GREENOCK expat and former shipyard worker Duncan McPhail is delighted that an iconic Clydebuilt ship will live on as a tourist attraction in Ontario, Canada where he lives.
Duncan, who has been living in Canada for nearly 50 years, was at his Probus Club meeting in Burlington when he heard all about the repatriation from the US back to Canada of the last Great Lakes steamer, SS Keewatin.
The ship, the hull of which, is still completely seaworthy, was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd. and sailed from Greenock to Montreal in September 1907. To get her up into the Great Lakes at that time she had to be cut in two in Montreal and the halves were towed to Buffalo, New York on Lake Erie where they were re-joined. SS Keewatin – named from the Native American Cree tribe’s word for Blizzard of the North — went into service for Canadian Pacific Railways on Lake Superior in October 1908. She was retired from service in November 1965.
She was towed to Saugatuck-Douglas, Michigan, USA in 1967 and opened as a museum and lay at this berth for 45 years. SS Keewatin was towed back to her home-port of Port McNicoll, Ontario in June this year and was open to the public over the summer.
Duncan said: “The new owners are very happy with the amount of interest shown and they have about 150 volunteers looking after her. They were even able to turn over her engines using compressed air on arrival back in Canada so the people there to greet her could see the propeller turn.
“SS Keewatin is five years older than the Titanic and her engine and boiler were supplied by the same manufacturer as the Titianic’s. She also can boast a grand staircase. The interior of the ship is ‘as was’ built by Fairfield’s in 1907.
“The area in which she is now berthed will be fully developed over the next two or three years into a residential area consisting of homes, a marina, hotels and restaurants.”
Duncan, who served his time in a shipyard in Greenock, added: “Over the years we have seen a great many great ships leave the Clyde never to be heard from again. Here is an example of what ‘Clydebuilt’ means and how for many generations to come people will be able to visit this great lady of the Clyde and see for themselves the workmanship that went into that ‘Clydebuilt’ name.
Source Article from http://www.inverclydenow.com/news/features/8382-expat-welcomes-return-of-clydebuilt-ship-to-canada
