| Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company | |
| Foundation: | 1909 |
| Founder: | James Whalen |
| Location: | Port Arthur, Ontario |
| Area Served: | Canada |
| Industry: | Shipbuilding |
| Products: | Cargo and Passenger ships, Naval vessels |
| Defunct: | 2014 |
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.
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]
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 625feet 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, two steamships that operated on Okanagan Lake, British Columbia.[6]
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]
Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company constructed and delivered many ships and parts for the war. These included nine corvettes, six s 20 s, 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]
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]
Heddle Marine purchased the property in 2016 and operates as a ship repair and winter layup facility.
The dry dock is 747feet long and 98feet wide (Seawaymax capacity). There is usually 16feet of water over the sill of the dry dock, depending on the level of Lake Superior. The dock is pumped by two 200hp 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 300000ft2.[7]
See main article: Flower-class corvette.
| 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. |
See main article: Bangor-class minesweeper.
| 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. |
See main article: Algerine-class minesweeper.
| 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 1948Broken 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 1949-1972Sunk 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 1958Broken 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 1959Broken 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 1959Broken up in 1966 |
| 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. |
See main article: Bay-class minesweeper.
| 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. |