Windoc

"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.

"Windoc" (1): 1927-1967

The first "Windoc" began as the "M.A. Hanna" in 1899, a convert|430|ft|adj=on, convert|4661|LT|t|adj=on|lk=on steamer built by Globe Iron Works that could carry approximately convert|7000|LT|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 built 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 Winnipeg, 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 carrier 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.

In 2001, while travelling through the Welland Canal, "Windoc" collided with Bridge 11 in Allanburg, Ontario. The accident produced a large fire on board, causing minor damage to the vertical lift bridge, and destroying 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 vessel was towed to Hamilton Harbour for repairs, and in March, 2002, it broke free of its moorings in a convert|50|mph|abbr=on|lk=on winter gale, and ran aground convert|5|km|nmi|abbr=on away in about six feet (2 m) of water, where it was pulled out by four tugs three days later. [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/maritime/Scheepvaartnieuws/Pdf/scheepvaartnieuws/2002/maart/13-03-2002.PDF "Casualty Reporting."] "PSi - Daily Shipping Newsletter", 2002-03-13. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.]

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. [Ross, Ian. [http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry/transportation/211668-02-TBay-Paterson.asp, "Paterson a casualty in shipping industry."] "Northern Ontario Business", Laurenthian Business Publishing Inc., vol. 22, issue 10, page 1(2). via northernontariobusiness.com, 2002-08-01. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.] [ [http://www.boatnerd.com/news/archive/7-02.htm "Both sides to present arguments in Windoc-bridge collision."] Boatnerd.com, 2002-07-15. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.]

A Transport Safety Bureau report [ [http://bst.gc.ca/en/reports/marine/2001/m01c0054/m01c0054.asp "TSB Reports - Marine 2001 - M01C0054"] bst.gc.ca, Retrieved on 2007-10-20] on the collision points to the bridge operator and bridge operating procedures and policies as major factors.""

ee also

Welland Canal

Notes

References

* [http://bst.gc.ca/en/reports/marine/2001/m01c0054/m01c0054.asp "Marine Investigation Report #M01C0054: Striking and Subsequent Fire on Board Bridge 11, Welland Canal and Bulk Carrier Windoc, Welland Canal, Allanburg, Ontario, 11 August 2001."] Transportation Safety Board of Canada, 2005-07-05. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
* Wharton, George. [http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/windoc.htm "Great Lakes Fleet Page Vessel Feature -- Windoc."] Boatnerd.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
* Miller, Al. [http://www.boatnerd.com/windoc/ "Windoc Accident: August 11, 2001."] Boatnerd.com, January, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
* Sykes, Al. [http://www.welland.library.on.ca/digital/clipping/source/ships/8023.jpg"Ships of the Canal: Windoc had several names."] "Port Colborne Tribune", via Welland Library digital clippings, 1981-10-08. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.

External links

* Pickands, Martin and James Pickands II (photographers). [http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/images06/Edward-A.-Uhrig--ca.-1923-m.jpgM.A. Hanna Co., at the Soo Locks ca. 1923.] (Picture). Martin Pickands collection, via Boatnerd.com, ca. 1923. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Wn2RDzsvg "Windoc Bridge Accident."] (Video). "Youtube", 2006-09-30.
* [http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/marine/2001/m01c0054/m01c0054.pdf "TSB Report"] (PDF), 2007-10-20.