MSNormac
 The MSNormacinToronto Harbour
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Jenks Shipbuilding Company,Port Huron, Michigan |
| Launched | 29 November 1902 |
| Out of service | 1969 |
| Status | Vacant former restaurant ship moored atPort DalhousiePier Marina |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Steamship |
| Tonnage | 210 GRT |
| Length | 110 ft |
| Beam | 25 ft |
| Depth | 12 ft |
| Propulsion | 1893 Cowles Double high pressure non-condensing steam engine |
Normacis afloating restaurantboat that was launched as afire tug,named theJames R. Elliot.She was built at the Jenks Shipbuilding Company inPort Huron, Michigan,in 1902.
History[edit]
After she lost her usefulness as a fire tug, she was sold in 1930 to theOwen Sound Transportation Company Limited.At that time, she was taken to the Georgian Bay Shipbuilding Company atMidlandfor conversion into a combination packagefreighterand passengerferry,and from asteamerto adieselpowered vessel.[1]
In 1931, the vessel was renamed theNormacwhich was the namesake of captain "Norman Mckay," founder and general manager ofOwen Sound Transportation Company Limited,which is still running today. Mckay was the captain of the company flagshipSSManitoulin.
TheNormacsailed theOwen SoundtoSault Ste. Marieroute viaKillarneyand theNorth Channel,commencing July 16, 1931. From 1932, she sailed theManitoulin Island-Tobermoryroute and in later years, along this same route with theS.S.Norisle.After theM.SNorgomawas converted to diesel fuel and placed on the Tobermory run, in 1964 theNormactook up the role as an automobile ferry across the North Channel from Meldrum Bay toBlind RiverandCockburn Island,a portion of its original run from Owen Sound.Normacremained on this route until the close of the 1968 season when she was retired. She was sold to Donald F. Lee of Port Lambton Ontario, and moved from Owen Sound to Wallaceburg Ontario, where she spent the winter.
She was then sold in 1969, to John Letnik, and was converted intoCaptain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant,a floating restaurant inToronto Harbour.TheNormacarrived at Toronto in her Owen Sound colours, and was soon painted all white. Shortly afterward the steel hull was repainted bright red, to make it more noticeable from the street. Permanently moored at the foot ofYonge Street,she was severely damaged in 1981 when theToronto Island ferryTrilliumstruck her, causing a slow leak and her sinking two weeks later.[2][3]
TheNormacwas raised in 1986 and refurbished to serve as a floating restaurant in other communities. With heramidshipsstate rooms removed, she served as Tokyo Joe's Marina Bar and Grill, a floating restaurant and cocktail lounge atPort Dalhousie, Ontariountil she was gutted by fire in 2011.[1]She was restored and became the Riverboat Mexican Grill.[4]The now vacant ship remains docked at Port Dalhousie Pier Marina.
References[edit]
- ^ab"Burned boat has roots here".Owen Sound Sun Times.December 29, 2011.RetrievedMay 28,2015.
- ^ "Captain John's boat leaves watery grave".Maritime History of the Great Lakes.1986-06-15.Retrieved2012-03-22.
- ^ "Captain John's Restaurant sinks".Heritage Toronto.2008-10-06. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-04-15.Retrieved2012-03-22.
- ^"Historical Perspectives - Normac".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-02-14.Retrieved2017-03-08.