Originally built as Rhine Ore, it was ordered from the Schlieker shipyard in Hamburg, West Germany by Transatlantic Bulk Carriers Inc. with the yard number 533, launched in 1959. Original length was 545 ft 11 inches, once converted at Davie Shipyard Quebec it would sail at length of 730 ft (maximum allowed for the St .Lawrence Seaway at that time).
Hall Corporation of Canada purchased the ship in 1977 and was renamed Steelcliffe Hall after the sale, it was rebuilt in Canada that year as a laker, with cargo space added forward of the engine room, and the wheelhouse moved aft above the crew accommodation. In 1988 Steelcliffe Hall was given the name Windoc after being acquired by N. M. Paterson & Sons Ltd., following the liquidation of the previous owner, Halco. The mid to late '80s was a rough time for great lakes shipping, especially Canadian operators.
On 11 August 2001, while traveling through the Welland Canal, Windoc was hit by Bridge 11 in Allanburg, Ontario. The accident caused minor damage to the vertical lift bridge, and destroyed the ship's wheelhouse and funnel. The vessel caught fire, and was later declared a constructive total loss, but there were no reported injuries, no damage to the $6-$8 million cargo, and no pollution to the waterway. There are some videos of this available on YouTube. Ultimately used as a storage barge until finally being scrapped at Marine Recycling in Port Colborne, Ontario in 2011.
This model is scratch built using the drawings from Davie Shipyard. This is now my 5th laker model to add to my fleet.
Hall Corporation of Canada purchased the ship in 1977 and was renamed Steelcliffe Hall after the sale, it was rebuilt in Canada that year as a laker, with cargo space added forward of the engine room, and the wheelhouse moved aft above the crew accommodation. In 1988 Steelcliffe Hall was given the name Windoc after being acquired by N. M. Paterson & Sons Ltd., following the liquidation of the previous owner, Halco. The mid to late '80s was a rough time for great lakes shipping, especially Canadian operators.
On 11 August 2001, while traveling through the Welland Canal, Windoc was hit by Bridge 11 in Allanburg, Ontario. The accident caused minor damage to the vertical lift bridge, and destroyed the ship's wheelhouse and funnel. The vessel caught fire, and was later declared a constructive total loss, but there were no reported injuries, no damage to the $6-$8 million cargo, and no pollution to the waterway. There are some videos of this available on YouTube. Ultimately used as a storage barge until finally being scrapped at Marine Recycling in Port Colborne, Ontario in 2011.
This model is scratch built using the drawings from Davie Shipyard. This is now my 5th laker model to add to my fleet.
