The JC Morrison

The JC Morrison, a 75 foot long dual side wheel paddler, was built in 1854 and sank after catching fire in 1857. She sank after being cut adrift from the nearby wharf to save other ships and currently lies where she originally sank. Both of the paddle wheels were present initially but a local sailing club decided to remove them to deeper water. They were rebuked for these actions and managed to find one wheel and bring it back, but the other remains lost. The returned wheel lies on its side around 40 feet from the port side of the wreck and 20 feet aft of the bow. The walking arm (a part of the engine) extends towards the surface but the otherwise the rest of the hull is flattened. Some rather aggressive Bass frequent this area. There is a plastic case which is filled with artifacts and attached to the bow (directly below the surface marker line). The artifact most easily identified and in the best condition is a clay tobacco pipe. Following the hull aft you will come to a line which leads out into the darkness. There is also a tank-like structure at that point which is sometimes mistakenly thought to be the ship's boiler but is actually just something interesting to view. If you follow the aforementioned line for about 2 minutes it will lead you to the water treatment and outfall pipes of the city of Barrie. This is the place to warm up if you're very cold as the water is warm and clean. You could also use the outfalls to propel you from one to the next. Visibility at this site can vary greatly because of the weather and because OW classes are held in the area. Visibility also drops if the wind is onshore (from the east). The depth varies too - it can be 40 feet or it can be nothing. This dive is fun if other sites are weather bound as this one rarely closes.