SS Keewatin
The SS Keewatin is a passenger liner that once sailed between Port Arthur / Fort William and Port McNicoll in Ontario, Canada. She carried passengers between these ports for the Canadian Pacific Railway's Great Lakes Steamship Service. The Keewatin also carried packaged freight goods for the railway at these ports. [1]
Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Scotland as Hull No. 453, the Keewatin was launched 06 July 1907 and entered service in the following year. She ran continuous for almost 60 seasons, being retired in 1966.
Like many passenger ships of that era on the Great Lakes, the Keewatin and sister ship SS Assiniboia operated under stringent regulations imposed for wooden cabin steamships following the SS Noronic disaster in 1949. Doomed by their wooden cabins and superstructure, these overnight cruisers lasted through the decline of the passenger trade on the lakes in the post-war years. As passengers opted for more reliable and faster modes of travel, the Keewatin and her sister ship were withdrawn from the passenger trade in 1965, continuing in freight only service for another year.
Amenities
The S.S. Keewatin was a luxury ship for its time. The ship boasted running water and electric lights. The ship had 105 staterooms on two decks. Seven deluxe suites had private baths. The dining room served as a ballroom and there was hand-carved oak paneling with gold leaf in many public areas of the ship.[2]
Route
The Keewatin was originally designed to complete the link in the Canadian Pacific Railway's continental route. She served this purpose by linking the Railroad's Port McNicoll on Georgian bay and Forrt William on Lake Superior. The ship took 2 1/2 days to make the trip each way, including half a day traversing the Soo.[3]
Specifications
| Length | 350 feet | Engine | 3,300 hp coal fired boiler | |
| Speed | 14 knots | Consumption | 20 tons of coal a day | |
| Crew | 86 | Displacement | 3,856 tons | |
| Passengers | 288 |
Museum Ship
After languishing for a few years, the SS Keewatin was bought by a West Michigan entrepreneur. The ship is now the Keewatin Maritime Museum, and is permanently docked in Douglas, Michigan. Visitors can see passenger staterooms, Captain's suite, quadruple expansion engine, coal bunkers, officers cabins and the bridge crew quarters, dining and lounge areas, food preparation areas and the wheelhouse.
Footnotes
- ↑ S.S. Keewatin - last of the Great Lakes steamships; Frederick Karst; The Times, Saturday, 16 August 2008; pg c5
- ↑ S.S. Keewatin - last of the Great Lakes steamships; Frederick Karst; The Times, Saturday, 16 August 2008; pg c5
- ↑ S.S. Keewatin - last of the Great Lakes steamships; Frederick Karst; The Times, Saturday, 16 August 2008; pg c5
- ↑ S.S. Keewatin - last of the Great Lakes eamships; Frederick Karst; The Times, Saturday, 16 August 2008; pg c5
External links
