Wreck Summary
| Type |
Shipwreck |
| Build |
Wooden two masted barque |
| Location |
Brockville, Ontario
|
| Depth |
60 feet |
| Length |
132 feet |
| Built |
1863 |
| Sank |
1889 |
| Access |
Boat |
| Experience Level |
Intermediate |
| Orientation |
Upright
|
The story of the Gaskin reads like a really bad horror novel. It was innocently trying to help raise another ship when a possessed pontoon tore loose and shot through the Gaskin’s hull, killing it. While the Gaskin was in the process of being brought back to life and was nearly at the surface it was killed again when a hose on the pontoon broke sending the ship back to the bottom. She was brought back to life AGAIN and had been towed several hundred feet towards safety when the pontoon said, "I don’t think so" and tore the stern off the Gaskin putting it on the bottom for the third and final time.
The rotting corpse… I mean, remains of the hull, make for an interesting dive. It’s located in the shipping channel just a half mile from downtown Brockville in current which makes the inside of the wreck a great respite from being swept away.
A sizeable anchor and Canada flag are nice touches at the bow, neither having been original equipment on the wreck.
Holes abound throughout the deck which makes penetration safer and easier than on most wrecks, and a a nice plaque near the bow gives an interesting account of the life (and death) of the ship.
