Sunken History — A Diver’s Journal
The Tug Fredrick A. Lee
by Captain Deb Biniecki

The Canadian tug Fredrick A. Lee was a common sight around the docks at Sarnia and Port Huron during the summer of 1936. She was chartered by the Wallaceburg Sand & Gravel Company. Owner of the tug Captain T.B. Climie operated the tug until August. He returned to Sault Ste. Marie leaving the tug under the command of Captain Archille Renaud of Amherstburg.

On Thursday, November 12, the tug steamed north out of the safety of the St. Clair River and headed on what was to be its last trip of the season to Sault Ste. Marie, where it was to be put in winter quarters. The seas were rolling heavily and by 7 o’clock that evening the captain decided to seek the shelter of Harbor Beach. Unfortunately, he missed the southern end of the breakwater, resulting in grinding the Lee into the rocks in front of the resort. They remained there until the next morning.

At 10:30 Friday morning John Cloutier took his tug out and pulled them off the shore. Captain Beck and Coast Guardsmen assisted by carrying the line from the Cloutier tug to the Lee. No effort was then made to determine the condition the tug was in as it headed straight north without stopping. Within five hours the tug and her crew were on the bottom of Lake Huron.

Late that afternoon, First Officer Donald Nauts watched out over the lake from his post on the big stone carrier Munson, of the Bradley Transportation Company. In the distance he saw what looked to be a fishing tug or tow vessel struggling in the fierce southwestern gale. Moments later it unexpectedly disappeared beneath the churning waves. He called to the captain to inform him of what he witnessed. Captain Dahlburg changed course and headed toward the scene of the sinking. Within 15 minutes they were upon the debris littered scene, approximately 13 miles northeast of the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse.

Captain Dahlburg, a 20-year veteran on the lakes stated, “First we sighted the top of a ships cabin and then several pillows floating on the churning water. He also saw a life preserver, a mattress and a chair, but the wreckage was so splintered that we were unable to pick it up. We circled through the debris for more than two hours before dark and then proceeded on up the lake. I am certain that it must have been an explosion aboard the vessel which caused it to sink so rapidly. If any of the crew had had any warning someone would have stayed afloat until we came up. No, I don’t think a single member of the boat crew could possibly have survived.”

Captain John G. Leidke, commander of the Pointe aux Barques Coast Guard station, received a message at 7 o’clock from Captain Dahlburg reporting that a tug had sunk at 4:25 p.m., about 13 miles northeast of the Pointe. Captain Dahlburg reported the sinking was likely the result of an explosion. Captain Leidke took his crew to the site of the sinking but could find nothing. It was thought that the wreckage may have been carried out further into the lake as a heavy sea was running at the time. No bodies were found in the search. The Coast Guardsmen speculated that the Lee’s hull was damaged in the grounding. Water leaked in and must have gotten to the boiler, causing the explosion.

The wreck of the tug Fredrick A. Lee remained a mystery until the summer of 1994 when David Totter and his team of researchers and divers located the tug in the deep murky depths off the Thumb. They discredited the long held theory of boiler explosion as the cause of the sinking. The divers discovered an intact hull, deck and boiler. Although the pilot house was gone, the stack was standing and the wheel and steering mechanism were on the deck.

After numerous dives they theorized the Lee suffered significant hull damage during the grounding. She likely took on water during the trip up the lake and when hit with the heavy seas simply started down a wave and continued to the bottom.

The Lee lies in very deep water and can be visited by only the most experienced, technical divers.

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If you would like to contact Capt. Deb with any ideas, feedback, or information regarding shipwreck stories, please contact her through Huron Explorations at 810-648-4638 or e-mail at captdeb@avci.net. SCUBA diving charters can also be arranged through the above contact information.