SS Bigwin
History | |
---|---|
Canada | |
Name | SS Bigwin |
Owner |
|
Operator | Lake of Bays Marine Museum |
Port of registry | Canada |
Ordered | 1909 |
Builder | Polson Iron Works, Toronto |
Laid down | 1909 |
Launched | 1910 |
Completed | 1910 |
In service |
|
Out of service | 1970-2012 |
Identification | Official number: 126835 |
Fate | Partially sunk 1970-1991, raised 1992 and restored 2002-2013 |
Status | In service as of 2013 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Tonnage |
|
Length | 66 ft (20 m) |
Beam | 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m) |
Depth | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Decks | 1 |
Propulsion |
|
Capacity | 32 |
SS Bigwin is a small steamship ferry that plies the waters of Lake of Bays in Muskoka area of Ontario.[2]
History[]
The ship was built by Polson Iron Works of Toronto as a private boat[3] for an American owner James Kuhn in 1910 as a yacht and named for his wife as Ella Mary.[4] It was later sold to several owners (1924, 1945 and 1960) to serve as a ferry boat and renamed Bigwin after Bigwin Inn and Chief . In her last years of service, she shuttled customers to Bigwin Inn until it was abandoned and submerged in a slip next to Bigwin Inn from 1970s to 1991.[5]
Recovery and restoration[]
After interested parties took notice of the ship, it was finally raised from the waters in 1991, and was stored on land for a few years until restoration began in 2002 and completed in 2013.[6]
As cruise ship[]
Once restored to service, Bigwin provides cruises near Dorset, Ontario during a July and August sailing period (restricted due to navigation laws).[7]
See also[]
- RMS Segwun, a larger steamship that operates in the Muskoka region.
References[]
- Notes
- ^ "Polson Iron Works ships built 1910, Shuniah, Trillium, Bigwin". polsonironworks.ca. 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ "The Bigwin | Bringing it back to life". Retrieved 2021-07-06.
- ^ Terry, Marijane. "A Link to the Past" (PDF). www.loba.ca.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Bigwin Steamship • Dorset Ontario Directory Of Tourism Attractions, Resort Accommodations, Community Events & Business Resources - Dorset Community Planning". Dorset Ontario Directory Of Tourism Attractions, Resort Accommodations, Community Events & Business Resources - Dorset Community Planning. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
- ^ "History of the SS Bigwin". ssbigwin.com. 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ Daubs, Katie (14 June 2013). "SS Bigwin returns to Lake of Bays". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ "Sailing the SS Bigwin". ssbigwin.com. 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- Sources
- "The Bigwin". ssbigwin.com. 2014.
- Steamships of Ontario
- Ferries of Ontario
- 1910 ships
- Transport in the District Municipality of Muskoka
- Ships built in Ontario