Late Marine News

Table of Contents



Title Page
Meetings
The Editor's Notebook
Marine News
The New Namesakes of the Lakes
Lay-up Listings
Louis Shickluna - Shipbuilder
Ship of the Month No. 48 Reuben Doud
Late Marine News
Table of Illustrations

The reactivated Kinsman steamer SILVER BAY, now owned by Robert Pierson Holdings Ltd., St. Catharines, made her first appearance in Toronto on March 29 when she arrived from Toledo with a cargo of soya beans for Victory Mills. The following day her name was painted out and it is evident that her hull colour will be black. The forecastle was given a coat of light blue-gray paint, strange but rather eye-pleasing. On April 1st she was given her new name, JUDITH M. PIERSON (and not as reported elsewhere in this issue). When she departed early the next day, she still bore the red hull and Kinsman funnel, but these should soon be changed. On her deck she carried two large steel shamrocks, coated with primer, and we assume that these will be mounted on the funnel. The end result should be quite effective.

It has now been announced that Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. will proceed with the rebuilding and lengthening of WHEAT KING. The work will be done at Port Weller Dry Docks during the coming winter. Full details of the reconstruction have not yet been made public.

Ever since her construction a decade ago, the C.S.L. motorship RIMOUSKI has held down the St. Lawrence River titanium run and has thus been a bit of a stranger to the lakes. But all this has now ended, for C.S.L. has lost the titanium contract to Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. who will put their newly-acquired CAPE BRETON HIGHLANDER on the route. In addition, the firm has purchased two large British vessels, CARLTON and DEMETERTON, from Chapman & Willan Ltd. and Carlton & Cambay Steamship Companies Ltd. respectively. The former, built at Sunderland in 1964, measures 610'1 x 73.9 x 43.2 (Gross 16303) while the latter came from Shields in 1967 and measures 615'0 x 74.9 x 43.4 (Gross 16969). Both have recently been operating under charter to Federal Commerce and Navigation. CARLTON had actually been renamed FEDERAL WEAR in February, while DEMETERTON was to have become FEDERAL TYNE. The motorships will be renamed ST. LAWRENCE NAVIGATOR and ST. LAWRENCE PROSPECTOR but at the time of writing it is not clear which ship will be given which name.

By the time you read this, the gallant little tanker TEXACO-BRAVE will have been towed away from her long-familiar dock in the Toronto Ship Channel and will be reposing in Ramey's Bend at the yard of Marine Salvage Ltd. The BRAVE was scheduled to be towed out of Toronto on April 3rd by G. W. ROGERS and BAGOTVILLE.

We understand that Marine Salvage Ltd. has also purchased for scrapping the Kinsman steamer PETER ROBERTSON (II), (a) HARRY COULBY (I), (b) FINLAND. The ROBERTSON did not operate in 1974. On a happier note, we can report that Kinsman's HARRY L. ALLEN, a veteran of 1910, will be put in service this year.

Elsewhere in the issue, we noted that a number of U.S. Steel steamers are remaining in ordinary this year. We regret to advise that, contrary to earlier reports, JAMES A. FARRELL will be joining them in idleness as will two other as-yet-unidentified vessels. If we may be permitted to hazard a guess, we would suggest that the other pair might well be AUGUST ZIESING and HORACE ("Horrible") JOHNSON.

Toronto Harbour was officially opened on March 26 when METIS arrived with a cargo of cement. Her captain received the traditional topper in recognition of being master of the first vessel of the year to bring a cargo into port. The first salt water ship of the season was SPLIT, a Yugoslav motorship which arrived on April 1st.

 


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