SS ''Norisle'' was a Canadian steam-powered automobile

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 operated between Tobermory and South-Baymouth Manitoulin Island alongside her sister ships, the and the , owned by the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited. The name ''Norisle'' is derived from "Nor", a contraction of the Northern Region 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 ...

, and "Isle", referring to Manitoulin Island. ''Norisle'' no longer operates as a museum. This is mainly due to the ship's age which had raised safety concerns. According to locals in the area the museum was closed in 2008, and taken to Port Colborne, Ontario for scrapping in Fall, 2023.

Ferry operations

The ship is 215ft in length. ''Norisle'' was built at the Collingwood shipyards in 1946—the first steamship built in Canada after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Her engines were designed and built for a

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

corvette, but because of the end of the war, they were installed in ''Norisle'' instead. They are now the only remaining engines of their type in existence today. The ship had two doors on the starboard with a ramp that allowed vehicles to drive on and off the vessel during her service as a ferry. She sailed until the year 1974, when she and her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

, ''Norgoma'', were replaced by the much larger and more modern which could accommodate a much larger number of automobiles, and passengers (but no livestock).

Retirement

''Norisle'' is now permanently berthed at the Assiginack Museum Complex on Manitoulin Island as a museum ship for tourists to explore. For the last few years it has also served as a training ground for Canadian Naval Cadets. In recent years, ''Norisle'' has fallen into a state of disrepair. The ship was slowly sinking due to rainwater entering through her engine room vents and the main smokestack. This has since been stopped by placing tarps over them. City leaders planned on having it towed to deep water and sunk as a dive site, however these plans have been halted because a support group for ''Norisle'' was formed in March 2007, "Friends of the Norisle." The group plans to investigate refurbishing or using the ship for beneficial purposes. Efforts failed and the ship was towed to Marine Recycling Corporation in Port Colborne, Ontario in 2023 for scrapping.

References

External links

History of Ferries on the Great Lakes

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norisle, SS 1946 ships Museum ships in Ontario Norisle-class ferries Ships built in Collingwood, Ontario Transport in Manitoulin District Steamships of Ontario