Prince Regent

HMS Prince Regent

The Prince Regent is the remains of an 1812 warship. It is at the mouth of Dead man’s Bay and can be reached with a 300m swim from the marina at CFB Kingston. The ship was launched on April 14, 1812. This was a two decked frigate with 60 guns but no figure head on the front of the ship. The ship was entirely made at the Royal dockyard located at Navy Bay. The keel was 160 feet 9 inches. On May 4th the ship took part on the attack on Fort Oswego. The Prince Regent was the flag ship of the fleet that consisted of 7 ships and 11 gun boats; and was commanded by Sir James Yeo. The ship at the end of the war of 1812 was purposely sunk after it was covered in tar incase it was need to be pressed back into service. After the war there was a bilateral agreement signed limiting the amount of fighting ships on the lake. It was abandoned in the 1830’s.

Presently there is just ribbing planking and dead eyes on the ship. There is usually a white plastic jug tied off of the wreck. There is a bearing of 300 degrees to the wreck. It sits in 20 feet of water. During the summer there can be lots of lake weed so swimming half way to the site is recommended. The site has been tagged. In the boating season there is traffic and it is wise to take a flag with you. The rocks at the entry can be slippery and depending on the wind there may be surface waves. In the bay there is abundance of fish but, with it only being 20 feet there is a lot of sunfish, rock bass and small mouth bass. Parking is at the marina parking lot. The road is used often in the summer so go slow. Drop your gear at the entry point then park up the hill as there is no parking right at the water. This is an easy enjoyable dive.