Toronto Drydock Company
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Toronto Drydock Company is a shipbuilding company in Canada.
[edit] History
Shipbuilding in Toronto dates back to the period when shipping was isolated to the Great Lakes. Early ship builders were conducted by the Royal Navy for use in the Great Lakes.
Toronto was never made famous as a major ship building port, but the industry did exist.
Polson Iron Works was a major builder of steamers in the 1900s. Established in Toronto in 1883, the Iron Works went bankrupt after World War I due to lack of tariff protection.
A number of other builders dotted along Toronto:
- Rouge River
- Humber River
- Credit River
The Rouge River's ship building was linked to the prolific lumber industry. The ship building industry ranged between 1810 to 1856.
Most of the ships were used for passenger and to carry potash, grain and lumber between Oswego, New York and Toronto, then called York.
A list of ships built in Toronto:
Make/Model | Description | Fleet size | Year acquired | Year retired | Notes |
HMS Arcturus | naval warship | 1 | 1942 | Toronto Drydocks Limited | |
Mayflower | ferry | 1 | 1890 | Bathurst Street Wharf | |
Primrose | ferry | 1 | 1890 | Bathurst Street Wharf | |
Bluebell | ferry | 1 | 1906 | built by Polson Iron Works Limited | |
Trillium | ferry | 1 | 1910 | built by Polson Iron Works Limited | |
Kwasind | passenger ferry | 1 | 1913 | built by Polson Iron Works Limited for RCYC | |
William Inglis | ferry | 1 | 1935 | by Toronto Drydock Company | |
Sam McBride | ferry | 1 | 1939 | by Toronto Drydock Company | |
Duke of York | schooner | 1 | 1820 | built by Capt. Hadley | |
Canada | 250 tonne steamer | 1 | 1825-1826 | built by Joseph Dennison |