Stranded Canadian freighter TIM S. DOOL (built 1967) has been sitting on Crysler Shoal, after running aground Saturday November 23. Fully loaded with a cargo of grain, she'll need some heavy-duty assistance to be pulled from the mud.
High power OCEAN tugboats INTREPIDE, TAIGA and TUNDRA have anchored at Wilson Hill during the evening of November 28, and will go to work attempting to free the ship in the morning.
Crysler Shoal ultimately claimed the EASTCLIFFE HALL (built 1954), wrecked in 1970.
Looking back into the River's history, the EASTCLIFFE HALL sinking was barely a decade into the Seaway's existence, as the man-made river deepened the existing river by approximately 15 feet in 1958-59, to allow the passage of larger ships to and from the Atlantic Ocean.
The "drowned islands" and shoals, hidden beneath the waves of the beautiful river can be a challenge for recreational boaters as well as seasoned mariners. With the safe navigational channel being only a few hundred feet wide in some places, wind, weather, fog and darkness all play a role.
Meanwhile, just downriver at nearby Weaver Shoal, in this treacherous stretch of water yet another incident occurred in December 1998, when the FEDERAL BERGEN (built 1984) collided with the light structure.
It's all relative however, considering thousands of vessels transit the waterway without incident. All the best to the crews working to get classic laker TIM S. DOOL off her strand.
Nov 29, 2024
Familiar Seaway Ship TIM S. DOOL Stuck on Crysler Shoal
Nov 28, 2024
EASTCLIFFE HALL (Sunken Ship of the St. Lawrence River)
The sunken ship near Crysler Marina (between Ingleside and Morrisburg, Ontario) has become a popular site for divers...
Sank in 1970 after reportedly hitting the north side of the shore, and subsequently over-correcting and smashing into an obstacle on the south side of the Seaway channel.
Official reports state that alcohol was the leading factor in the accident which claimed many lives.
While I'll never see the wreck for my own eyes, the video quality of the divers' footage is getting so good that it's like being there...
Planning to eventually put together a collection of maps and images. For now, saving the links of a few neat YouTube videos.
Five minute video with many awesome moments in the first four minutes.
Eastcliffe Hall by Baldiver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lkDBQXCQjA
(5.20)
Was surprised to see a lone Rock Bass, swimming among the hundred or so Smallmouth Bass...Granted, he's a particularly large specimen. Doesn't even look like a panfish anymore.
A Walleye comparable in weight to that Rock Bass...
https://alchetron.com/Eastcliffe-Hall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGoJzHAFV8Usdfsdf
13.26
Nov 27, 2024
Off The Rails...
Normally it's exciting to head down to the river to see a ship.
It was hard to describe exactly how I felt on my way to see the TIM S. DOOL, lodged on Crysler Shoal.
 |
The TIM S. DOOL had the misfortune of running aground on Crysler Shoal on November 23, 2024. The incident reportedly occurred due to the ship suffering a mechanical failure. |
Had gotten a chill when I first heard about the incident. Not only is this a particularly difficult section of the river to navigate, but knowledge that the 1970 wreck of the EASTCLIFFE HALL hall is down there added an eerie overtone to the expedition.
The DOOL is in no immediate danger, however the challenge of pulling the stuck freighter off its' strand will be no easy task. Deliberate raising of the Seaway water levels, lightering the cargo - And that's just to start. Expecting to see (at least) two high-power tractor tugs involved in towing her out.
To actually see it there, stranded on the shoal and not moving, gave a sick feeling in the stomach.
It's just a huge hulk of iron lodged on an old island...
But there's definitely something sentimental about these old ships.
Can still remember the first time I saw this vessel, as the red-hulled SENNEVILLE (with bright yellow forecastle). She was sailing with her Pioneer fleetmate SILVER ISLE (aka ALGOISLE, retired 2010).
The SENNEVILLE became ALGOVILLE, eventually being christened TIM S. DOOL.
 |
| Stranded freighter TIM S. DOOL (built 1967) on the southern side of the St. Lawrence Seaway shipping channel. |
In the foreground, a stretch of gravel protrudes from the river, evidence of a long-abandoned section railway track bed. This is of course from before the Seaway Project raised the water levels.
Originally constructed in the 1800s, the defunct Grand Trunk / Canadian National Railway bed, where the old steam trains once lumbered by. Trains haven't rumbled through here in over half a century...
On this relatively calm and quiet day, the faint sound of the DOOL's engine could be heard across the open water.
Nov 23, 2024
DOOL OF FATES
 |
| File Photo: Cargo vessel: TIM S. DOOL downbound September 28, 2024. |
One of the longest-serving Canadian lakers has run aground in the St. Lawrence River on the south side of the shipping channel on November 23, 2024.
Algoma Central's 1967-built freighter TIM. S. DOOL (sailed previously as SENNEVILLE and ALGOVILLE) reportedly suffering a mechanical failure just east of Morrisburg, South Dundas.
The area is teeming with such "drowned islands"; Navigational hazards that exist as a result of deepening and widening the existing waterway. Ships must weave their way with the guidance of a Seaway Pilot or otherwise have someone on board who is qualified.
The mechanical failure occurred in one of the most treacherous stretches of the River.
Downbound with cargo, the vessel ultimately lodged itself on Crysler Shoal (near channel marker 73).
Crysler Shoal also claimed another vessel in 1970; A ship, the EASTCLIFFE HALL (built 1954) actually sunk after hitting the shoal (with other factors involved). The hull was blasted out of the way, and the wreck of the EASTCLIFFE HALL still lies on the bottom.
Much further up the river (Brockville), former Algoma freighter ROY A. JODREY (built 1965) ran aground in 1974 and sank just eight years into her career.
After outlasting so many of her fleetmates, the future doesn't look promising for the Canadian-built TIM S. DOOL, especially considering she was closing in on retirement. Hopefully she's resting on mud as opposed to rock, and that the vessel can be refloated without damages.
