The traditional styled self-unloading Great Lakes bulk carrier Manitoulin was built by Davie Shipbuilding Co., Lauzon, QC, for Canada Steamship Lines, Montreal, QC. The first self-unloader built at this yard, Manitoulin was launched May 26, 1966, and delivered to her owners on July 6, 1966. She was powered by four Fairbanks Morse 38D8-1/8 diesel engines with a total installed horsepower of 8,000 and was equipped with a bow thruster. Her 22 hatches fed into six holds where she could carry 24,500 tons at maximum Seaway draft of 26 feet, and was capable of carrying 28,100 tons at her maximum mid-summer draft of 29 feet. Manitoulin’s bow-mounted self-unloading discharge boom could be swung 100 degrees to port or starboard and unload at a rate of up to 6,000 tons per hour.
Manitoulin’s first cargo consisted of 22,000 tons of manganese ore from Contrecoeur, QC, to Ashtabula, Ohio. On Dec. 13, 1966, she carried a record 22,446 tons of limestone from Port Colborne, ON, to Cleveland, the previous record having stood since 1953. Her career on the lakes saw her carry millions of tons of coal as well as cargoes of ore, salt, grain, stone/aggregate, and cement clinker, all on behalf of Canada Steamship Lines. Manitoulin was noted as having delivered the first bentonite shipment to a new taconite ore pelletizing plant in Port Cartier, QC, in 1977. Manitoulin also participated in an ongoing project where CSL vessels loaded or topped off large ocean-going bulk carriers in the deep waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Over the years, the Manitoulin had only a few notable groundings and minor mishaps, none of which resulted in any major damage or injury. Some of those included a minor collision with the ocean vessel Saint Marcell in December 1971, a conveyor fire at Port Weller Dry Docks in January 1977, groundings off Sandusky and west of Montreal in the St. Lawrence River in 1986 and a grounding in the Rouge River, Detroit, MI, in 1998.
Manitoulin was one of the first of CSL’s self-unloaders to have her hull repainted red from the tradition black. This was completed during the winter lay-up of 1996-97 in Erie, PA. Traditionally, CSL’s self-unloaders had black hulls and straight-deckers had red hulls.
Rumors of her retirement started late in the 1999 season. She entered lay-up in Sorel, Quebec on Dec. 27, 2000. On June 11, 2002, the tugs Omni St. Laurent and Avantage took the Manitoulin from Slip 18 in the Richelieu River, beginning her final journey to the scrapper’s torch in Turkey. The tugs pulled the vessel into the St. Lawrence River, where the Russian tug Akhtiar took the tow from the bow. With the Avantage on the stern, the tow departed Sorel at 12:30 p.m. headed for the Atlantic Ocean.
Written by George Wharton.
| Ship Particulars | |
| Length | 729′ 09″ (222.43m) |
| Beam | 75′ 00″ (22.86m) |
| Depth | 41′ 00″ (12.5m) |
| Midsummer Draft | 29′ 00″ (8.84m) |
| Unloading Boom Length | 250′ (76.2m) |
| Capacity | 28,100 tons |
| Engine Power | 8,000 bhp diesel |