THUNDER BAY -- An Edwardian-era passenger ship that once ferried prairie-bound immigrants from Owen Sound to the Lakehead needs a new berth.
The 111-year-old S.S. Keewatin—built five years before the Titanic—has served as a maritime museum at Port McNicoll, on Georgian Bay, since 2012. Prior to that, the boat was a museum ship for more than 40 years in Saugatuck, Michigan, following her retirement in 1966.
But before it was relocated to Port McNicoll, several efforts were made over the years to relocate the Keewatin to Thunder Bay as a tourist attraction. Those efforts included a visit to her Michigan berth and a survey of the boat.
In Port McNicoll, she was intended to be a centre piece of a major redevelopment project, but the owners have sold their waterfront site to another company whose plan excludes the Keewatin.
Eric Conroy, president of the volunteer group Friends of the Keewatin, says the current owner, Skyline Investments, and the volunteers have invested several million dollars in refurbishing and volunteer labour.
Conroy told tbnewswatch.com the Keewatin currently has an estimated value of over $50 million, after depreciation.
Skyline has been renting it to the Friends for $1 a year. According to Conroy, the company is offering to transfer the Keewatin to the nearby Town of Midland, and is guaranteeing the municipality would suffer no financial losses for 10 years.
In exchange, the company would be issued a tax receipt for the vessel, he said.
Conroy said that last year the boat was visited by 12,000 people, earning just enough revenue to cover expenses.
Friends of the Keewatin proposes to rent the Keewatin from Midland and continue to operate it on a voluntary basis. "It's a perfect thing for them. It's a town asset but they don't have to worry about it. It actually turns a profit from the day it starts."
Conroy noted that Midland is a larger community and is a better location than Port McNicoll because it can draw more walk-by traffic than the current site, which is on a dead-end street. He believes it would attract double or triple the visitor traffic it received last year.
Midland town council is expected to consider the proposal at a meeting in February.
Conroy's personal connection to the Keewatin runs deep. He served on board as a waiter in 1963 and 1964, and said he had "some great experiences" during stopovers at the Lakehead.
Describing the boat as "a great piece of Canadian heritage," he's worried that if a new home isn't found for her somewhere in the Georgian Bay area, she could be sold to Scottish interests who, he said, have had a standing offer in since 2012.
