Tuesday Treasures

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Travel Tuesday

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My Corner of the World

Postcards

May 2022 - Collingwood ON

It took me quite a while to find out the history of these plaques embedded in the sidewalks at Millennium Overlook Park. There is no mention in any tourism guides or town websites, not even in the park website.

I finally found a town brochure online that said:

Harbourlands Walk of History
Take a walk on the memorial walkway through Shipbuilder’s Park along Heritage Drive. The pathway has over 60 memorial plaques commemorating the ships built in Collingwood.

Collingwood’s long history of shipbuilding, from the first hull (the Huronic, in 1901), to the last in 1985 (the Paterson, #231) was intended to be proudly captured in bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalks along Heritage Drive and around the boat docks. 

Residents paid good money to have the name of a hull embedded with their name. Years later, they have sunk, and letters are wearing away.

Collingwood - Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter
Built at Collingwood ON by Collingwood Shipbuilding Co., Hull 17
Launched Oct 5, 1907
Entered service May 15, 1908 sailing light to Canadian lakehead for grain.
Fleet sold Sept 10, 1918 to Canada Steamship Lines, Montreal QC
Converted to package freighter 1950 at Midland ON by Midland Shipbuilding Co.
Sold for scrap 1968 to Steel Factors Ltd. Resold to Spanish shipbreakers.

Name Until
Imperial Redwater 1954
R. Bruce Angus 1985
Converted from a tanker to a Great Lakes bulk carrier at Collingwood, Ontario in 1954

1985 Scrapped at Setubal, Portugal

Georgian Bay - Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter
Built at Collingwood ON by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., Hull 149
Launched Dec 18, 1953
Laid down to be a tanker for Imperial Oil Ltd. to carry Alberta oil from Superior WI to Sarnia ON but completion of the new pipeline from the western oil fields eliminated the need for a new tanker.  
Sold for scrap 1989 to Corostel Trading Ltd.