Lord Selkirk II
 The Lord Selkirk II in July 2010
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The Lord Selkirk II was a cruise ship that was used for short trips on the Red River of the North and Lake Winnipeg from 1969 to 1990 . She was the last and at the same time the largest cruise ship built for use on the Great Lakes . Since 1990 the Lord Selkirk II has been lying unused near its home port Selkirk , where it was destroyed by arson in 2012 and scrapped in 2015.
history
The Lord Selkirk II was built in a Purvis Navcon / Selkirk Machine Works shipyard in Selkirk and was launched on June 7, 1969. The official baptism took place two days later. The ship's godmother was Norah Michener, the wife of the then Canadian Governor General Roland Michener . After the takeover by Lake Winnipeg Navigation Ltd. the Lord Selkirk II completed her maiden voyage from Selkirk to Winnipeg .
The ship was used for a special voyage during the Manitoba's centenary celebrations in 1970. Prominent passengers on this trip included Queen Elizabeth II with her family and the then Prime Minister of Manitoba, Edward Schreyer . While participating in the Great Red River Boat Parade in Manitoba on July 21, 1974, the Lord Selkirk II grazed a bridge near Kildonan Park, but suffered only minor damage.
In February 1978 the ship became the property of the tour operator Sub-Arctic Expeditions, but could not be used until the following season because of the high water level in the spring. After five years in service for the Sub-Arctic, the Lord Selkirk II passed into the possession of businessman Bill Harris and car dealer Jim Gauthier in 1983. After a general overhaul in dry dock in August 1983, the ship was used for short trips and so-called dance cruises to Winnipeg.
In 1986 the businessman and former local politician Joseph Slogan bought Lord Selkirk II and ran it for another four years. After a final season on the Red River of the North in 1990, the ship was retired after 21 years of service. A planned operation for 1991 was given up because of the falling passenger numbers. The Lord Selkirk II anchored from then on in a bay near her old home port Selkirk.
After twenty years of berth, the ship was sold in July 2010 and was supposed to be scrapped, but remained at its old anchorage. On June 19, 2012, the Lord Selkirk II was destroyed by fire and partially sank due to the extinguishing water pumped into the ship's interior. Arson was suspected to be the cause of the fire. The ship, now declared a total loss, remained at its anchorage for another three years before it was scrapped on site from July 2015. The demolition work was completed by December 2015.
A lifeboat and anchor of Lord Selkirk II were saved from scrapping and have since been exhibited in the Marine Museum of Manitoba. Other parts of the preserved equipment were auctioned off to private individuals.
Web links
- Article on the history of the ship on interlaketoday.ca (English)
- Article about the ship on westenddumplings.blogspot.de (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Troubled sailing: A look back at the MS Lord Selkirk II. In: West End Dumplings. February 24, 2012, accessed September 24, 2017 .
- ↑ Glen Hallick: End finally in sight for long troubled MS Lord Selkirk II. In: Interlake Today. The Selkirk Journal, July 15, 2015, accessed September 24, 2017 .
- ↑ Katherine Dow: Rusting pleasure craft catches fire in Selkirk Park. In: Winnipeg Free Press. June 19, 2012, accessed September 24, 2017 .
- ^ Two teens arrested in connection with MS Lord Selkirk II fire. In: Winnipeg Free Press. August 13, 2012, accessed September 24, 2017 .
- ↑ Lorraine Nickel: Rotting MS Lord Selkirk II to be dismantled and removed from Manitoba slough. In: Global News. July 10, 2015, accessed September 24, 2017 .
- ↑ A cruise ship was abandoned in the Red River 25 years ago. Now, the rusted remains have finally been removed. In: National Post. The Canadian Press, December 17, 2015, accessed September 24, 2017 .
- ↑ Louise Machinski: Dismantling of MS Lord Selkirk II nearly complete. In: CBC News. November 2, 2015, accessed September 24, 2017 .