Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Scanner, v. 35, no. 3 (December 2002), p. 8

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Ship of the Month - cont'd. 8. SCOTTISH HERO had three masts, the fore located approximately half-way be­ tween the forecastle and the bridge structure. It carried two heavy cargo booms, one slung forward and the other aft, and a prominent crowsnest was set on the foremast just above the height of the navigation bridge. The mainmast was set just at the after end of the second deckhouse and it was equipped with one cargo boom slung aft. The mizzen rose from the upper deck at the forward end of the flush poop, and it had one cargo boom slung forward, and a light utility boom slung aft. All three spars were heavy poles equipped with ratlines, and they were but little raked. The foremast was the tallest, with the others progressively shorter going aft. The steamer apparently operated in the Scottish Line's service between London and Australian ports, although only in the freight trade, as she had no accommodations for migrants. With the propensity of the turrets to roll in high seas, her long ocean voyages must have been a real "treat" for her officers and crew. On July 12, 1897, SCOTTISH HERO was re-registered at Mel­ bourne, Australia, although there was no change in her ownership or opera­ tors at that time. Whether it was because a turret steamer (the only one Mcllwraith, McEachern ever would own) proved unsuitable for the long voyages to Australia, or because larger vessels had joined the fleet, we never will know, but on May 27, 1899, SCOTTISH HERO was sold to William Petersen, of Newcastle-upon- Tyne, England. On June 27, 1899, she was transferred to the ownership of the Scottish Hero Steamship Co. Ltd., Newcastle-upon-Tyne, of which Petersen, Tate and Co. were managers. Her port of registry was changed to Newcastle- upon-Tyne on December 14, 1899. In respect of Petersen, it is interesting to note that the Turret Steam Ship Co. Ltd. (in which Doxford's held a finan­ cial interest) had been formed to operate the prototype steamer, TURRET, built in 1892, and the Petersen, Tate firm acted as managers. In fact, Capt. William Petersen commanded TURRET on her maiden voyage, and Petersen, Tate would manage many of the first turrets, including those that came to the lakes. In 1900, W. Petersen Ltd. secured a contract to carry coal from Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Montreal, Quebec, for the Dominion Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., and at least seven of the turrets, namely SCOTTISH HERO, TURRET BAY, TURRET BELL, TURRET CAPE, TURRET CHIEF, TURRET COURT and TURRET CROWN were alloca­ ted to this service. The canal-sized turrets (CAPE, CHIEF, COURT and CROWN) may have ventured into the lakes at this early stage, but the 297-foot HERO, BAY and BELL could not. (TURRET BAY was lost when wrecked on St. Paul's Is­ land in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on May 20, 1904, whilst en route from Sydney to Montreal with coal. TURRET BELL was sold in 1902. ) On December 17th, 1901, SCOTTISH HERO was sold to the Canadian Ocean and In­ land Navigation Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, of which W. Petersen Ltd. was mana­ ger. (Other Canadian-operating turrets also made this same change of owner­ ship. ) The HERO's port of registry remained Newcastle, as it would until 1916. In 1904, the management of SCOTTISH HERO was transferred to Jacks and Co., of Glasgow, Scotland, but there was no change in her trade. The offi­ cial records indicate that the management of the HERO by Jacks and Co. ceas­ ed in 1907, but we are inclined to believe that it actually was terminated early in 1906. The May 1906 issue of "The Railway and Marine World" reported that "The Ca­ nadian Lakes (sic) and Ocean Navigation Co . 's str. SCOTTISH HERO will be engaged carrying coal from Port Hawkesbury, N. S., to Montreal, probably to the end of May, when she will be cut in two at Levis, Que., and towed to Lake Erie, where she will be put together again. She will then be put in the regular freight trade on the Upper Lakes with the company's other vessels. " The Canadian Lake and Ocean Navigation Co. Ltd., Toronto, had its beginnings with the formation of the Canadian Lake Line Ltd. on May 15, 1904. Its main principals originally were the Plummers (James Henry and Frank) but, as the

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