HMS St Lawrence

HMS St Lawrence

This is a real historic dive from the war of 1812. The ship was constructed in Kingston at the Royal Naval yard at present Navy Bay. This was the biggest ship to be launched on the Great Lakes during the war of 1812. The British had two larger ships under construction. The Americans lost their larger ships they were building in British raids. The ship was launched September 10, 1814. The keel was 171.6 feet and its tonnage was 2304. It was pierced for 112 cannons and could contain 1000 men. The US fleet way so scared of this ship that they were confined to port for the remainder of the season, which was the war. The famed pirate of the1000 Islands tried to blow up the ship one early morning only to find that it had already left port. The ship never fired its guns in anger but, was used to ferry reinforcements around. After the war it sat at the docks off Morton Street until it sank. It was raised and pulled to its present location.

The wreck site does involve a little bit of a swim but is well worth it. There is not much left of this once mighty ship. Entry and exits is done best through the Domino Theater parking lot. You just have to make a turn onto Morton Street from King Street and head to the water front. The ground is broken down to the water and it can be slippery when wet. Wading into the water you will want to swim north east parallel to shore. You can reach depths of 25 feet and will come to what were once docks that have now sunk. Swimming around the outside of these docks will take you to a debris field where you can find lots of old object from parts of vases to mess kits. Here you want to swim into the shallow bay which is 8-10 feet where you will find the remains of the ship. It is not deep as time has taken a toll there so there is not to much left. Various species of lake fish are seen here. Please remember the yards around the bay are private property. There can be a slight current running into Kingston it is wise to take a flag with you. This is a beginner’s dive.