Western Dry Dock And Shipbuilding Company

The Company that Built the S.S. Sicamous and Naramata

The industrial expansion of North America in the early twentieth century, with its requirement for increased amounts of fuel, raw materials, and finished goods to be moved, created a demand for ships of all makes and models. Ships from the late nineteenth century also faced the pressures of the growing industrial sector and required regular servicing besides newer fleets. 

In Eastern Canada, prior to 1908, most ships operating on the Great Lakes were built and repaired by American shipbuilders and dry dock companies. On the Upper Great Lakes, the American Shipbuilding Company (AMSHIP) serviced the majority of Canadian vessels, although small local shipyards also operated on the shores of Thunder Bay. Greater shipbuilding capacity began to emerge when the Great Lakes Dredging Company, established by Ontario businessman James Whalen, started constructing vessels in 1902. However, neither operation possessed the capacity to meet the region’s growing demand. That soon changed with the establishment of the Western Drydock and Shipbuilding Company in 1909, the first major company capable of meeting local shipbuilding and repair needs.

The American Shipbuilding Company founded Western Drydock in response to Dominion Government tariffs imposed on American-built vessels, which made construction and repairs in American shipyards significantly more expensive for Canadian customers. Seeking to restore its Canadian clientele base, the company invested in a new shipyard in Port Arthur and appointed James Whalen as its president. Equipped with experienced managers and a trained workforce transferred from the American Shipbuilding Company, Western Drydock officially began operations on February 8th, 1909. The company quickly established an operational foundry along with machine, electrical, and pipefitting shops. During its first year, Western Drydock concentrated primarily on repairing existing vessels before expanding into new ship construction. In the years immediately preceding the First World War, the company built eleven vessels, including the S.S. Sicamous, S.S. Naramata, and the sternwheeler S.S. Nasookin. It also completed two scows, two cargo ships, two tugs, a passenger vessel, and a bulk carrier. The outbreak of the First World War dramatically increased demand for the company’s services, as Western Drydock shifted much of its production toward the production of warships. Wartime contracts fueled rapid expansion for the business so much so that by 1916 the company’s facilities included 1,128 metres of harbour frontage, a 200-metre concrete dry dock, a construction yard, forge, foundry, as well as dedicated boiler, pattern, and joiner shops. The drydock also had specialized locomotive, gantry, and whirley type cranes. At its peak, Western Drydock occupied approximately 40 hectares, making it the largest shipbuilder on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. Yet this growth also exposed wartime labour shortages and industrial tensions.

Aerial View of the Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company

James Whalen, PASCO President

In November of 1916, company president James Whalen and investor John Burnham purchased the Western Drydock and Shipbuilding Company for $1.5 million, confident that wartime demand would continue to drive sales. The company continued operations in the same location, only now under the name, Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company (PASCO). Although the demand for warships continued to grow as the war progressed, a mounting shortage of skilled labour severely constrained output capacity. Wartime inflation, poor working conditions, and the loss of experienced employees to military service and higher paying American shipyards caused friction between the company and its employees. These tensions culminated on April 17th, 1917, when approximately 400 members of branch 461 of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuilders, and Helpers of America organized a mass factory walkout. The strike lasted for more than a week before an agreement was reached to reduce overtime hours by out-sourcing skilled workers from other shipyards. 

The Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company continued to prosper after the end of the First World War, building ships of all types, from passenger vessels and work boats to warships for the Second World War. PASCO also fabricated commercial marine boilers as well as pulp and paper machinery. When it was not creating something new, the company was repairing and docking ageing ships. Now known across the globe, the company was also authorized by the government to acquire licenses for the establishment of steamship lines.

PASCO, 1918

In the late twentieth century, the transportation of consumer goods was increasingly transferred to freight trucks and airlines, with shipbuilders and their ships falling into relative obscurity. PASCO had already seen a steady decline in operations since the 1980s. On February 3rd, 1993, parent company, Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering (CSE), announced that Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company was set to close by June 30th of that year. 

The story of PASCO’s decline is one all too familiar to the S.S. Sicamous Marine Heritage Society, as capable companies and transportation technologies, such as our own ships, failed to withstand the pressures of expanding global consumer markets. Today, all that remains of the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company are the museum ships, the S.S. Sicamous and S.S. Naramata in Penticton, British Columbia, as well as the Alexander Henry, who is moored on the shore of Thunder Bay. 

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Bibliography

Onderlanke, Eugene and Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society. “A Colourful History of the Portship.” Ontario Community Newspaper Portal, December 17, 1986.

“Port Arthur Shipbuilding,” July 14, 2021. https://shipbuildinghistory.com/canadayards/portarthur.htm.

“The Lakehead’s Legacy of Shipbuilding | Bayview Magazine,” March 2020. https://www.bayviewmagazine.com/article/2020/03/lakeheads-legacy-shipbuilding.