The Caroline Rose is one of the schooners pictured on the back of the old Canadian $100 bill. She’s the sister ship of the Blue Nose, built in the yards of Canada’s most famous shipbuilding town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
She was purchased in 1955 and brought to Owen Sound, where she was used for a few charters. In 1990, she was sitting derelict in Owen Sound harbour when a group of divers and local business people bought and towed her to Driftwood Cove, where she was sunk as a dive site. Unfortunately, a violent storm surge dragged her in shallower waters, breaking her up badly. However, there are large sections of the ship and many artifacts remaining.
Diving the wreck
The Caroline Rose sits at 55ft below this mooring buoy, at the mouth of Driftwood Cove. Most of the wreck lays next to the mooring block. The starboard side is gone and the top deck has collapsed, but the port side railing is still intact. Observe the large propeller, drive shaft and rudder.
Dive Report
I remember diving her a day or two after her somewhat premature sinking. She was intact and sitting flat on the bottom. We recovered a bunch of plastic sheeting that had been used to keep here somewhat watertight.
I seem to recall it was only a few days later that a gale drove her up into shallower water, causing her to break up in the process. Kinda sad really.
Stuart Seldon
Article and Pictures Submitted by Divers Den, Tobermory
