Toronto Drydock Company

Toronto Drydock Company is a shipbuilding repair company in Canada and the name of two shipbuilders in the 19th and 20th centuries respectively.

Toronto Dry Dock Company

The first Toronto Dry Dock Company was established in 1847 by William Botsford Jarvis (1799–1864) in the Province of Canada to build ships to ply the waters of the Great Lakes.{{cite web |url=http://www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/GreatLakes/Documents/Scanner/08/06/default.asp?ID=c007 |title = Scanner, v. 8, n. 6 (March 1976) : The Toronto Drydock Company Ltd.}}

Toronto Dry Dock Company Limited

Another Toronto Dry Dock Company Limited was established in 1917 by several partners:

C. S. Boone – President of the C. S. Boone Dredging and Construction Company Limited
John E. Russell,
Lawrence Solman, manager of the Toronto Ferry Company Limited
John J. Manley, C. S. Boone Dredging and Construction Company Limited
Henry J. Dixon

Toronto Dry Dock and its floating dry dock and yard were located along the south edge of Keating Channel, along with the related Toronto Ship Building Company, owned by the same principals. The company acquired the shipbuilding business of Patrick Dixon and son Harry J. Dixon) under the Ontario Companies Act to build larger ships, and during WW I Toronto Shipbuilding constructed two wood-hulled freighters in 1918, the War Ontario and War Toronto, side-launching both into Keating Channel. The company remained in business until 1964 and was later acquired as part of the Port Weller Dry Docks.{{cite web |url=http://www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/documents/scanner/08/06/default.asp?ID=c007 |title = Scanner, v. 8, n. 6 (March 1976) : The Toronto Drydock Company Ltd.}}

The facilities were sold following the bankruptcy of Port Weller Dry Docks Limited, who moved the dry dock to Port Weller, Ontario and sold the facilities to Toronto Harbour Commission.{{cite web |url=http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/world/canada/portweller.htm |title=Port Weller Dry Dock |access-date=2010-06-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620125015/http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/world/canada/portweller.htm |archive-date=2010-06-20 }} The former dockyard is now used for storage by Harbourfront Centre and Port of Toronto (to store the airport ferries).

Toronto Drydock

The current Toronto Drydock, founded in 1989 is a small marine repair facility built from the former St-Lawrence pulpwood carrier Menier Consol (built in 1962 and converted as floating drydock after 1984) and located in the eastern Portland area in the Turning Basin along Basin Street and across from the former Hearn Generating Station.

History of shipbuilding in Toronto

Shipbuilding in Toronto dates back to the period when shipping was isolated to the Great Lakes. Early ship building was conducted by the Royal Navy for use in the Great Lakes, but several small, medium, and large private shipbuilding concerns developed during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Polson Iron Works, established in Toronto in 1883, was a major builder of steamers into the 1900s. Located at the foot of Sherbourne Street, the Iron Works produced around 150 assorted vessels,{{cite web |url=http://shipbuildinghistory.com/canadayards/polson.htm |title = Polson Iron Works}} including ten steel-hulled minesweepers for the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Navy, and six cargo vessels during World War I. After the war Polson declared bankruptcy and closed in 1919 due to lack orders and tariff protections.

A succession of ship builders were also located at Bathurst Street Wharf,{{Cite web|url=http://shipbuildinghistory.com/canadayards/redfern.htm|title=Boats built by Redfern Construction}} starting with John Doty Engine Works (1875–1892). The yard was purchased by Bertram Engine Works (1893–1905), then by Canadian Shipbuilding Company (1905–1907); and then by Toronto Shipyards (1908–1910). The idled yard was later taken over by Thor Iron Works (1913–1917), which constructed two minesweepers for the Royal Navy and four cargo vessels before selling the yard to Dominion Shipbuilding. Dominion then built a new facility on reclaimed land leased from the Toronto Harbour Commission and constructed twelve merchant ships during and immediately following the war (1917–1921) before ceasing operations. The once again idle ship yard was reactivated during World War II by the Canadian Government to construct Bangor and {{sclass|Algerine|minesweeper|1}}s (1941–1945), with the yard operated by a succession of companies, starting with Dufferin Shipbuilding Company Limited, then government-owned Toronto Shipbuilding Company Limited, and finally Redfern Construction Company Limited. At the end of the war the yard was closed for good.

A number of other small builders dotted the waterfront east and west of Toronto proper:

Rouge River
Highland Creek – Thomas Adams
Humber River
Credit River

The Rouge River's ship building was linked to the prolific lumber industry. The shipbuilding industry ranged between 1810 and 1856.

