corn
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Captain Henry Douville

The Wreck Today

Depth: 100-120
Condition: Upright and largely intact
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1971
Protection: Fathom Five National Marine Park

Position

Coordinates: 45.31° N 81.67° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Tobermory, Ontario
Region: Georgian Bay & the North Channel

Dive-community sources (3DShipwrecks.org and a Tobermory-area dive photographer's site) independently give the same GPS position (45°18.7'N 81°40.4'W) for the wreck off Echo Island in Fathom Five National Marine Park.