Frontenac
1968-Present
Specs
Build Information
Year Built: 1968
Builder: Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon, QC
Hull #661
Registry: CAN. 329342
IMO #6804848
Laid Down: May 17, 1967
Launch Date: December 12, 1967
Commissioned: May 13, 1968
Construction
The Frontenac was constructed in 1968 by Davie Shipbuilding of Lauzon, Quebec, as a gearless bulk carrier for Canada Steamship Lines.
The Frontenac followed the design of many other 730′ long Canadian laker ships build during the 1960’s.
The Frontenac was constructed as a gearless bulk carrier to be efficient in the ore and grain trades, and was converted into a self-unloader in 1973, and her self-unloading equipment consists of a dual-hold belt leading to an aft loop-belt system to a 257′ deck-mounted boom.
Modifications
- Converted to a self-unloader, Collingwood Shipyards, Collingwood, Ontario, 1973.
- Self-unloading slope gates replaced, Fabmar Metals, Thunder Bay, Ontario, 2004.
General Stats
As Constructed
Length Overall: 730′
Length Between Perpendiculars: 709’03”
Breadth: 75′
Depth: 39’08”
Loaded Draft: —
Capacity: 28,000 Tons
Vessel Type: Gearless Bulk Carrier
Number of Cargo Holds: 6 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 2-3-3-3-3-3]
Number of Hatches: 17 [Dimensions: 47’x20′]
Primary Operations: Ore, Grain Trade
Propellers: 1
Rudders: 1
After conversion to self-unloader, 1973
Length Overall: 730′
Length Between Perpendiculars: 709’03”
Breadth: 75′
Depth: 39’08”
Loaded Draft: 27’08”
Capacity: 26,822 Tons
Vessel Type: Loop-Belt Self-Unloader
Self-Unloading Boom Length: Aft-Mounted; 257’06”
Number of Cargo Holds: 6 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 2-3-3-3-3-2]
Number of Hatches: 16 [Dimensions: 47’x20′]
Primary Operations: Ore, Coal, Stone, Grain, Salt Trades
Propellers: 1
Rudders: 1
Engineering Equipment
Original
Engine
Engine Type: Diesel Engine
Engine Manufacturer: Sulzer, Winterthur, Switzerland
Engine Model: 6RD76
Number of Engines: 1
Rated HP: 9,600 BHP
History
Lineage
Frontenac – 1968-Present
Owner: Canada Steamship Lines, Montreal, QC
Operator: Canada Steamship Lines
Flag: Canada
Home Port: Montreal, QC
Her Story
The Frontenac was constructed in 1968 by Davie Shipbuilding of Lauzon, Quebec, as a gearless bulk carrier for Canada Steamship Lines. She was the last classic styled lake freighter constructed for Canada Steamship Lines. The keel for the Frontenac was laid on May 17, 1967, being launched on December 12, 1967. The Frontenac entered service on May 13, 1968, departing Lauzon for Pointe Noire, Quebec, to load iron ore for Hamilton.
After 5 years of operating as a gearless bulk carrier, the Frontenac was taken to Collingwood Shipyards in Collingwood, Ontario, to be converted to a self-unloader at the end of the 1972 season. At the shipyard, her old cargo hold tank top was removed, and two conveyor belts running lengthwise of the ship were installed, with sloped hold bottom fabricated over the top of the belts to permit the flow of cargo. The belts led to a stern-mounted loop-belt elevator that fed a 257′06” self-unloading boom. She returned to service in 1973.
The Frontenac aided in the search for the missing steamer Edmund Fitzgerald after the latter sank in Lake Superior in November 1975.
In 1978, the Frontenac carried the first cargo of cement clinker by a Great Lakes freighter. After being refitted to be able to handle such cargoes, she began hauling clinker regularly in 1989.
The Frontenac opened the new loading dock at Bruce Mines, Ontario, on May 24, 1996.
The Frontenac continues to be an active vessel in the Canada Steamship Lines fleet, hauling ore, coal, stone, grain, clinker, and salt cargoes.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on August 26, 2020
Gallery
Sources
Berry, Sterling P. “Frontenac 3”. Great Lakes Vessel History: Vessel Histories of Sterling P. Berry. N.d. Accessed 26 August 2020. <https://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/f/frontenac-3>
Devendorf, John F. Great Lakes Bulk Carriers, 1869-1985. John F. Devendorf, 1996. Pp. 186.
“Frontenac”. Canada Steamship Lines. N.d. Accessed 26 August, 2020. <https://www.cslships.com/sites/default/files/frontenac_-_new_version_2017.07_1.pdf>
Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 4.10.
Wharton, George. “Frontenac”. Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online. N.d. Accessed 26 August 2020. <http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/frontenac.htm>
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