Over the years several ships and boats have been wrecked off the shoals off of Point Clark. It was during the Great Storm of November 9, 1913 that bodies washed up on the following morning on the shore south of lighthouse and on present day Amberley Beach.
James Carruthers
The 550-foot long, 7,862-ton steel bulk freighter James Carruthers was built at Collingwood, Ontario by the Collingwood Shipbuilding Company in 1913. On November 6, 1913, the James Carruthers was loaded with 375,000 bushels of wheat at Fort William, Ontario on Lake Superior. Destined for Midland, Ontario in Georgian Bay,Carruthers was heading through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie when the storm hit. The ship refueled at DeTour on November 9th and entered Lake Huron. A few hours later the ship encountered the full fury of the storm and went down with Captain William H. Wright and his crew of 21 sailors. On Monday, November 10, wreckage from theJames Carruthers began coming ashore near Kincardine and Point Clark. Several bodies of the crew washed ashore as well. Most of the bodies wore life jackets and heavy coats, indicating that they had time to prepare for the disaster. The wreck of the James Carruthers has not yet been located.
Source: NOAA Regional Collaboration: Centennial Anniversary of storm of 1913
Editor’s note
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