Windoc
Encyclopedia
Windoc was the name of two Great Lakes freighters
owned by Canadian shipping company N.M. Paterson & Sons Ltd.
, with the second ship named in memory of the first in 1986. Both ships suffered similar accidents with lift bridges on the Welland Canal
.
, where the owner's head offices were based, combined with the fleet suffix doc, referring to the Dominion Of Canada. Its first transit through the Welland came in 1937, where it made frequent grain and coal runs until it was retired and sold for scrap in 1967.
In October 1938, C.N.R. Bridge #20, a vertical lift bridge spanning the Welland Canal near Humberstone, was lowered onto the Windoc before it had safely passed. Considerable damage was done to the ship's spar, stack, and lifeboats, and the cabins and hold were flooded, but no injuries were reported, and the ship was repaired.
named Rhine Ore. It was built in Hamburg
, West Germany
, and launched on April 11, 1959. It was renamed the Steelcliffe Hall after an April 1977 sale, it was rebuilt in Canada that year as a laker
, with cargo space added forward of the engine room, and the wheelhouse moved aft above the crew accommodation.
After decades of service and changes to the function and structural conversions of the ship, in 1988 Steelcliffe Hall was given the name Windoc (2) after being acquired by N. M. Paterson & Sons Ltd., following the liquidation of the previous owner, Halco.
On 11 August 2001, while traveling through the Welland Canal, Windoc was hit by Bridge 11 in Allanburg, Ontario
. The accident caused minor damage to the vertical lift bridge, and destroyed the ship's wheelhouse
and funnel. The vessel caught fire, and was later declared a constructive total loss, but there were no reported injuries, no damage to the $6-$8 million cargo, and no pollution to the waterway. The Marine Investigation Report concluded "it is likely that [vertical lift bridge] operator's performance was impaired while the bridge span was lowered onto the Windoc." The accident was captured on amateur video.
The vessel was towed to Hamilton Harbour for repairs, and in March, 2002, it broke free of its moorings in a 50 mph (22.4 m/s) winter gale, and ran aground 5 km (2.7 nmi) away in about six feet (2 m) of water, where it was pulled out by four tugs three days later.
N.M. Paterson & Sons left the shipping business the following year, after 87 years, and sued the canal operator, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., for $16.9 million (C). Their remaining four active and three mothballed ships were sold in 2002. The canal operator denies any negligence, and blames the shipping company and the ship's crew for the accident.
A Transport Safety Bureau report on the collision points to the bridge operator and bridge operating procedures and policies as major factors.
Lake freighter
Lake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...
owned by Canadian shipping company N.M. Paterson & Sons Ltd.
Norman McLeod Paterson
Norman McLeod Paterson, D.C.L., LL.D., K.G St. J. was a Canadian businessman and politician.Born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, the son of H.S. Paterson, he started working with the Manitoba Railway and Canal Company in 1897. He later worked for the Great Northern Railway of Canada as a...
, with the second ship named in memory of the first in 1986. Both ships suffered similar accidents with lift bridges on the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
.
Windoc (1): 1927-1967
The first Windoc began as the M.A. Hanna in 1899, a 430 feet (131.1 m), 4661 long tons (4,735.8 t) steamer built by Globe Iron Works that could carry approximately 7000 long tons (7,112.4 t). It was reconfigured and sold to Interlake Steamship Co. in 1913, when it was rechristened the Hydrus (2). A previous Hydrus foundered earlier that year, with all hands lost. After a decade moving primarily coal and ore, Interlake Steamship modernized its operations with four new ships, and sold the Hydrus and 11 other ships to Patterson Steamship Co. of Fort William. It was refitted and rechristened the Windoc in the spring of 1927. The vessel's name comes from the city of WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, where the owner's head offices were based, combined with the fleet suffix doc, referring to the Dominion Of Canada. Its first transit through the Welland came in 1937, where it made frequent grain and coal runs until it was retired and sold for scrap in 1967.
In October 1938, C.N.R. Bridge #20, a vertical lift bridge spanning the Welland Canal near Humberstone, was lowered onto the Windoc before it had safely passed. Considerable damage was done to the ship's spar, stack, and lifeboats, and the cabins and hold were flooded, but no injuries were reported, and the ship was repaired.
Windoc (2): 1977-2001
The second Windoc began as ocean-going bulk carrierBulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
named Rhine Ore. It was built in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and launched on April 11, 1959. It was renamed the Steelcliffe Hall after an April 1977 sale, it was rebuilt in Canada that year as a laker
Lake freighter
Lake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...
, with cargo space added forward of the engine room, and the wheelhouse moved aft above the crew accommodation.
After decades of service and changes to the function and structural conversions of the ship, in 1988 Steelcliffe Hall was given the name Windoc (2) after being acquired by N. M. Paterson & Sons Ltd., following the liquidation of the previous owner, Halco.
On 11 August 2001, while traveling through the Welland Canal, Windoc was hit by Bridge 11 in Allanburg, Ontario
Allanburg, Ontario
Allanburg is a community within the City of Thorold, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Welland Canal and Highway 20, both important transportation routes through the Niagara Peninsula. The two cross at a 1932-built vertical-lift bridge, numbered as Bridge 11 by the Saint Lawrence Seaway...
. The accident caused minor damage to the vertical lift bridge, and destroyed the ship's wheelhouse
Bridge (ship)
The bridge of a ship is the room or platform from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is underway the bridge is manned by an OOW aided usually by an AB acting as lookout...
and funnel. The vessel caught fire, and was later declared a constructive total loss, but there were no reported injuries, no damage to the $6-$8 million cargo, and no pollution to the waterway. The Marine Investigation Report concluded "it is likely that [vertical lift bridge] operator's performance was impaired while the bridge span was lowered onto the Windoc." The accident was captured on amateur video.
The vessel was towed to Hamilton Harbour for repairs, and in March, 2002, it broke free of its moorings in a 50 mph (22.4 m/s) winter gale, and ran aground 5 km (2.7 nmi) away in about six feet (2 m) of water, where it was pulled out by four tugs three days later.
N.M. Paterson & Sons left the shipping business the following year, after 87 years, and sued the canal operator, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., for $16.9 million (C). Their remaining four active and three mothballed ships were sold in 2002. The canal operator denies any negligence, and blames the shipping company and the ship's crew for the accident.
A Transport Safety Bureau report on the collision points to the bridge operator and bridge operating procedures and policies as major factors.
External links
- A Collection Of Windoc Accident Videos
- Pickands, Martin and James Pickands II (photographers). M.A. Hanna Co., at the Soo Locks ca. 1923. (Picture). Martin Pickands collection, via Boatnerd.com, ca. 1923. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- "Windoc Bridge Accident Caught on Tape" (Video), 2008-12-03.
- "TSB Report"(PDF), 2007-10-20.
