Throwback Thursday is sponsored by Dresden Meat Packers:
This week’s Throwback Thursday is from the Sombra Museum.
Here is what they had to say about the image:
This ship is the Winona. After a long winter in port, we are back for more freighter fun!
This freighter was built by two brothers from Hamilton: R.O. and A.B. McKay. Their father was active in shipping when they were younger, and they decided to carry on the family legacy and craft the Winona. In 1906, the Winona was built at Wallsend-on-Tyne in England. She was named after the company she was registered under, the Winona Shipping Co., but she was also named after the small town on Lake Ontario that was known for its agriculture. The Winona’s main cargo was grain.
She had a bit of a rough start on the Great Lakes. On October 4th, 1906, she was making her first trip from Fort William to Midland when she got stranded near Giant’s Tomb Island in Georgian Bay. She did some damage to the ship in the process, so she was towed to Owen Sound the next day for repairs. On November 16th, 1906, she left Owen Sound all fixed up again. Unfortunately, she got caught in a blizzard on Duck Island and caused more damage. She was sent to a shipyard in Collingwood, and they abandoned her after seeing the damage. She lay at the shipyard until 1907, when the Winona Shipbuilding Co. bought her back and set her out on the waters again.
In 1915, Winona became stranded on Lone Brothers Island in the St. Lawrence River while delivering grain to Montreal. She didn’t suffer any severe damage. World War I was occurring, and the Canadian government took Winona and relocated her to the Atlantic for service on salt water. She didn’t suffer any attacks from enemies during the War, and she continued working on salt water even after the War ended. She was part of the coal trade between Great Britain and Sweden during 1918 to 1921, and then she returned to the Lakes thanks to Canada Steamship Lines. She resumed regular operations, and in 1940, she was commissioned for the Second World War. However, she was sunk at the harbour entrance in Zeebrugge, Belgium. The British were sinking a bunch of ships to prevent the German from using them, and Winona was one of the casualties. She would be repaired yet again and would continue service until 1956, when she broke into two and was stranded in the Philippine Islands.
If you have an old photo, or video, that you would like to see on the Sydenham Current, let us know by sending us an email to sydenhamcurrent@gmail.com.
