10 Sunken Treasures in Canada: What Lies Beneath the Waves
Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world, measuring approximately 243,042 kilometres (151,019 miles), and that vast coastline borders three oceans—the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic. In addition to this remarkable coastline, the country holds 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater. More than two million freshwater lakes and rivers cover about 891,163 square kilometres of the country.
Underneath all that water are many hidden treasures ranging from sunken ships and buried towns to fascinating geological formations and more.
An Underwater Ghost Town in Canada’s First National Park
Surrounded by craggy snowcapped mountain peaks, Lake Minnewanka is one of the prettiest spots in Banff National Park. Most visitors who admire its turquoise waters have no idea that there is a ghost town deep below—one of the most intact submerged towns in Canada.
Minnewanka Landing was a summer village that sat at the edge of the lake. It began with the construction of a hotel called the Beach House in 1886 and grew to include dozens of cottages, hotels and restaurants spread over four avenues and three streets.
In 1912, Calgary Power Co. flooded a good portion of Minnewanka Landing when a dam and a hydroelectric plant were constructed farther up the river. Despite this setback, the community continued to thrive and grow until a new dam was constructed in 1941, raising the lake’s waters by nearly 30 metres and completely flooding the community. Today, it can only be seen by scuba divers, about 18 metres below the lake’s surface.
One of History’s Greatest Maritime Mysteries Solved Off the Coast of Nunavut
The quest to find the Northwest Passage, a shorter, more direct sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean as a more lucrative trade route to Asia was taken on by many explorers from the 15th through the 20th centuries. But Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated 1845 expedition is perhaps the most famous voyages of them all. For more than 165 years, the whereabouts of his two ships and the fate of the 129 crewmembers and officers remained a mystery. Other explorers also met their demise searching for the lost ships.
In 2014, an expedition led by Parks Canada discovered the wreck of HMS Erebus and, in mid-September 2016, the HMS Terror was also located. Both ships were in Canadian waters. The discovery of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror off the coast of Nunavut answered many questions, but not all of them.
Arctic Seafloor Mounds Discovered in 2024
Before 1950, most scientists believed the ocean floor was a flat and featureless dumping ground for sediments. That misconception was overturned by sonar mapping, which revealed mountain ranges, valleys and more complex features on the ocean floor. Since that time, more research has been done to discover what lies below the surface of oceans around the world.
In 2024, scientists used modern sonar technology to explore remote regions of the Arctic Ocean and made an unexpected discovery. They found extensive underwater ice formations along the edge of the Beaufort Sea in Canada’s remote Arctic region.
They discovered a seafloor that is home to underwater permafrost mounds and massive sinkholes—a landscape that changes and evolves with the seasons. This discovery sheds light on a process that contributes to the continued formation of sub-marine permafrost ice and aids in better understanding the ecology of the Canadian Arctic.
Underwater History—North America’s Oldest Known Whaling Boat
From the 1540s to the early 1600s, as many as 2,000 Basque men and boys from southern France and northern Spain travelled more than 4,000 kilometres across the North Atlantic Ocean on whaling expeditions. They were hunting North Atlantic and Greenland Right Whales and almost 1,000 of them headed to what is now Red Bay, Newfoundland, annually.
In 1565, the San Juan, a vessel built in Spain, sank in Red Bay during a winter storm. It was fully loaded with whale oil at the time. In 1978, the wreckage was found thanks to the efforts of a historical geographer and a team of scientists including Parks Canada marine archeologists. A smaller vessel known as a chalupa was later found in 1998. The wreckage was painstakingly excavated by Parks Canada and the smaller vessel has been reconstructed and is on display at Red Bay National Historic Site Visitor Centre in Labrador, Canada. This UNESCO World Heritage Site offers a rare look at early transatlantic trade. With the treacherous nature of whaling, it may never be known if more vessels lie in the ocean’s depths near Red Bay.
The Iron Scow at Niagara Falls
For more than a century an old wreck has been wedged in the rocks above Niagara Falls. On August 6, 1918, two men nearly plunged over Horseshoe Falls when a dumping scow broke loose from the tugboat that was towing it and headed toward the brink of the powerful falls.
When the wreckage became trapped on a rock shoal about 766 metres from the brink of the falls, a complicated rescue operation was initiated, and the two men were safely recovered.
For over a century, the iron scow has been a reminder of the history of the falls and the power of nature. It’s uncertain how long the wreckage will remain visible though. In 2019, the wreck shifted and pieces have been breaking apart and shifting closer to the brink of the falls.
The Canadian Titanic
Wreck of RMS Empress of Ireland National Historic Site of Canada is located on the bottom of the St. Lawrence River near Rimouski, Quebec. The vessel and the surrounding debris field are a popular but dangerous diving site.
On May 29, 1914, the RMS Empress of Ireland, a British-built ocean liner, sank near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River when it collided with the Norwegian collier Storstad in the early hours of the morning. Thick fog was to blame.
Unlike the Titanic, which sank two years earlier, this vessel had enough lifeboats for all 1,477 passengers and crew onboard. What they lacked was time. There was only 14 minutes from the time of collision to the sinking of the vessel and 1,012 people died. It remains the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in Canadian history and has been nicknamed the Canadian Titanic.
One of the Best-Preserved 19th-Century Great Lakes Schooners
Built in 1867 in Burlington, Ontario, the Sweepstakes schooner was damaged in 1885 and towed into Big Tub Harbour in Tobermory, Ontario. Unfortunately for its owner, the ship sank while awaiting repairs.
Today it has the distinction of being one of the best-preserved 19th-century shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. At about six metres below the water’s surface, it is also one of the most visible shipwrecks in Canada—easily seen from the shore or by snorkelers and divers. The two-masted wooden schooner is 36.3 metres long.
The Sweepstakes sits at the bottom of Big Tub Harbour in the Fathom Five National Marine Park.
One of Canada’s Most Mysterious Shipwreck Tales
One of Canada’s most mysterious and controversial shipwreck tales happened relatively recently. On November 9, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a storm on Lake Superior resulting in the loss of all 29 crew onboard. Gordon Lightfoot memorialized the incident in his famous song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was a large American freighter that was caught in a severe storm with high winds and waves up to 11 metres high. At 5:30 p.m., the captain reported that the ship was having difficulty, but at 7:10 p.m., his last message said, “We are holding our own.”
To this day, no one knows for certain why the ship that was seemingly holding its own sank 88 fathoms (160 metres) deep in Canadian waters. The wreck lies deep in Lake Superior, but the ship’s bell has been recovered and is housed at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum near Shelldrake, Michigan, USA.
The Deepest Lake in North America
Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories is the deepest lake in North America at 614 metres (2,014 feet) but some researchers believe there are trenches in the bottom of the lake that may extend that depth by up to 30 metres more. It is the sixth deepest lake on the planet. The cause of the trenches in the lake is just one of its many secrets.
Wonderfully interesting article. I learned a lot and was mesmerized by the tales of ghosts that lurk in the waters.