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ALGONTARIO Vessel The bulk carrier Algontario could claim the distinction of having one of the most eventful histories of any lake Spotlight boat currently sailing in the Canadian fleet. Originally one of eight identical 546-foot ocean-trading ore carriers built specifically for long-term charter to U.S. Steel Co.- owned subsidiary Navios Corp. of Nassau, Bahamas, Algontario was launched as Ruhr Ore by Schlieker- Werft, Hamburg, Germany, on March 19, 1960, and entered service in - 4 June 1960 carrying Algontario on the St. Marys River in 1998. (Jim Hoffman) ore from Venezuela to Europe. Hall Corp. Shipping Ltd. of Montreal acquired the ore carrier in 1976 and spent around $9 million (Canadian) converting the vessel to a Great Lakes bulk carrier. Anew, lengthened forebody including a bow thruster was attached to the stern ahead of the engine room, and the old forebody was scrapped. The vessel was recommissioned in 1977 as Cartiercliffe Hall. On June 5, 1979, while Cartiercliffe Hall was downbound in Lake Superior laden with corn, fire broke out in the aft end accommodations area, killing seven of the ship's crew and injuring several others. The disabled vessel was taken to Collingwood Shipyards, where a new accommodation area was built and other repairs completed at a cost of nearly $6 million (Canandian). She reentered service in 1980, but not before a shipyard accident killed one person and injured another. Cartiercliffe Hall was acquired by Canada Steamship Lines of Montreal and renamed Winnipeg in April 1988. The bulker’s ownership changed again in early 1994, when the Winnipeg, with her fleet mates Richelieu and Simcoe, were purchased by Algoma Central Marine of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Winnipeg entered service for her new owners later that year bearing the name Algontario. On April 5, 1999, the Algontario grounded in the St. Marys River while upbbound laden with cement from Clarkson, Ont., bound for Duluth, Minn. Unfortunately for Algontario, the damage was more severe than first thought, so the boat was put into a long-term layup status pending a decision on her future. Algoma decided to repair the bulk carrier five years after the grounding, so she was placed into dry dock for repairs in April 2004 and returned to service in October 2004, carrying a load of wheat from Thunder Bay, Ont., to Montreal. - George Wharton 58 KYS ‘05