On Dec. 24, 1939, the Huronic settled into the icy waters of Collingwood’s inner harbour for a long winter’s nap.
The Huronic claims a special place in Collingwood’s shipbuilding history as Hull 1, the first steel ship to be constructed and side launched into Collingwood’s harbour. Prior to the Huronic’s construction, large wooden ships were constructed in Collingwood’s original dry dock at the northern extension of St. Paul Street.
In these early years, large wooden ships were float launched, a process far less dramatic than the side launch method for which Collingwood became known. A float launch simply involved flooding the pumped-out dry dock with water, a process that caused the completed ship to gradually rise from the dry dock’s base on which it had been constructed.
Two photographs documenting the construction of Collingwood’s inaugural steel ship were preserved by the Collingwood Museum’s predecessor, the Huron Institute. Both photographs feature the telltale signs of Collingwood’s original collecting institution – handwritten notes on the face of each photograph as well as a unique identification number.
The above photographs, numbered 902 and 903 respectively, are the earliest known photographic records of the Huronic’s construction in the Collingwood Museum’s collection.
Photograph 902 (left) captures the Huronic’s construction on the building berth along the east side of Collingwood first dry dock in July 1901. Many levels of wooden scaffolding are visible, but no workers appear to have been captured when the photograph was taken.
Photograph 903 (right) showcases one of the Scotch boilers that arrived in Collingwood on an open rail car for installation aboard the Huronic. The words “Michigan Central 5077” appear along the side of the rail car.
If you look closely, a dapper looking gentleman stands in front of the boiler, demonstrating the boiler’s impressive scale. The Huronic was powered by four Scotch boilers that supplied 175 pounds of steam pressure.
The Huronic made history on September 12, 1901, as the first steel ship to be launched into Collingwood’s harbour. The christening ceremony was conducted by Miss Long, the niece of the shipyard’s president, John Long.
Approximately 7,000 onlookers attended the launch, as did many others from the harbour and neighbouring sawmills who sounded their whistles for a full five minutes in celebration of the launch’s success.
Designed by the shipyard’s manager, Hugh Calderwood, the Huronic was over 300 feet in length and could accommodate 250 cabin passengers with additional space in steerage. The dining room welcomed 120 passengers in a single sitting, and the ship boasted a handsome smoking room among other amenities.
In addition to passenger service, the Huronic had five cargo hold compartments with a combined capacity of 80,000 bushels of wheat. An additional 700 tonnes of package freight could be stored on the main deck.
The Huronic served with the Northern Navigation Company between 1902 and 1913, and then with Canada Steamship Lines until 1950. In its later years, the upper cabin was removed and for the remainder of the Huronic’s service it operated in the package freight trade.
The Huronic made its final journey to Hamilton in December 1949 where it remained until being scrapped in 1950.
Today, the Huronic’s importance continues to be honoured in Collingwood. A display at the Collingwood Museum includes a model of the Huronic and the historic photograph of Collingwood’s first steel ship launching sideways into the harbour. The model was constructed by Vern McDuffie.
In the sailing months, a modern-day vessel named Huronic operates out of Collingwood’s harbour, offering dinner cruises and scenic tours. The blue and white tour boat, operated by Collingwood Charters, was named Huronic as a tribute to Collingwood’s first steel ship.
Finally, a brass plaque commemorating Hull 1, Huronic, is located along Collingwood’s Walk of History, a series of brass plaques inlaid along the sidewalks on Heritage Drive and the present-day boat launch area. The plaque commemorating Huronic was placed in memory of Jeannie Foley.
If you have a story to share about one of Collingwood’s many ships, please contact Collingwood Museum staff. As well, you are welcome to explore the Museum’s digitized photograph collection by visiting: https://collingwood.pastperfectonline.com/.
For up-to-date information on the Collingwood Musem’s hours of operation during the holiday season, please visit www.collingwood.ca/museum.
