Senneville

Senneville – Algoville – Tim S. Dool

1967-Present

Tim S. Dool on the St. Clair River, August 23, 2020. Photo by Isaac Pennock

Specs

Build Information

Year Built: 1967

Builder: Saint John Shipbuilding & Dry Dock, St. John, New Brunswick

Hull #1084

Registry: CAN. 328536

IMO #6800919

Laid Down: —

Launch Date: October 15, 1967

Commissioned: November 8, 1967

Construction

In late 1966, the Mohawk Navigation Company of Montreal, Quebec, ordered a new Great Lakes bulk carrier, signing a contract with the Saint John Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Saint John, New Brunswick. Thus began the construction of Hull #1084, a new Seaway sized gearless bulk carrier. The new ship would be the second vessel constructed for Great Lakes service with her wheelhouse, accommodations, and machinery spaces aft, the first being her fleetmate Silver Isle. She was constructed using the lightest weight steel that would pass classification society and Coast Guard certification in order to increase cargo capacity.

Modifications

#1 Cargo hold modified to be able to carry both liquid and bulk cargo, 1992.
Widened by 3′, Port Weller Dry Docks, St. Catharines, Ontario, 1996.
Repowered, Heddle Marine, Hamilton, Ontario, 2007.

General Stats

As Constructed

Length Overall: 730′

Length Between Perpendiculars: 710’06”

Breadth: 75′

Depth: 39’08”

Loaded Draft: 27’09”

Capacity: 28,200 Tons

Vessel Type: Gearless Bulk Carrier

Number of Cargo Holds: 6 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 3-3-3-3-3-3]

Number of Hatches: 18 [Dimensions: 47’x20′]

Primary Operations: Ore, Grain Trades

Propellers: 1 Controllable Pitch Propeller

Rudders: 1

After widening by 3′, 1996

Length Overall: 730′

Length Between Perpendiculars: 710’06”

Breadth: 77’11”

Depth: 39’08”

Loaded Draft: 28’11”

Capacity: 31,054 Tons

Vessel Type: Gearless Bulk Carrier

Number of Cargo Holds: 6 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 3-3-3-3-3-3]

Number of Hatches: 18 [Dimensions: 47’x20′]

Primary Operations: Ore, Grain Trades

Propellers: 1 Controllable Pitch Propeller

Rudders: 1

Engineering Equipment

Original

Engine

Engine Type: Diesel Engine

Engine Manufacturer: M.A.N., Augsburg, Germany

Engine Model: K6Z78/155

Number of Engines: 1

Rated HP: 9900 BHP

Repower – 2007

Engine Type: Diesel Engine

Engine Manufacturer: MaK, Kien, Germany

Engine Model: 8M43C

Number of Engines: 1

Rated HP: 10,730 BHP

History

Lineage

Senneville – 1967-1970

Owner: Mohawk Navigation Co., Montreal, QC

Operator: Mohawk Navigation Co.

Flag: Canada

Home Port: Montreal, QC

Senneville – 1970-1980

Owner: Mohawk Navigation Co., Montreal, QC

Operator: Scott Misener Steamships, St. Catharines, ON

Flag: Canada

Home Port: Montreal, QC

Senneville – 1980-1991

Owner: Pioneer Shipping LTD., Winnipeg, MB [James Richardson & Sons]

Operator: Scott Misener Steamships, St. Catharines, ON

Flag: Canada

Home Port: Montreal, QC

Senneville – 1991-1994

Owner: Pioneer Shipping LTD., Winnipeg, MB [James Richardson & Sons]

Operator: Great Lakes Bulk Carriers, Winnipeg, MB [Gearless bulk carrier management venture involving Canada Steamship Lines, Misener Shipping, and Pioneer Shipping]

Flag: Canada

Home Port: Montreal, QC

Algoville – 1994-2008

Owner: Algoma Central Corporation, St. Catharines, ON

Operator: Seaway Marine Transport [Partnership between Upper Lakes Shipping and Algoma Central Corp.]

Flag: Canada

Home Port: St. Catharines, ON

Tim S. Dool – 2008-2011

Owner: Algoma Central Corp., St. Catharines, ON

Operator: Seaway Marine Transport [Partnership between Upper Lakes Shipping and Algoma Central Corp.]

Flag: Canada

Home Port: St. Catharines, ON

Tim S. Dool – 2011-Present

Owner: Algoma Central Corp., St. Catharines, ON

Operator: Algoma Central Corp.

Flag: Canada

Home Port: St. Catharines, ON

Her Story

The ship, launched as the Senneville on October 15, 1967, was 730’ long and 75’ wide, and was capable of carrying 28,200 tons of cargo at her mid-summer draft of 27’09’’. Cargo onboard was contained in 6 holds, which were accessed by 18 hatches on her spar deck. A single M.A.N. K6Z78/155 diesel engine turned her single controllable pitch propeller, pushing the Senneville at speeds of up to 17 mph.

The Senneville became the flagship of the Mohawk fleet upon entering service, departing Sept-Iles, Quebec, with a cargo of iron ore on November 8, 1967 on her maiden voyage. She transited the Welland Canal for the first time on November 11, 1967, passing upbound on her way to Cleveland, Ohio, to deliver her first cargo.

