The Gunilda, a luxurious steam yacht built in 1897 and owned by William L. Harkness, a Standard Oil investor from New York City, is now an incredibly well preserved shipwreck. In fact, this wreck has been declared to be both the best-preserved as well as the most prestigious in the world.
How the Wreck Happened
Unlike many of the most famous wrecks on the planet, Gunilda was not the victim of a collision with another vessel, nor did she take anyone with her to her watery grave. Instead, she was lost after a botched salvage effort, after she hit McGarvey’s Shoal, which has taken more than one vessel unaware. This shoal rises vertically from Lake Superior’s 280 foot bottom, and lies only three feet beneath the water.
As Harkness, who was bound for Rossport, attempted to save money by navigating the area without the use of a pilot, came around the northwest side of Copper Island, he hit the shoal at cruising speed, which caused the keel to rise six feet up out of the water. He called for assistance, and everyone aboard was taken safely to shore.
Later, the tugboat, James Whalen, was called out to salvage the vessel. Even though the salvage team advised against it, Harkness in his second error, insisted the yacht be pulled free from the shoal. On August 11, 1911, she took on water and sank rapidly. Today, the wreck of the Gunilda is a testament to human error. She lies upright and intact in 265 feet of water, only a few feet from the shoal that claimed her.
Diving the Gunilda
If you hope to dive the wreck of the Gunilda, you will need to obtain deep technical diving experience. Although she took no one with her when she sank, Gunilda has claimed lives. In 1970, Charles “King” Hague lost his life while looking for the wreck. His body was not recovered until 1976. In 1989, Reg Barrett, a diver from Burlington, ON, lost his life at the site.
Dive conditions are very cold, averaging thirty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, and if the weather is clear, chances are good that visibility will be decent – it averages twenty feet or so. No ambient light reaches Gunilda, and there is no measurable current.
Gunilda is 195 feet long and possesses a breadth of just over twenty-four feet. Her draft was 24 feet, and she has a triple expansion, twenty-seven inch steam engine with double boilers.
Once you reach the site, you can see everything – from binnacle to masts, in a ghostly, purely intact state. The bowsprit is still covered in gold leaf, and although penetration is forbidden, divers can peer through the windows and portholes to get a look at the many artifacts which litter the interior of the wreck.
Anyone caught stealing artifacts from a Canadian shipwreck faces a hefty fine of up to one million dollars, so it is advisable to regard the Gunilda as an underwater museum, and leave all her treasures intact for the enjoyment of future expeditions!
Local dive operators offer expeditions to the wreck on a regular basis, and will check to be certain that you do possess the skills and certifications required – they will also do an outstanding job of seeing to it that you enjoy a first-rate dive: one that will live in your memory forever.