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10 Years of Research on the Wreck of Fort Saint-Jean
"10th Anniversary" Series
The Laurentian Channel: A Natural Laboratory for Deep-Water Maritime Archaeology
By: Vincent Delmas (IRHMAS)
The Laurentian Channel has served as one of the St. Lawrence River's principal navigation corridors since the earliest days of European settlement. Stretching across the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, this vast submarine valley reaches depths exceeding 300 metres in places and contains an archaeological record that remains only partially documented. The environmental conditions characteristic of these deep waters also favour the exceptional preservation of shipwrecks, providing a unique setting for investigating Quebec's maritime past.
Since 2021, the Institut de Recherche en Histoire Maritime et Archéologie Subaquatique (IRHMAS) has participated in a multidisciplinary research partnership bringing together Université Laval, the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Development of Ocean Mapping (CIDCO), and the Centre for the Development and Research in Digital Intelligence (CDRIN). The project aims to acquire very high-resolution bathymetric and oceanographic data in waters ranging from approximately 150 to more than 300 metres in depth using the research vessel Coriolis II and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). These data contribute simultaneously to the study of seabed morphology, hypoxia, benthic habitats, and underwater cultural heritage.
The 2021 and 2022 field campaigns were designed primarily to enhance existing knowledge of several known shipwrecks, including the SS Vulcano, SS Carolus, and B.F. (Bernier Brothers). High-resolution multibeam surveys acquired with AUVs produced three-dimensional digital models that significantly improve upon previously available datasets. These models document hull morphology, superstructures, and a range of diagnostic architectural features, providing new information on vessel construction and state of preservation.
Title : Study areaCredits : V. Delmas/IRHMAS
Title : General view of the SS CarolusCredits : ULaval/UQAR
Beyond documenting known sites, the surveys also led to the discovery of several previously unidentified wrecks, including a scow-type barge, an unidentified wreck off Baie-des-Sables, and two vessels tentatively identified as the Fundy and the Premier. These discoveries demonstrate that high-resolution bathymetric models are valuable not only for locating archaeological sites but also for documenting architectural characteristics in sufficient detail to support historical identification. This integration of remote sensing, archaeological interpretation, and documentary research represents one of the project's principal scientific contributions.
The presumed Fundy illustrates this approach particularly well. Surveys conducted in 2022 identified a flat-bottom mechanical dredge measuring approximately 36.5 metres in length and 12 metres in width, whose architectural characteristics closely correspond to those of the dredge Fundy, lost off Rimouski in 1955. Similarly, new survey data acquired over the presumed Premier make it possible to compare the archaeological remains with historical descriptions of the merchant sailing vessel wrecked off Cap-Chat in 1843. In both cases, the proposed identifications remain working hypotheses that require further documentary and archaeological investigation. Nevertheless, these results clearly demonstrate the potential of AUV-based surveys for the interpretation of deep-water shipwrecks.
The research also highlights the value of integrating archaeological data with geological, sedimentological, and oceanographic observations. Combining high-resolution digital models with environmental datasets and historical sources provides new insights into site formation processes and long-term preservation while advancing archaeological survey methods for deep-water environments.
The first two field seasons demonstrate that the Laurentian Channel is far more than a concentration of historic shipwrecks. It is a natural laboratory where emerging technologies make it possible to investigate underwater cultural heritage alongside the environmental processes that shape and preserve it. Continued geophysical surveys, archival research, and the deployment of both autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) will further refine the identification of known sites while expanding the archaeological inventory of a region that remains largely unexplored.