On September 19, 1969, Mohawk Navigation announced that the management of their fleet would be passed over to Scott Misener Steamships of St. Catharines, Ontario, beginning the 1970 season. The Senneville had the honor of being the first vessel to pass downbound through the newly constructed Welland Canal bypass on March 28, 1973.

The Senneville set a Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway rye record on October 4, 1975, with 1,026,983 bushels loaded at Thunder Bay, Ontario, bound for Sorel, Quebec, a record that still stands to this day. She ran aground at Thunder Bay, Ontario, while outbound with grain on October 3, 1977, being lightered the next day to only find cracks in one of her ballast tanks.

Prior to entering service for the 1980 season, the Senneville and her fleetmate Silver Isle were acquired by the newly formed Pioneer Shipping LTD. Pioneer was owned by James Richardson & Sons of Winnipeg, Manitoba, a large grain handler. The Mohawk fleet typically served Richardson’s cargo handling needs. The new Pioneer vessels remained under the management of Scott Misener Steamships, and were repainted in their distinctive Pioneer orange-red hull with yellow forecastles, white cabins, and orange-red stacks.

In 1991, management was transferred to Great Lakes Bulk Carriers of St. Catharines, Ontario, a partnership between Canada steamship Lines, Misener, and Pioneer Shipping, to operate their gearless bulk freighters. Over the winter of 1991/1992, the Senneville had double bottom steel work completed, as well as the rebuilding of her #1 cargo hold into a dry bulk/liquid cargo tank, making her capable of handling canola oil, or dry bulk cargoes.

On April 8, 1994, Algoma Central Corporation closed a deal with Pioneer Shipping to purchase their ships Senneville and Silver Isle at a price of $5.7 Million (CA). This deal was made after Scott Misener Steamships and Great Lakes Bulk Carriers collapsed. The Pioneer ships became part of the Algoma Central fleet on June 1, 1994, after being repainted in Algoma blue and renamed Algoville. She would be managed by Seaway Bulk Carriers, a partnership between Algoma Central Corporation and Upper Lakes Shipping.

During the 1996 season, the Algoville underwent an extensive rebuilding and refit at Port Weller Dry Docks of St. Catharines, Ontario. Her side tanks and shell were removed and replaced, and her hull was widened by 3’ [1.5’ on each side] to bring her to the maximum Seaway width allowance. The project cost approximately $6.4 million (CA) and increased her capacity to 31,250 tons at a mid-summer draft of 28’11’’ and 27,360 tons at her Seaway draft of 26’06’’.

In 2000, management was once again transferred to Seaway Marine Transport, after Seaway Bulk Carriers and Seaway Self-Unloaders were merged. The Algoville became disabled while downbound on Lake Huron near Alpena, Michigan, on May 1, 2006. She was towed to Goderich, Ontario, by the tugboat Manitou, for repairs, departing to unload her cargo on May 13. She then laid up at Hamilton, Ontario, on May 23 for an engine replacement. The work of installing her new MaK 8M43C diesel engine would be carried out by Heddle Marine. While work was going on, a fire broke out below decks on January 25, 2007, but did not cause any injuries or damage to the ship. After passing her sea trials, the Algoville returned to service on October 21, 2007.

The Algoville was rechristened Tim S. Dool in a small ceremony on June 3, 2008, below Lock 1 on the Welland Canal, to honor the former President and CEO of Algoma Central Corporation. Management of the Dool was taken up solely by Algoma Central Corporation after they purchased Upper Lakes Shipping in 2011.

The Tim S. Dool has had the honor of being the command of Algoma Central’s first female captain, Charlene Munden, who took command in 2019. The Tim S. Dool continues to be an active member of the Algoma fleet, serving the ore and grain trades.

Compiled By Brendan Falkowski

Updated on September 8, 2020

Gallery

Senneville on the St. Marys River, July 1975. Photo by Roger LeLievre

Sources

Berry, Sterling P. “Senneville”. Great Lakes Vessel History: Vessel Histories of Sterling P. Berry. N.d. Accessed 22 June 2020. <https://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/s/senneville>

Devendorf, John F. Great Lakes Bulk Carriers, 1869-1985. John F. Devendorf, 1996. Pp. 186.

Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 3.3.

“Tim S. Dool”. Algoma Central Corporation. N.d. Accessed 22 June 2020. <https://www.algonet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/DOOL-201409.pdf>

Wharton, George. “Tim S. Dool”. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online. N.d. Accessed 22 June 2020. <http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/TimSDool.htm>

Shipwatcher News Great Lakes Ships

Preserving the History of Great Lakes Ships Past and Present

Senneville

Senneville – Algoville – Tim S. Dool

Specs

Build Information

Construction

Modifications

General Stats

As Constructed

After widening by 3′, 1996

Engineering Equipment

Original

Engine

Repower – 2007

History

Lineage

Her Story

Gallery

Sources

Senneville – Algoville – Tim S. Dool

Specs

Build Information

Construction

Modifications

General Stats

As Constructed

After widening by 3′, 1996

Engineering Equipment

Original

Engine

Repower – 2007

History

Lineage

Her Story

Gallery

Sources

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