''True North II'' was a small, 10.6 metre glass-bottom
tour boat
A tour boat is a boat used, and frequently purpose-built or adapted, for boat tours, a type of tourism frequently offered in much visited towns and cities of historic interest, that have canals or a river running through it, or that lie on a coa ...
that sank on June 16, 2000, in of water off of
Tobermory,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada, in
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To ...
, while transporting a class of 13 students from an overnight field trip to
Flowerpot Island
Flowerpot Island is an island in Georgian Bay, in the Canadian province of Ontario, and is a part of Fathom Five National Marine Park. The island spans from east to west, and from north to south, and has a total area of . The name of the island ...
back to the mainland. Two of the students, 12-year-olds Wade Simmons and Henrike Foerster, were killed in the sinking. The ship sank suddenly in rain and nearly gale-force winds, causing the parents of the deceased to question the captain's decision to travel in such bad weather. The captain ignored a
Small craft advisory
A small craft advisory is a type of wind warning issued by the National Weather Service in the United States. In Canada a similar warning is issued by Environment Canada. It is issued when winds have reached, or are expected to reach within 12 h ...
warning about the relatively heavy seas and high winds prior to leaving the dock (1m waves and 15-25 knot winds), although it was later reported that the vessel experienced winds of 30 knots.
The remaining 18 people on board (11 of whom were classmates of the victims) managed to survive by swimming approximately 200 metres to shore. None of the passengers were wearing
lifejacket
A personal flotation device (PFD; also referred to as a life jacket, life preserver, life belt, Mae West, life vest, life saver, cork jacket, buoyancy aid or flotation suit) is a flotation device in the form of a vest or suite that is worn by a ...
s, as it was not officially required by law at the time to don them unless the captain ordered a ship evacuation. This rule came under some scrutiny after the accident.
An
inquest
An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...
into the events was in fact later launched and ended in the jury calling for safer school field trips and boating standards in Ontario. One issue that was pointed out was that there were 22 lifejackets, which were stored in garbage bags, on board, but that only two were child-sized despite the fact that there were 13 children on board. The sinking of the ''True North II'' on a whole, however, was ruled to be an accident.
References
External links
Community-focus.com* http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/marine/2000/m00c0033/m00c0033.asp
{{coord, 45.2825, N, 81.6521, W, display=title
Shipwrecks of Lake Huron