Collingwood Shipbuilding

44°30′15.2″N 80°13′4.7″W

Collingwood Dry Dock, Shipbuilding and Foundry Company
IndustryShipbuilding
FateLiquidation
SuccessorCanadian Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited
Founded1882
FounderJ.D Silcox and S.D Andrews
Defunct1986 (aged 104)
Headquarters
Collingwood, Ontario
,
Canada
ProductsLake freighters, Naval vessels

Collingwood Shipbuilding was a major Canadian shipbuilder of the late 19th and 20th centuries. The facility was located in the Great Lakes and saw its business peak during the Second World War.

History

Formed in 1882 as Collingwood Dry Dock, Shipbuilding and Foundry Company in Collingwood, Ontario by J.D Silcox (also contractor at the Murray Canal[1]) and S.D Andrews [2] and renamed with the shortened name in 1892,[3] Collingwood Shipbuilding's core business was building Lake freighters, ships built to fit the narrow locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Over the company's lifetime it built over 200 ships. During the Second World War (1940–1944), the company was contracted to build 23 warships for the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Navy, mostly corvettes and minesweepers.

The shipyard was acquired by Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) in 1945. Business slowed in the 1970s and by the 1980s orders were in severe decline. The shipyard closed following the merger of CSL's shipbuilding interest with Upper Lakes Shipping to form Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited in 1986.[4] The last ship completed and launched there was CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier for the Canadian Coast Guard. The company folded in 1986.[5]

The Shipyard waterfront community

CSL retained ownership of the land and slowly the buildings and structures of the old shipyard were demolished by 2003. After remediation of site was completed in 2003-2004 re-development began.[6] Left vacant for almost two decades and then sold to developers Fram + Slokker. The area is now called The Shipyards. Only the drydock basin and launch basin remain of the site's previous use and Buildings #1 and #2 were designed to pay homage to various shipyard buildings into the townhouse complex.

Beginning in 2004 the former shipyard has been rezoned from industrial to commercial use. The property has been undergoing re-development as part of Collingwood Harbour's revitalization plan. The area will be home to a residential community consisting of low-rise condos, townhomes and detached homes.[7] The former berths will be surrounded by a boardwalk and feature docking facilities for pleasure craft.[8] Landscaping will provide a setting to attract residents and visitors to enjoy the views of the harbour.[9]

Other notable ships

References
  1. https://books.google.ca/books?id=8oBSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=j.d.+silcox&source=bl&ots=jaTtWfDqcd&sig=ACfU3U3aAu0GHvYCwYU0k9wOdW_gxgombg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiomNS_vIHnAhUQVK0KHZWzCRgQ6AEwCXoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=silcox&f=false
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-11-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2011-11-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-11-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Collingwood Shipbuilding, Collingwood ON". shipbuildinghistory.com. 18 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  6. http://www.georgianpaving.ca/gp_project/collingwood-shipyards-site-remediation/
  7. http://www.theshipyards.com/
  8. https://www.thenewshipyards.com/collingwood/#the-location
  9. https://www.thenewshipyards.com/master-plan-concept/
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