MS Windoc (1959)
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: |
Rhine Ore (1959-1977) Steelcliffe Hall (1977-1988) Windoc (1988-2002) |
| Namesake: | Windoc |
| Owner: |
Halco N. M. Paterson & Sons Ltd (1988-2002) |
| Builder: | Schlieker shipyard, Hamburg |
| Launched: | 11 April 1959 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | laker |
Windoc began as an ocean-going bulk carrier named Rhine Ore. It was built in the Schlieker shipyard in Hamburg, West Germany, and launched on 11 April 1959. It was renamed the Steelcliffe Hall after an April 1977 sale, it was rebuilt in Canada that year as a laker, with cargo space added forward of the engine room, and the wheelhouse moved aft above the crew accommodation.
After decades of service and changes to the function and structural conversions of the ship, in 1988 Steelcliffe Hall was given the name Windoc (2) after being acquired by N. M. Paterson & Sons Ltd., following the liquidation of the previous owner, Halco.
On 11 August 2001, while traveling through the Welland Canal, Windoc was hit by Bridge 11 in Allanburg, Ontario. The accident caused minor damage to the vertical lift bridge, and destroyed the ship's wheelhouse and funnel. The vessel caught fire, and was later declared a constructive total loss, but there were no reported injuries, no damage to the $6-$8 million cargo, and no pollution to the waterway. The Marine Investigation Report concluded "it is likely that [vertical lift bridge] operator's performance was impaired while the bridge span was lowered onto the Windoc." The accident was captured on amateur video.
The vessel was towed to Hamilton Harbour for repairs, and in March, 2002, it broke free of its moorings in a 50 mph (80 km/h) winter gale, and ran aground 5 km (2.7 nmi) away in about six feet (2 m) of water, where it was pulled out by four tugs three days later.[1]
N.M. Paterson & Sons left the shipping business the following year, after 87 years, and sued the canal operator, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., for $16.9 million (C). Their remaining four active and three mothballed ships were sold in 2002. The canal operator denies any negligence, and blames the shipping company and the ship's crew for the accident.[2][3]
A Transport Safety Bureau report on the collision points to the bridge operator and bridge operating procedures and policies as major factors.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ "Casualty Reporting." PSi - Daily Shipping Newsletter, 2002-03-13. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ↑ Ross, Ian. "Paterson a casualty in shipping industry." Northern Ontario Business, Laurenthian Business Publishing Inc., vol. 22, issue 10, page 1(2). via northernontariobusiness.com, 2002-08-01. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ↑ "Both sides to present arguments in Windoc-bridge collision." Boatnerd.com, 2002-07-15. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ↑ "TSB Reports - Marine 2001 - M01C0054" bst.gc.ca, Retrieved on 2007-10-20
- "Marine Investigation Report #M01C0054: Striking and Subsequent Fire on Board Bridge 11, Welland Canal and Bulk Carrier Windoc, Welland Canal, Allanburg, Ontario, 11 August 2001." Transportation Safety Board of Canada, 2005-07-05. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- Miller, Al. "Windoc Accident: August 11, 2001." Boatnerd.com, January, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
External links
- Amateur video of collision
- "Windoc Bridge Accident Caught on Tape" (Video), 2008-12-03.
- "TSB Report"(PDF), 2007-10-20.