Originally a three masted wooden barque she was launched at Kingston, Ontario on April 21, 1863 as a 132.6 ft. x 26.3 ft. x 11.3 ft. with a cargo capacity of 20,000 bushels. In 1889 the Gaskin was being used as a salvage barge to help salvage the railroad ferry Armstrong that had sunk. During this process the Gaskin had been sunk three times, with the third time being the final time. A large anchor is located off the bow towards shore about 40 ft. from the Gaskin and adds to the site. The Robert Gaskin sits a half mile downstream from the Brockville waterfront and river focal point, "Blockhouse Island" and lies perpendicular to the current at a 55 ft. depth at the bow, and 70 ft. at the stern which sticks out towards the channel and shipping lane. The upstream shipping channel is very close to the stern and caution is advised.

This information taken from Brockville Wrecks

The Robert Gaskin lies about 700 meters off Brockvilles' centennial park. It would normally be considered a boat dive but can be a shore dive. Navigation skills should be sharp and a close eye kept on your timing device. There are lines leading out to the wreck, but they can be confusing because there are several and they cross each other near the shore. Swimming at a reasonable pace will bring you to the wreck of the Robert Gaskin in about 15 minutes, and by staying near a depth of 15 feet on the way out to conserve air, should leave you time to take a good tour of the wreck. Watch your air supply, there can be heavy boat traffic between the shore and the Gaskin so best to not have to surface. The park is a handy place to setup and we usually setup a table and place a tarp on the ground. The local folks are friendly and often curious. We try not to leave anything of much value lying around during the dive, though I have never heard of any divers losing any stuff here. There are public washrooms. There is a Tim Hortons on the way out of the town. Depending on the time of day you are setting up there can be a lot of locals using the entrance to the water, or none. Early is better. Looking toward the site, you can often see boats moored and divers entering the water. With good timing you should not have to look through their silt, time your dive so the other divers will be ascending as you are arriving. The current is strong, especially on the west side of the Gaskin. There is not much to see there anyway. Stay down current. After diving here for a few years we may be taking things for granted. I need to emphasize that as a shore dive it is dangerous. Boats generally pass by between the shore and the wreck at high speed, sailboats are quiet, fast and with their deep keel or center board just as deadly as a motor boat, maybe even more because you won't hear it coming. Dive flags are often ignored and a diver who has to surface quickly is on a highway. Evaluate your skills and options carefully!