This ongoing series showcases historic photos in the Collingwood Museum collection, with research and writing by Melissa Shaw, the museum supervisor.
Today’s story begins at the end of the life of the last wooden ship constructed in Collingwood, the Germanic.
While docked along the Grand Trunk Railway’s freight shed, the Germanic caught fire on March 30, 1917, resulting in a total loss for the Northern Navigation Company.
A series of photographs in the Collingwood Museum’s collection are believed to document a diving attempt on the wreck; however, written records differ in their details.
The Collingwood Museum’s predecessor, the Huron Institute, describes the dive as taking place in the early 1900s at the town dock and in Collingwood’s harbour generally.
Handwritten notes on the back of a photograph and in various records link the diving attempt to the Germanic’s remains; however, it seems odd that this pertinent piece of information may have been missed by the Huron Institute.
What is clear is that the Germanic’s burned-out wreck was left in place along the dock for a short duration before being relocated to the west side of the harbour, and then ultimately beached near Wasaga Beach where the wreck became a fuel source for struggling residents during the Great Depression.
In a photograph shared by former Collingwood resident Don Boone, the launch of the S.S. Westmount was captured through the Germanic’s burned-out hull on May 4, 1917. This is the last known photograph of the Germanic in Collingwood’s harbour. The Westmount photograph may be viewed as part of the Collingwood Museum’s Hulls on Hurontario community story at this link.
The Germanic’s beginnings started in Collingwood’s first dry dock in 1899, and its construction would mark the end of large-scale wooden shipbuilding in Collingwood.
Unlike the steel ships that would follow, the Germanic was constructed in the pumped out dry dock. The Germanic’s method of launch was also much different from the steel ships that would follow.
Instead of being side launched, the Germanic was float launched on July 27, 1899, a much less dramatic event than Collingwood would come to known for. All of this happened in the location of the flooded basin that continues to exist in Collingowood’s harbour, directly in line with St. Paul Street.
The Germanic was fitted out with an engine used by two other ships, the Pacific and Emerald (formerly Oswego Belle).
The Pacific, which operated under the Great Northern Transit Company, was constructed by John Simpson in Owen Sound in 1883, the same year that Collingwood celebrated the opening of its first dry dock at top of St. Paul Street.
The Emerald was constructed as the Oswego Belle in 1875 by Melanchton Simpson in 1875. This earlier vessel was reportedly broken up in 1882 by the Great Northern Transit Company, and its engine repurposed in the Pacific.
After a 15-year career, the Pacific caught fire on November 3, 1898, in the same location along the Grand Trunk wharf as would the Germanic 19 years later.
The Germanic’s legacy as Collingwood’s last wooden ship was honoured in recent years in a very limited run by the Side Launch Brewing Company. “Germanic Block”, a rich and toasty German strong lager, was the second special brew to launch in the Ships of Collingwood series.
As the promotional material stated, “Yes, she’s lost, but she’s most certainly not forgotten.”
If you have a story to share about the history of the Germanic, or any of the ships featured in this article, please contact Collingwood Museum staff.
