The Norgoma was a large passenger and vehicle ferry on the Great Lakes

MS ''Norgoma'' was a Canadian package freighter and passenger

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

, that could also transport automobiles on a limited basis. Originally constructed as a steam-powered ship in 1950, SS ''Norgoma'' primarily sailed the route from her home port of

Owen Sound Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist attract ...

to Sault Ste. Marie, providing a five-day round trip, once a week, serving isolated communities along the north shore of

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

. After conversion to a motor ship, ''Norgoma'' was transferred to the popular

Manitoulin Island Manitoulin Island is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioregion known as Laurentia. With an area of , it is the largest lake island in the world, large enough that it has over 100 ...

ferry route between Tobermory and South Baymouth along with her sister ship SS ''Norisle'', replacing the smaller ferry, MS ''Normac'', on that route. ''Norgoma'', owned by

Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited The Owen Sound Transportation Company, Limited was the forerunner of the enterprise that currently operates the vehicle and passenger ferry - M.S. ''Chi-Cheemaun'' - between Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula, and South Baymouth on Manitoulin ...

, was built at the Collingwood

shipyards A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

in 1950. She replaced the SS ''Manitoulin'', which was retired in 1949. ''Norgoma'' travelled mainly on the

North Channel North Channel may refer to: *North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland) *North Channel (Ontario), body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, Canada *North Channel, Hong Kong *Canal du Nord, France {{geodis ...

route until 1963. Improvements to Ontario's highways, such as the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...

(Georgian Bay Route) completed in 1962, brought about stiff competition for the company. In that year a 60-kilometre road was constructed to

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castl ...

, the first port of call for the steamer. At the same, increased traffic on the

– Tobermory route ( Highway 68) demanded a greater automobile capacity than her sister ships SS ''Norisle'' and MS ''Normac'' could handle. In 1963 the ship was refitted with a diesel engine to replace her original steam engine and boiler, to increase automobile capacity. As steam was still required to operate deck winches and the

anchor windlass A windlass is a machine used on ships that is used to let-out and heave-up equipment such as a ship's anchor or a fishing trawl. On some ships, it may be located in a specific room called the windlass room. An anchor windlass is a machine tha ...

, a vapour

steam generator A Steam generator is a device used to boil water to create steam. More specifically, it may refer to: *Boiler (steam generator), a closed vessel in which water is heated under pressure *Monotube steam generator *Supercritical steam generator or Ben ...

, similar to those used on railway locomotives, was installed on the ship. MS ''Norgoma'' made her debut on the Tobermory run in 1964. According to Captain Schrieber, who captained ''Norgoma'', it was the first vessel that he commanded where he witnessed livestock showing signs of seasickness. In 1974, both ''Norgoma'' and '' Norisle'' were replaced by the much larger and more modern ''

MS Chi-Cheemaun MS ''Chi-Cheemaun'' is a Canadian passenger and vehicle ferry in Ontario, Canada, which traverses Lake Huron between Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula and South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island. The ferry connects the two geographically separate por ...

'' which could accommodate more vehicles than both sister ships put together. ''Norgoma'' was berthed as a museum ship in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In 1981 the ship was transferred to a charity, the St. Mary's River Marine Heritage Centre. In early 2019 Sault Ste. Marie City Council put pressure on the charity to move the ''Norgoma''. The charity proposed moving the vessel to a mooring point at Roberta Bondar Park, where the tour boat Chief Shingwauk used to board tourists. However city officials pointed out the ''Norgoma'' was too large too moor at this dock, without jutting into the shipping channel, preventing visiting cruise vessels from mooring. On June 4, 2019, the ''Norgoma'' was moved to an alternate mooring site, on property previously owned by

Algoma Steel Algoma Steel Inc. (formerly Algoma Steel; Essar Steel Algoma) is an integrated primary steel producer located on the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Its products are sold in Canada and the United States as well as overseas ...

, a site not open to the public. In September 2019, citing breach of the 1981 agreement, the City repossessed the ship and put her for sale.

References

External links

Official MS ''Norgoma'' websiteMS ''Norgoma'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norgoma, MS 1950 ships Museums in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Museum ships in Ontario Norisle-class ferries Transport in Manitoulin District Ships built in Collingwood, Ontario