On November 22 of that year, the ship left Sarnia for Collingwood, her new home port, with a cargo of coal, oil, and salt.
At a stop-off in Tobermory, passengers were picked up from the Cumberland, whose captain had decided it was too late to brave the waters of Lake Superior as originally planned.
At around 9 p.m. on November 24, for reasons that were never established, the captain of the Mary Ward erred from the correct course, and the ship ran aground on Milligan's Reef, four kilometres off Northwinds Beach in Craigleith.
The direction of the wind was deterring any rescue attempts from Collingwood, but eventually three fishing boats from nearby Thornbury were able to reach the stranded vessel.
[citation needed] On the 100th anniversary of the disaster, a plaque commemorating the Mary Ward was unveiled in Craigleith Provincial Park.