Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company

The Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard that operated at Port Arthur, Ontario, now part of Thunder Bay, on Lake Superior from 1911 to 1993.[1] The shipyard was established in 1909[2] and renamed in 1916 as the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company.[3] The yard closed in 1993. It reopened as a repair yard Lakehead Marine and Industrial, however that venture failed in 2014. As of 2016, the shipyard was purchased by Heddle Marine. It is operated by Heddle Marine in partnership with Fabmar Metals Inc, of Thunder Bay. The venture focuses on ship repair services and winter layup options.

Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company
IndustryShipbuilding
Founded1909
FounderJames Whalen
Defunct2014
HeadquartersPort Arthur, Ontario
Area served
Canada
ProductsCargo and Passenger ships, Naval vessels

Its dry dock and shops were constructed in 1910 and located at Bare Point at the extreme eastern end of the Thunder Bay harbour.[4] The company built and repaired many ships during its years of operation, including warships during the First and Second World Wars.[5]

History
W. Grant Morden, first Canadian ship to hold the title "Queen of the Lakes", largest freighter on the Great Lakes

Beginning

Entrepreneur James Whalen began the company in 1909. Letters patent issued at Port Arthur in February 1909 and construction began in 1910 after negotiations with The American Ship Building Company, which supplied top management and skilled workmen. The initial cost CAD$650,000. The officers at the time were James Whalen, President from 1910 to 1924; Irving S. Fenn from the American Ship Building Company, Secretary-Treasurer; and Hugh Simms, Superintendent.

The first ship to enter the dry dock was Dunelm, a cargo vessel that docked on 16 April 1911. The first passenger vessel was Hamonte, which docked on 29 July 1911. 1914 marked the launching of W. Grant Norden, later known as Donnacona, a 625-foot (191 m) vessel that was completely built at Western Dry Dock. W. Grant Norden was the largest Canadian-built freighter on the Great Lakes for 20 years. 1914 also marked the construction and launch of SS Sicamous and SS Naramata, two steamships that operated on Okanagan Lake, British Columbia.[6]

Early 1900s

The company built many ships over next years, including warships for the First World War. In 1916, it was acquired by John Burnham of Chicago, who changed the name to Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company Limited. During the recession of the 1920s, production and employment dropped. The company was taken over by H.B. Smith and R.M. Wolvin ten years later, and business boomed during the Second World War.[6]

Second World War

Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company constructed and delivered many ships and parts for the war. These included nine corvettes, six Bangor-class minesweepers 20 Algerine-class minesweepers, boilers and engines, and many aircraft components. Increasing business led to new buildings and equipment. The number of employees reached a peak in the July 1944 at 2150 employees (the average was 310).[7]

Decline and end

The company was acquired by Canada Steamship Lines Limited in 1946. It continued to build ships, including three coasters, two of which were delivered to Chinese government, and six hopper barges for the French government. Major constructions ceased after 1959, though the company continued to repair and renovate ships.[6] The company became a subsidiary of Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited in 1987 and closed in 1993. It reopened as a repair yard called Lakehead Marine and Industrial Inc., which continued to operate until 2014.[1] Lakehead Marine and Industrial announced its bankruptcy and sold off its assets at auction in November 2014.[8]

Purchase and re-development

Heddle Marine purchased the property in 2016 and operates as a ship repair and winter layup facility.

Grounds and facilities

The dry dock is 747 feet (228 m) long and 98 feet (30 m) wide (Seawaymax capacity). There is usually 16 feet (4.9 m) of water over the sill of the dry dock, depending on the level of Lake Superior. The dock is pumped by two 200 horsepower (150 kW) direct current pumps that can empty the dock in four hours, discharging 1,000,000 gallons per hour.

The company had modern shops for mill work, pulp and paper machinery, general machine shop work, structural steel, power and heating, boilers and tanks, iron, and brass and aluminum castings. At the time of its construction, the machine shop contained the largest vertical boring mill between Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia. The plant covered 35 acres and was located at the north of Lakehead Harbour. There were 76 buildings with a roofed area of 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2).[7]

Ships built
  • Hamiltonian (steel package freighter, 1912)
  • Calgarian (package freighter, 1913)
  • Noronic (passenger steamer, 1913)
  • Nasookin (passenger steamer, 1913)
  • Sicamous (passenger steamer, 1914)
  • W. Grant Morden (lake bulk carrier, 1914)
  • Blaamyra (ocean freighter, 1916)
  • Thorjerd (ocean freighter, 1916)

Warships built

Flower-class corvette
Main article: Flower-class corvette
Ship Pennant number Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
HMCS Algoma K127 18 June 1940 17 December 1940 11 July 1941 Transferred in 1945 to Venezuela as Constitucion.
HMCS Cobalt K124 1 April 1940 17 August 1940 25 November 1940 In the Netherlands 1953 as whale catcher Johanna W. Vinke (AM5²) in service. Scrapped 15 December 1961 in South Africa.
HMCS Kamsack K171 20 November 1940 5 May 1941 4 October 1941 Sold in 1945 to Venezuela as Carabobo. Lost in December 1945.
HMCS Kenogami K125 20 April 1940 5 September 1940 29 June 1941 Scrapped in January 1950 in Canada.
HMCS Morden K170 25 October 1940 5 May 1941 6 September 1941 Scrapped in November 1946 in Canada.
HMCS Oakville K178 21 December 1940 21 June 1941 18 November 1941 Sold in 1946 to Venezuela as Patria.
HMCS Rosthern K169 18 June 1940 30 November 1940 17 June 1941 Scrapped in June 1946 in Canada.
HMCS Weyburn K173 21 December 1940 26 July 1941 26 November 1941 Mined on 22 February 1943 off Cape Espartel at 36-46N, 06-02W. 7 crew were killed.
HMCS Port Arthur K233 28 April 1941 18 September 1941 26 May 1942 Sold on 23 October 1945. Scrapped in 1948 at Hamilton, Ontario.

