Excerpt taken from "Around the Lakes"  (2001 July Issue) By Stephen Weir 

Dive the Sligo in the shadows of the CN Tower

A group of volunteer divers led by a former Save Ontario Shipwrecks (SOS) executive will study and photograph a 19th century shipwreck off the shores of the city of Toronto this summer. The Sligo, built in 1860 and lost in 1918, lies in 70 feet of frigid water in Lake Ontario near the mouth of the Humber River.

"People in Toronto don't realize that there is a major marine artifact lying literally at the foot of the city," explains marine archaeology student Kimberly Monk. "This summer we are going to be doing a complete work-up on what I believe is a fine example of a Welland Canal vessel."

The Sligo sailed the Great Lakes, the Welland Canal and actually crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice during her 60-year career as a floating workhorse. Originally built as the three-masted bark, Prince of Wales, she went through several makeovers before sinking within hailing distance of shore.

The 144-foot long wooden boat was rebuilt as a schooner, renamed Sligo and then exclusively used on the Great Lakes markets. Around the turn of the century the Sligo was cut down for use as a tow barge, when the costs of sailing ships outweighed the costs of operating steam tugs.

Because the Sligo was so old when she sank, no effort was made to raise her or to recover her cargo of stone. Although the ship's sinking was well documented by the newspapers of the day, the wreck of the Sligo was soon forgotten.

The Sligo was rediscovered about 30 years ago by veteran diver Don McIntrye. Frequent Diver Magazine photographer Jim Kozmik took some of the first images of the wreck and over the years, groups like the SOS have dove on the upright wreck.

The city of Toronto has the highest concentration of divers in Canada; yet, virtually no one in the community actually dives in the city. The Sligo should be a popular wreck, however she is close to the main shipping lane leading into the city's harbour, and it is a busy recreational boating and sailing area. The water is cold, dark and often polluted. 

"Recreational divers do visit the Sligo, but in small numbers. The visibility has gotten better in the past few years, but, it certainly isn't what I would describe as a popular wreck site," said Ms. Monk.

Kimberly Monk, once the chairman of the Toronto chapter of the SOS is currently a graduate student enrolled in the Maritime Studies program at the East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. The 27 year old student will be studying and writing her thesis about the Sligo. 

Over the course of the summer she and her group of volunteer divers plan to photograph every inch of the wooden ship. By August she hopes to have a photo montage of the wreck site and a better understanding of Toronto's little known shipwreck.