The Wreck of the Dauntless

The remains of the Mosquito Fleet Steamer Dauntless, rest forgotten off of Meadow Point, just north of Golden Garden Park in Seattle.  They have been there since December 30, 1923, when a fierce storm blew the well known steamer loose from her moorings at Kingston.  She drifted across the Sound and piled up on the beach near Meadow Point, a total loss.

For divers visiting the wreck of the Dauntless, it is a pleasant dive back into time, when the Mosquito Fleet of steamers was the primary mode of transportation in and around Puget Sound.   The Dauntless was typical of the Mosquito Fleet Steamers, 93 feet long and 91 tons.  The wood burning vessel was built near Tacoma in 1899 and she ran the Seattle - Tacoma (East Pass) route for many years after the turn of the century.  She was eventually replaced by the much faster Defiance, then skipped around the sound until settling in to the route between Seattle and Port Ludlow for many years prior to her stormy demise.

The six foot diameter propeller (photo right, with resident ling cod) still sits attached to the tail shaft, which runs all of the way to the remains of a large gearbox and triple expansion engine.   Most, but not all of the old wood hull have rotted away, but the bits and pieces of machinery still provide habitat for many rockfish, ling cod and kelp greenlings, which peer out at divers and wonder what all of the fuss is about.

Large piles of fire brick still surround the remains of the old boiler which once pushed the "too slow" Dauntless back and forth, up and down Puget Sound in the hey day of the old steamers of the Mosquito Fleet.   A very interesting period of local history, and well worth the trip out to this boat only dive site for you history buffs.

 Location:  Just North of Meadow Point, near Golden Garden Park, 1/4 mile offshore.

Depth:  45 - 55'      Hazards:  Current, Fishing Nets, Boat traffic.        Wreck Location