Collingwood Shipbuilding

Collingwood Dry Dock, Shipbuilding and Foundry Company
Industry Shipbuilding
Successor Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited
Founded 1882
Founder J.D Silcox and S.D Andrews
Defunct 1986
Headquarters Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Products Lake freighters, Naval vessels

Collingwood Shipbuilding was a major Canadian shipbuilder of the late 19th and 20th Centuries. The facility was located in the Great Lakes and saw its business peak during the Second World War.

History

Formed in 1882 as Collingwood Dry Dock, Shipbuilding and Foundry Company in Collingwood, Ontario by J.D Silcox and S.D Andrews [1] and renamed with the shortened name in 1892,[2] Collingwood Shipbuilding's core business was building Lake freighters, ships built to fit the narrow locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Over the company's lifetime it built over 200 ships. During the Second World War (1940-1944), the company was contracted to build 23 warships for the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Navy, mostly corvettes and minesweepers.

Business slowed in the 1970s and by the 1980s orders were in severe decline. Foreign competition killed many of Canada's shipbuilders with cheaper vessels.[3] The company folded in 1986 with the last ship completed, CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier for the Canadian Coast Guard.

The shipyard was acquired by Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) in 1945 and closed following the merger of CSL's shipbuilding interest with Upper Lakes Shipping to form Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited in 1986.[4] The last vessel built in the yard was MV Pineglen.[5]

The Shipyard waterfront community

CSL retained ownership of the land and slowly the buildings and structures of the old shipyard were demolished. Left vacant for almost two decades and then sold to developers Fram and Slokker. Beginning in 2004 the former shipyard has been rezoned from industrial to commercial use. The property has been undergoing re-development as part of Collingwood Harbour's revitalization plan. The area will be home to a residential community consisting of low-rise condos, townhomes and detached homes.[6] The former berths will be surrounded by a boardwalk and feature docking facilities for pleasure craft. Landscaping will provide a setting to attract residents and visitors to enjoy the views of the harbour.

Other notable ships

References

  1. ↑ http://cci.scdsb.on.ca/history/hships.htm
  2. ↑ http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/canada/collingwood.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.bluemountainlodges.ca/index.cfm?DSP=Section&ID=15
  4. ↑ http://cci.scdsb.on.ca/history/hships.htm
  5. ↑ George Wharton. "Pineglen: (Paterson 1985 - 2002)". boatnerd. Archived from the original on 2014-07-03. Retrieved 2015-01-01. The keel for this modern Great Lakes bulk freighter was laid on Nov. 5, 1984 at Collingwood Shipyards, Collingwood, ON as their hull # 231 and was launched on April 18, 1985 for N.M. Paterson & Sons Ltd. as the Paterson (2). She has the distinction of being the last lake built freighter built at the Collingwood Shipyards before they terminated operations September 12, 1986.
  6. ↑ http://www.theshipyards.com/

External links

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