Scott Struik kindly contacted me this week. Scott's grandfather, Robert J. Van Dyke, was on vacation in Canada in 1967, including a stop in Kingston. Mr. Van Dyke's 8 mm film offers a heretofore unseen glimpse along the CP trackage on the waterfront. Starting near City Hall then encompassing King, Ontario and Wellington Streets, the film shows some scintillating signature scenes. The CPR yards and Canadian Dredge & Dock operation (top photo and below- stills from the film), including a lake freighter (see below for more information on this interesting vessel and fleet):
My thanks to Scott for sharing his Robert's film recollections. Scott has been rather successful in identifying the scenes in the film, using this blog as a resource.
This seemingly routine lake freighter led me to further discoveries! In response to on online query of mine, Eric Potter kindly identified the vessel as the Baygeorge, of Brockville's Bayswater Shipping Company. I made some further online inquiries with this valuable information, learning in the process that it's important not to google 'Bay George' unless one wants a plethora of stories on Culture Club's lead singer - Boy George! The actual Baygeorge is shown above in Brockville, taken through the windows of the Bayswater Shipping Co. offices - Brockville Museum 016.04.03.
Formed in 1946, Bayswater operated four self-unloading canallers. Founder George Davidson was formerly an employee of Coal Carriers of Brockville. All ships in his new fleet began with 'Bay' with Baygeorge being named after Mr. Davidson.
Built in 1912 by Caledon Shipbuilding and Engineering in Dundee Scotland, as Imperial Oil's Iocoma a 248-foot lakeboat, with pilothouse on forecastle and a gross tonnage of 1669, she was requisitioned for WWI service in saltwater trade. Thereafter, entering service in Peru in 1928, Iocoma returned to Canada to provide bunkering service in Montreal and then Halifax until WWII. Returning to the Lakes in 1947, she was renamed Imperial Whitby as part of the renaming of Imperial Oil tankers. Retired by Imperial in 1949, she was laid up at Port Weller, ON. Rebuilt by Montreal's Canadian Vickers as a self-unloading collier, renamed George S. Cleet with a light blue hull in 1951, colours she would wear until her demise, including the top photo at Kingston, and this photo at Brockville, at the Reynolds Coal Co. - Brockville Museum 016.04.23.
Here's another photo of George S. Cleet, showing her self-unloading boom - Aukevisser site photo:
Interestingly, in the Brockville Museum collection, it's possible to find several photos of Kingston's Inner Harbour! The George S. Cleet laboured in her new service until being rebuilt by Canadian Shipbuilding of Kingston, in 1961, now with a 175-foot unloading boom and a gross tonnage of 2174, and renamed Baygeorge. Rebuilt with a cruiser stern and increased rudder size, Baygeorge was considered unaesthethic by some! Here, she unloads the last load of the season (undated) in Kingston - note the Christmas tree decorating the end of the boom! Brockville Museum 016.04.22:
Four years later, also at Kingston, Baygeorge was lengthened to 343 feet, now with a gross tonnage of 3172. Interestingly, at the time, Kingston Shipbuilding manager R.W. Sutton was advertising for welders and fitters to complete the job, and not having much luck. Soon, 'Bayswater Shipping' was optimistically lettered along her side. The mortgage on this rebuilding was called in, leading to the Baygeorge's seizure as part of a voluntary liquidation at the end of the 1967 shipping season, three years after George Davidson's death in 1964. This seizure may have kept her in Kingston, where Mr. Van Dyke filmed her in 1967!
During its seizure, owned variously by Transworld Shipping, and New York's Long Island Salvage, Baygeorge was taken to Hamilton where she languished 1969-1971 before being scrapped by United Metals in 1971, after a long and somewhat illustrious and varied career. Not a bad story for one briefly-seen, seemingly ignominious reposing before Mr. Van Dyke's film camera here in Kingston in 1967!
Some other photos at Kingston, all from the Brockville Museum Collection:
Bayanna unloads at the Kingston coal dock, undated 016.04.41 (above) and on another visit, unloading into Bayquinte which in turn deposits the coal on Anglin's coal dock, undated 016.04.31 (below). Interestingly, the Jacques Gravel, shown at right, was a former WWII Landing Ship Medium landing craft, used in the East Coast pulpwood trade, then a drilling ship of some sort, before moldering away several years in Kingston, before finally being scrapped at Humberstone in 1974 with the name L.S.M.187.
Bayquinte sadly being towed away through the Kingston causeway, east of downtown, undated 016.04.33
A page of company letterhead 016.04.47
Lots of links:
- More photos of Imperial Whitby - The Imperial Oil fleet by Auke Visser
- Iocoma - from Marine History of the Great Lakes
- Ship of the Month - Iocoma
- Bayswater artifacts in the Brockville Museum Collection. This page may need to be refreshed - enter Bayswater under Keyword Search/Search the Collection.
Here we are, nearly at the end of September and I only stumbled on this post from Dominion (Canada) Day. What an interesting history of the Baygeorge and others. I don't know if you recall an earlier posting on one of your blogs but I recalled seeing the ships tied up in the Kingston harbour while going over the causeway. This was undoubtedly one of those ships.
ReplyDeleteWell there's no rush in any of my blog worlds, Robert! Glad you caught up!
ReplyDeleteAll from one little frame of a film! Watch for future posts on the Bayswater Fleet and other layup fleets commonly seen at Kingston.
Eric
My father worked on the Bay Fair and the Bay George.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I would love to have heard more about his sailing!
DeleteEric