Sunken ship discovered in Northumberland Strait

Dives have discovered a ship believed to have sunk more than 90 years ago about 13 kilometres off the coast of Prince Edward Island in the Northumberland Strait.

'Sometimes divers can dive their whole career and never get to do that'

CBC News Posted: Oct 03, 2017 6:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 3, 2017

'We think it's the Ferguson that sank in 1926,' says Laura Brake with the PEI Scuba Divers group. (PEI SCUBA Divers Group)

A sunken ship has been discovered about 13 kilometres off the coast of Prince Edward Island in the Northumberland Strait thanks to a fisherman's hunch.

Divers brought back footageof theshipafter exploring the site on Sept.14 and though they can't yet be sure, they believe it to be the wreck of the Ferguson, a dredging barge that sank in 1926.

"It's a moment ina lifetime for a diver," said scuba diver Laura Brakewith the P.E.I. ScubaDivers Group.

"Sometimes divers can dive their whole career and never get to do that."

The ship is in about 21 metres of water, and has collected a lot of sea life over 91 years.

Afisherman's hunch

Fisherman Donald MacDonald of Nine Mile Creekfirst spotted something on his fishing boat's image finder years ago, and wascertain there was something large down below.

The ship is in about 21 metres of water, and has collected a lot of marine life over time. (PEI SCUBA Divers Group)

"I knew it was something. Set traps on it, caught a few lobsters on it,"MacDonald said.

When he tookdivers out to collect scallops last month, he figured he'dtake them to the site.

"It's exciting. Really the exciting part is to see the shipwreck. Toknow what it is, andabout it," MacDonald said of the discovery.

Excitement in the diving community

The wreck is creating a lot of excitement among Island scuba divers.

'It's the moment of a lifetime for a diver,' says scuba diver Laura Brake with the P.E.I. Scuba Divers Group. (Brian Higgins/CBC)

Alot of divers from off the Island will want to check it out, Brake believes, so they're already urging people to treat the underwater site with respectto preserve it.

"Take nothing butpictures, leave nothing but bubbles. And that's what we'd like for the Ferguson if this is what she is. That this shipwreck will be there for Islandersand visitors to enjoy for years to come, preserved as we found it," Brake said.

Hoping for more information

According to research conducted by the P.E.I. scubagroup, six lives were lost when the Ferguson went down.

'Take only pictures, leave nothing but bubbles,' to preserve the wreck, advises the PEI Scuba Divers Group. (PEI SCUBA Divers Group)

The diving community is hoping for more information about the site, inhopes of confirming that the ship is indeed the Ferguson, explained Brake.

MacDonald may take more divers to the wreck this fall, if the weather holds, he said.

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With files from Brian Higgins

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