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9. Ship of the Month - cont'd. island type, canal-sized steamer built for the Canadian Government Merchant Marine in 1921. She was sold off-lakes in 1927 and ran on salt water for va­ rious owners until she became a war loss in 1942. The second NOVADOC was a canaller built for the Paterson fleet in England in 1928. She was lost in the infamous Armistice Day Storm of November 11, 1940, when she stranded on Lake Michigan off Pentwater, Michigan. Two lives were lost in the stranding, and the broken remains of NOVADOC (II) still lie where she grounded. NOVADOC (III) was the former (a) NORTHTON (46), a canaller built in England in 1924 and acquired by Paterson in 1946. Her career with the fleet was short and tragic, for she disappeared with all hands in heavy weather off the coast of Maine in March of 1947. The Paterson fleet was determined to continue its efforts to honour the pro­ vince of Nova Scotia, and so it tried a different tack in calling its new acquisition SCOTIADOC. However, the bad luck had not yet run its course, and it would claim SCOTIADOC as well before very many years would pass. Before the beginning of the 1948 season, SCOTIADOC was painted up in the usual Paterson colours, with a black hull, white forecastle and cabins, and black stack with a large, white letter 'P'. She carried the red, white and black Paterson diamond logo on her bows, and the whistle light on her fore­ mast was in the shape of a 'P'. For most of her time under Paterson owner­ ship, SCOTIADOC carried her name emblazoned in large letters across the bunker hatch rail atop the boilerhouse. SCOTIADOC operated successfully for five years, during which there were a few changes both for her and for the fleet itself. When she came into Cana­ dian registry, SCOTIADOC was registered at Fort William and was given offi­ cial number 173186. Her tonnage was recalculated as 4432 Gross and 3222 Net. As was the case with most former U. S. vessels transferred to the Canadian flag, SCOTIADOC had her working steam pressure reduced by the Canadian boi­ ler inspectors. Her allowable pressure was dropped from 170 to 130 p. s. i. An outwardly visible change in SCOTIADOC was the construction of a new and much larger steel pilothouse, which had a catwalk with a closed bulwark all around the front and sides of the house. This new pilothouse looked very handsome on SCOTIADOC, and its appearance was further enhanced when closed rails were built on the front and sides of the bridge deck (texas roof) as well. The change in the fleet itself came during the summer of 1950, when the va­ rious Paterson companies were reorganized, all now under the name of N. M. Paterson and Sons Limited. No change was evident in the appearance of the fleet's ships, except that the wording incorporated into the diamond insig­ nia was changed. Interestingly, various renditions of the diamond appeared on different ships over the years, and some of them never carried it at all. In the case of SCOTIADOC, the diamond remained on her bows through the cor­ porate name change, but the white letters on the red outline of the diamond disappeared and, as far as we can ascertain, the new corporate name never was painted on. The mostly uneventful life of SCOTIADOC under Paterson ownership came to an abrupt end in June of 1953. Early that month, or possibly late in May, the steamer struck a wall in the Welland Canal and went to Port Weller Dry Docks, where she reportedly received some $125, 000 worth of repairs. Her trip from the shipyard up the lakes to Port Arthur was uneventful, and she then loaded a grain cargo variously reported as 234, 000 tons, 239, 000 tons or 250, 000 tons, for delivery to a Georgian Bay port, most probably Colling­ wood. She cleared Port Arthur during the afternoon of Saturday, June 20th, encountering foggy conditions with waves on Lake Superior running eight to ten feet in height. Her master reportedly intended to stay under the shelter of the north shore as his steamer passed down the lake. Meanwhile, the Canada Steamship Lines bulk carrier BURLINGTON (C. 175997),