Western Dry Dock And Shipping Company was founded in 1909 by a man named James Whalen. James Whalen was a Canadian businessperson and entrepreneur based in Port Arthur, Ontario, which is now a part of Thunder Bay.
Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company operated in Port Arthur from 1911 to 1933, playing a key role in the maritime industry. Known for its shipbuilding and repair services, the company supported trade and connectivity between regions. Their skilled workforce excelled in building and refurbishing vessels. Construction began in 1910 after negotiations with the American Ship Building Company, who supplied Western Dry Dock with very skilled workmen and top management. The cost to build WDDSC was $650,000. In 1916, Western Dry Dock was renamed as the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company (PASCO).
The first ship to enter the dry dock was the Scow F.W. 45, which was a dump scow. A dump scow was used to transport garbage across waterways safely and cleanly. The first passenger vessel to enter the dry dock was W. Grant Norman, which was later known as the Donnacona, in 1911. The Donnacona was a 625-foot vessel and was the largest Canadian-built vessel on the Great Lakes for 20 years. The S.S Sicamous was the 10th ship built and delivered by PASCO.
In the early 1920s, PASCO built warships for the First World War, but because of the Great Depression, production and employment rates dropped severely, and James Whalen felt he could no longer stay active in his business. PASCO was taken over by H.B. Smith and R.M. Wolvin, who kept the business alive until the economic turn down was over. Ten years later, business was better than ever. World War Two helped PASCO a lot with their production rates. They constructed and delivered 9 corvettes, 6 Bangor-class minesweepers, 20 Algerine-class minesweepers, boilers, engines, and many aircraft components. In 1944, they had 2150 employees when the average employee rate was 310.
In 1946, PASCO was taken over by Canada Steamship Lines Limited. CSLL continued to build ships, which included 6 hopper barges for the French government and 3 coasters for the Chinese government. Eventually, CSLL became a subsidiary of Canadian Shipbuilding And Engineering Limited in 1987, but they closed in 1993. It reopened as a repair yard called Lakehead Marine And Industries Inc. Lakehead Marine Industries failed in 2014, and by 2016, Heddle Marine, a shipyard, purchased it and continues to operate as a ship repair yard and a winter layup facility today.
James Whalen was born in Collingwood, Ontario. Ever since he was a young boy, he has had an interest in ships, but he was also intrigued by the forest industry, dredging, and towing. In the 1890s, Whalen was a timber contractor. Although this position didn't last long, he greatly enjoyed his time spent doing it. After his career as a timber contractor ended, Whalen and his brother started a pulp and paper business in B.C. Unfortunately, that career didn't last long either because they went bankrupt. Whalen did have multiple impressive careers; however, they all only lasted for a short while. While
he did construct an eight-story building in Port Arthur, Many would say his most impressive career was owning the Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company for the short while he did.
Port Arthur was a small town in northern Ontario that sat along Lake Superior. Originally, Port Arthur was named after Prince Arthur, and it was called Prince Arthur's Landing. Port Arthur began as a small timber station in 1830 and quickly evolved into a penal colony for British convicts and repeat offenders. Port Arthur was crucial to the transportation of goods and passengers on the CPR. Port Arthur was an alternative transportation route for the CPR while it was under construction. During this time, people quickly realized how Port Arthur was the most efficient way for the CPR to travel. Port Arthur's transportation route was so important that the Canadian Northern Railway was built to serve Port Arthur and help it continue its transportation perfection. For many years, Port Arthur was a transshipment point for Lakers that carried cargo across the Great Lakes. The Lakers coming in and out of Port Arthur were rapidly increasing, and they increased so much that the town had built grain silos to supply the Lakers. Unfortunately, there was a major railway and grain decline in the latter half of the 20th century. Port Arthur's use for transportation was not nearly as needed as it was in the 1800s. Because of this, people felt Port Arthur would be suitable to merge with Fort William, McIntyre, and Neebing to form what is now known as Thunder Bay in January of 1970.
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