J.B. King

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The “King” was a 140 ft. wooden drill barge owned by John P. Porter and sons of St. Catherines. She was engaged in drilling and blasting to deepen the “narrows” to 27 ft. when she was struck by lightening and exploded June 26, 1930. U.S. Revenue Cutter “Succor” (CG 211) was patrolling nearby and heard the explosion and racing to the scene recovered 10 of the total 11 that survived out of a total 43 that had been on board.

The site is just north of Cockburn Island in quick current and runs from 40 ft. to 155 ft. of depth at the edge of the downstream lane of the shipping channel.

 Dive site description
 Object description
 Lake / river  St. Lawrence River  Official name  John B. King & Co.
 GPS Coordinates  N43 33.4600
W75 42.4300
 Also known as  –
 Access  Shore / boat  Type  Drilling barge
 Description  Shipwreck  Material  Wood
 Min. / max. depth  80-150 ft +  Propulsion  n/a
 Visibility  4-12 ft  Cargo  None
 Current  Strong  Built by / at  n/a
 Level  Advanced  Built / lauch date  n/a
 Thermocline  n/a  Sunk / flooded  June 26th, 1930
 Bottom type  n/a  Dimensions  140 ft
 Boat traffic  Heavy  Position  n/a
 Hazards  See description