Rogue Diving On the Scourge and Hamilton

From the Oct. 18, 2013, Toronto Spec.ca.

"Rogue divers visit shipwreck sites" by Mark McNeil.

Six divers made ten dives to the USS Scourge and USS Hamilton between 2000 and 2002. They were all experts in deep-water diving and refer to themselves as the MAREX group.

The two American ships are located 92 meters deep about 11 kilometers from Port Dalhousie. Both ships sank in a violent storm in August 1813 and were discovered in 1973 by Dr. Dan Nelson, an associate archaeologist at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).

Since then, ownership of the ships has shifted from the U.S. Navy to the ROM and now to the City of Hamilton, Canada.

Diving on the ships is strictly illegal, as they are also considered war graves, but the group figured it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Eight dives were made on the Hamilton and two on the Scourge. Neither ship had any radio security until 2004-2005.

They Are Protected by the Ontario Heritage Act. --Brock-Perry