Location:	Kingston, Ontario	Official Name:	The Frontenac of Kingston
GPS:	-	Material:	Steel adn Wood
Access:	Boat	Propulsion:	-
Level:	Advanced	Type:	Tug
Depth:	110'	Built:	1900
Bottom:	-	Sunked:	1929
Current:	Low	Cargo:	-
Hazards:	Depth	Dimensions:	89'x218/10'x78/10'
Traffic:	Low	Position:	Upright

The Frontenac of Kingston

It was originally designed as a working river tug and had little or no historical significance. As such, there is very little information available on her. The story of the tug the "Frontenac" begins in 1900 when she was built by the Calvin Company of Garden Island. The Frontenac was owned for many years by the Donnely Wrecking Company of Kingston (from 1912-1929). The Donnely also owned the "William Johnson" a tug boat the club dove last year, which was very similar in design to the "Frontenac". The ship was sold to Sin-Mac Lines in the spring of 1929, which was to be her last year afloat.

On December 12, 1929 the "Frontenac" along with her sister tug the "Rival" were heading back to Kingston after doing some work at Main Duck Island to lighten some of the cargo from the freighter "Sarniadoc" which had run aground. As the two overloaded tugs headed back for port in Kingston, the weather turned quite rough and the "Frontenac" started taking on water. She was going down quickly but at the last minute, as she slipped under the waves, the crew was pulled to safety aboard the "Rival".

The Frontenac sits bolt upright on the bottom at about 110 feet, her rudder and propeller completely intact. A massive gear sits on the stern, its original purpose unknown. The starboard steering cable and turning block are evident, with the port side covered with debris from the collapsed superstructure. The stove, pots and pans rest among the debris from the galley. The ship's dishes and dinner bell lay with a fire extinguisher amidst the wreckage. Plates and bottles litter the deck, with some to be found lying in the silt off the starboard side. A solitary pot sits on the aft section while the remnants of the engine room, with levers and gauges, is forward of the galley wreckage. A ladder descends to the engine room. Light bulbs, still screwed into sockets and plumbing litter the collapsed area. The ship's compass lies in plain sight, dusted with silt. The collapsed wheelhouse and intact, partially buried wheel lie just off the side of the wreck. Machinery rigging and a bilge pump are just forward of the wheelhouse. On the bow, the crane mast rises about 20 feet over the deck, with the crane boom, complete with blocks, lying below it. Two anchors sit on deck, one of these is a mushroom anchor. On the port side, the anchor chain hawser is evident with a log plug for rough water, certainly needed the night she was lost.