SS Bigwin

SS Bigwin is a small steamship ferry that plies the waters of Lake of Bays in Muskoka area of Ontario.

History
Canada
Name: SS Bigwin
Owner:
  • James Kuhn & G. J. Gibson (1910-1924)
  • Huntsville & Lake of Bays Navigation Co. (1924-1945)
  • Bigwin Boat Livery Co. (1945-1960)
  • Bigwin Inn Resort (1960-1970)
  • Lake of Bays Marine Museum (2002)
Operator: Lake of Bays Marine Museum
Port of registry: Canada
Ordered: 1909
Builder: Polson Iron Works, Toronto
Laid down: 1909
Launched: 1910
Completed: 1910
In service:
  • 1910-1970
  • 2013-present
Out of service: 1970-2012
Identification: Official number: 126835
Fate: Partially sunk 1970-1991, raised 1992 and restored 2002-2013
Status: In use (2013)
General characteristics [1]
Tonnage:
  • 41.5 GT
  • 24.64 NT
Length: 66 ft (20 m)
Beam: 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Depth: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Decks: 1
Propulsion:
  • Polson triple expansion steam engine (1910)
  • General Motors 115 bhp (86 kW) diesel engine (1956)
Capacity: 32

History

The ship was built by Polson Iron Works of Toronto as a private boat for an American owner James Kuhn in 1910 as a yacht and named for his wife as Ella Mary. It was later sold to several owners (1924, 1945 and 1960) to serve as a ferry boat and renamed Bigwin after Bigwin Inn and Chief John Bigwin. In her last years of service she shuttled customers to Bigwin Inn until it was abandoned and submerged in a slip next to Bigwin Inn from 1970s to 1991.[2]

Recovery and restoration

After interested parties took notice of the ship it was finally raised from the waters in 1991, and was stored on land for a few years until restoration began in 2002 and completed in 2013.[3]

As cruise ship

Once returned to service, Bigwin will provide cruises near Dorset, Ontario during a July and August (sailing period restricted due to navigation laws).[4]

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See also

References
Notes
  1. "Polson Iron Works ships built 1910, Shuniah, Trillium, Bigwin". polsonironworks.ca. 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  2. "History of the SS Bigwin". ssbigwin.com. 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  3. Daubs, Katie (14 June 2013). "SS Bigwin returns to Lake of Bays". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  4. "Sailing the SS Bigwin". ssbigwin.com. 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
Sources
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