Windsor·Photos

1906 shipwreck found in Georgian Bay by Windsor diver and international team

A Windsor-based maritime historian has located an ancient shipwreck with an international team. The J.H. Jones has finally been found after it was lost in 1906.

The J.H. Jones was lost in a storm and everyone on board died

Accompanying the diving crew was Robert Crawford, left, the great grandson of the ship captain, James Crawford. (Submitted by Cris Kohl)

More than a century after it disappeared, the shipwreck of the J.H. Jones was found in Georgian Bay — by a Windsor maritime historian.

Cris Kohl, who has previously helped find and identify shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, began his research on the J.H. Jones years ago.

He, along with two shipwreck enthusiasts from Minnesota, Ken Merryman and Jerry Eliason, located the J.H. Jones on Canada Day. The wreck was under 200 feet of water in southern Georgian Bay, near Lion's Head, Ont.

The J.H. Jones was located in Georgian Bay, near Lion's Head, Ont. (Submitted by Ken Merryman)

The ship, a small coastal steamer, was lost in 1906 during a storm. Everyone on board perished. There were 10 crew members fom the community of Wiarton, Ont., and four of them left 16 children behind.

"It's one of the worst tragedies that happened on Georgian Bay," said Kohl.

This 3D image was produced using a remote-operated video camera lowered to the shipwreck. The method was invented by Jerry Eliason, who was part of the crew. (Submitted by Jerry Eliason)

When the researchers went out to find the wreck, accompanying the crew was 83-year-old Robert Crawford. His great-grandfather, Capt. James Crawford, went down with the ship in 1906. 

Tap on the player to hear his conversation with Afternoon Drive host Chris dela Torre.

When the team found the ship, the hull was mostly intact, the smoke stack was toppled onto its side and steam engine components were identifiable. However, they found no human remains.

The crew didn't locate any human remains in the wreckage. (Submitted by Ken Merryman)