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The Tugboat Frontenac(1901 - 1929)

photo from Rick Neilson


KEY STATS:
Ship Type: Tug boat
Lifespan: Built 1901, Sunk 1929
Length: 90ft
Depths: 115 ft
Location: Pigeon Island, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
GPS N44.01.12 W76.36.12

The Frontenac was built on Garden Island, 2 miles (3.2km) south of Kingston, with Wolfe Island to the south. The builder was The Calvin Company, whose founder, D. D. Calvin, had built a lumber empire during the 1800's and built ships to transport his products. Calvin maintained a fleet of 12 to 15 vessels that carried square timber to Garden Island, where the timber was unloaded and built into rafts which were floated to Quebec City. From there it was shipped to British markets. These huge rafts - some of them between a quarter- and a half-mile in length - were among the largest man-made objects of the 19th century. Built by Calvin's son in 1900 for towing rafts, the Frontenac saw the wane of the great days of the timber trade. Rafts became fewer and fewer, and the company went out of business at the outset of the First World War. In 1912, the Frontenac was sold to the Donnelly Salvage and Wrecking Company, who owned and worked her up to the Spring of 1929. Among other vessels, the company also owned the steamer Cornwall, and the William Johnston. In the spring of 1929, the Frontenac was purchased by the Sin-Mac Lines, but didn't last a full year in their employ.
The Frontenac was discovered in 1995 by Spencer Shoniker of Kingston


Anchors


Divers Exploring

Bow


Side view



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