Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Golden Hind had been in layup in Toronto since December 18, 1983. Desgagnes started to fit out the Golden Hind on October 7, 1985 and she was all set to depart Toronto on October 14, 1985 when word came of the closure of the Welland Canal, so steam was let down and the Franquelin was laidup beside her several days later. https://www.maritimehistoryofthegreatla ... .asp?ID=c4

After the repairs to Lock 7, the Golden Hind departed on November 7 for the Welland Canal, going to Midland, Ontario to load grain for a St. Lawrence river port. https://www.maritimehistoryofthegreatla ... ner/18/03/

Desgagnés held on to Golden Hind after the Q & O purchase because Desgagnés believed it could find cargoes for it, according to The Scanner. Those cargoes never materialized and the vessel remained at Toronto until fitted out beginning 7 October1985 and leaving Toronto 6 November 1985 to load grain at Midland for delivery on the St. Lawrence. Golden Hind was to have left 14 October 1985 but the collapse of a lock wall on the Welland delayed that departure, so that was not a factor in its revival. It appears it made al least two such trips. The reason for its return to service was a particularly heavy grain rush the fall that saw a number of deactivated lakers return to service, albeit briefly, especially so after the Welland reopened. I can only surmise Degagnés held on to it either hoping work would appear for it or hoping scrap prices would climb, or both. The vessel certainly did not fit into Degagnés's logistical schemes, and had a big turbine supplied by two thirsty water tube boilers.

I seem to recall that when Desgagnes purchased the defunct Quebec & Ontario Transportation fleet in 1983 they did so primarily to get the smaller motor vessels in the fleet and not the larger bulk carriers that I believe were all steam powered. Of the latter, only the Golden Hind ever saw service for Desgagnes, and I believe that was for only for about a month and a half during the last few months of the 1985 shipping season before being retired and sold for scrap in 1986.

Was this brief return to service for a particular contract or charter or did Desgagnes actually look at retaining the ship in service but experienced problems or found that its operation to be unprofitable? I'm assuming that it would have been fairly expensive to outfit the Golden Hind for what amounted to just a few trips after being idle for nearly 2 years.

As it sailed from Toronto to Quebec City under its own power in September of 1986 following 9 months of layup after the end of the 1985 season in preparation for an overseas scrap tow, it would seem that the power plant must have been in somewhat good operating condition to be started up for one last trip instead of being towed.

Could the brief return to service in late 1985 have been brought about by the Lock 7 wall collapse earlier that year which delayed the movement of vessels through the Welland Canal?