Bangor-class minesweeper
Main article: Bangor-class minesweeper
Ship Pennant number Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
HMCS Blairmore J314 1 February 1942 14 May 1942 17 November 1942 Decommissioned on 16 October 1945. Recommissioned in 1949 with pennant J193. Sold to Turkey in 1958 as Beycoz in 1971.
HMCS Fort William J311 18 August 1941 30 December 1941 25 August 1942 Sold in 1957 to Turkey as Bodrum. Sold in 1971.
HMCS Kenora J281 18 August 1941 20 December 1941 6 August 1942 Decommissioned on 6 October 1945. Recommissioned in 1949 with pennant J191.

Decommissioned in 1957 and sold to Turkey as Bandirma. Sold in 1972.

HMCS Kentville J312 15 December 1941 17 April 1942 10 October 1942 Decommissioned on 28 October 1945. Recommissioned in 1949 with pennant J182.

Decommissioned in 1957 and sold to Turkey as Bartin. Sold in 1972.

HMCS Milltown J317 18 August 1941 27 January 1942 18 September 1942 Decommissioned on 18 October 1945. Recommissioned in 1949 with pennant J194.

Sold in February 1959.

HMCS Mulgrave J313 15 December 1941 2 May 1942 4 November 1942 Struck a mine in the English Channel off Le Havre on 8 October 1944 and badly damaged, not repaired.

Scrapped in May 1947.

Algerine-class minesweeper (Royal Canadian Navy)
Main article: Algerine-class minesweeper
Ship Pennant number Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
HMCS Border Cities J344 26 August 1942 3 May 1943 18 May 1944 Sold for scrapping 1948
HMCS Fort Frances J396 11 May 1943 30 October 1943 28 October 1944 Transferred to Department of Mines and Technical Surveys in 1948

Broken up in 1974

HMCS Kapuskasing J236 19 December 1942 22 July 1943 17 August 1944 Loaned to the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys from 1949-1972

Sunk as a target in 1978

HMCS Middlesex J328 29 September 1942 27 May 1943 6 August 1944 Ran aground near Halifax and became a total loss on 2 December 1946
HMCS New Liskeard J397 7 August 1942 14 January 1944 21 November 1944 Scrapped in 1969
HMCS Oshawa J330 6 October 1942 6 October 1943 6 July 1944 Sold as civilian survey vessel in 1958

Broken up in 1966

HMCS Portage J331 23 May 1942 21 November 1942 22 October 1943 Broken up in 1961
HMCS Rockcliffe J335 23 December 1942 19 August 1943 30 September 1944 Broken up in 1960
HMCS Sault Ste. Marie J334 27 January 1942 5 August 1942 24 June 1943 Broken up in 1960
HMCS St. Boniface J332 21 May 1942 5 November 1942 9 October 1943 Sold mercantile as Bess Barry M. in 1948
HMCS Wallaceburg J336 6 July 1942 17 December 1942 18 November 1943 Sold to the Belgian Navy as Georges Lecointe in 1959

Broken up in 1970

HMCS Winnipeg J337 31 January 1942 19 September 1942 29 July 1943 Sold to the Belgian Navy as A.F. Dufour in 1959

Broken up in 1966

Algerine-class minesweeper (Royal Navy)
Ship Pennant number Commissionned Fate
HMS Lysander J379 1943 Broken up in 1957.
HMS Mariner J380 1944 Sold to the Burmese Navy as Yan Myo Aung in 1958.

Withdrawn and Laid up in 1982.

HMS Marmion J831 1944 Broken up in 1959.
HMS Orcadia J462 1945 Broken up in 1958.
HMS Ossory J463 1945 Broken up in 1959.
HMS Pluto J446 1945 Broken up in 1973.
HMS Polaris J447 1945 Broken up in 1956.
HMS Pyrrhus J448 1945 Broken up in 1956.
HMS Romola J449 1945 Broken up in 1957.
HMS Rosamund J439 1945 Sold to the South African Navy as HMSAS Bloemfontein in 1947.

Sunk as a target off Simonstown on 5 June 1967.

Bay-class minesweeper
Main article: Bay-class minesweeper
Ship Hull classification symbol Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
HMCS Chaleur MCB 144 8 June 1951 21 June 1952 18 June 1954 Sold to the French Navy as La Dieppoise in 1954, stricken 1985.
HMCS Quinte MCB 149 14 June 1952 8 August 1953 15 October 1954 Paid off in 1964.
HMCS Thunder MCB 161 1 September 1955 27 October 1956 3 March 1957 Paid off in 1997.

References
  1. "Port Arthur Shipbuilding, Thunder Bay ON". Shipbuildinghistory.com. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. "Big Shipyard". Montreal Gazette. 29 May 1909. p. 8. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  3. Port Arthur Daily News, 14 October 1909.
  4. Port Arthur Daily News, 27 June 1911.
  5. Port Arthur Daily News, 20 May, 14 August 1915.
  6. Division of Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited. History of Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company. August, 1969.
  7. Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company archives. 1975.
  8. "Lakehead Marine and Industrial auction 'saddens' many". CBC News. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2015.

48°27′11″N 89°10′45″W

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