Most of the ships were used for passenger and to carry potash, grain and lumber between Oswego, New York and Toronto, then called York.

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|+A partial list of notable ships built in Toronto

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| Vessel

| Type

| Hull

| Year launched

| Year retired

| Builder

name unknown{{cite web |url=http://ccranews.com/history_port_union.html |title=CCRA News |website=ccranews.com |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817192635/http://ccranews.com/history_port_union.html |archive-date=17 August 2016 |url-status=dead}}

| wood sailing ship

| c. 1812

| Thomas Adams Port Union near Highland Creek

Duke of York

| wood schooner

| 1820

| Capt. Hadley

Mary Ann

| wood sailing ship

| 1834

| Thomas Adams Port Union at mouth of Highland Creek

City of Toronto

| wood ship

| 1855

| built for Allan Lines

Knapp's Roller Boat

| prototype

| 1887

| Polson Iron Works Limited

City of Chatham

| passenger

| 20

| 1888

| Polson Iron Works Limited

Mayflower

| ferry

| 1890

| by John Doty & Sons

Primrose

| ferry

| 1890

| John Doty & Sons

Corona

| passenger

| 16

| 1896

| Bertram Engineering Works Company

Toronto

| passenger

| 29

| 1899

| Bertram Engineering Works Company

Ottawa

| cargo

| 35

| 1900

| Bertram Engineering Works Company

Kingston

| passenger

| 37

| 1901

| Bertram Engineering Works Company

Tadenac

| cargo

| 36

| 1902

| Bertram Engineering Works Company

Tadousac

| cargo

| 40

| 1903

| Bertram Engineering Works Company

Lurcher

| light ship

| 63

| 1903

| Polson Iron Works Limited

Anticosti

| light ship

| 63

| 1904

| Polson Iron Works Limited

Montreal

| passenger

| 38

| 1904

| Bertram Engineering Works Company

Haddington

| cargo

| 43

| 1904

| Bertram Engineering Works Company

Vigilant

| fisheries patrol

| 70

| 1904

| Polson Iron Works Limited

Bluebell

| ferry

| 1906

| Polson Iron Works Limited

Cayuga

| passenger

| 100

| 1907

| Canadian Shipbuilding Company

E. B. Osler

| laker

| 101

| 1907

| Canadian Shipbuilding Company

Rapids King

| passenger

| 106

| 1907

| Canadian Shipbuilding Company

Ontario No. 1

| railcar ferry

| 1907

| Canadian Shipbuilding Company

Trillium

| ferry

| 94

| 1910

| Polson Iron Works Limited

Rapids Prince

| passenger

| 113

| 1910

| Toronto Shipyards Ltd

Kwasind

| RCYC passenger ferry

| 105

| 1913

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS Festubert

| minesweeper

| 135

| 1917

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS Ypres

| minesweeper

| 136

| 1917

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS Messines

| minesweeper

| 137

| 1917

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS St. Eloi

| minesweeper

| 138

| 1917

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS St. Julien

| minesweeper

| 139

| 1917

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS Vimy

| minesweeper

| 140

| 1917

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS TR-15

| minesweeper

| 141

| 1918

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS TR-16

| minesweeper

| 142

| 1918

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS TR-17

| minesweeper

| 143

| 1918

| Polson Iron Works Limited

HMCS TR-18

| minesweeper

| 144

| 1918

| Polson Iron Works Limited

Tento

| cargo

| 133

| 1918

| Polson Iron Works Limited

Asp

| cargo

| 134

| 1918

| Polson Iron Works Limited

War Ontario

| cargo

| 1

| 1918

| Toronto Drydock Company / Toronto Shipbuilding

War Toronto

| cargo

| 2

| 1918

| Toronto Drydock Company / Toronto Shipbuilding

Angoulème

| cargo

| 4

| 1918

| Thor Iron Works / Dominion Shipbuilding

Troja

| cargo

| 5

| 1918

| Thor Iron Works / Dominion Shipbuilding

HMCS TR-13

| minesweeper

| 6

| 1918

| Thor Iron Works / Dominion Shipbuilding

HMCS TR-14

| minesweeper

| 7

| 1918

| Thor Iron Works / Dominion Shipbuilding

St. Mihiel

| cargo

| 8

| 1918

| Thor Iron Works / Dominion Shipbuilding

Le Quesnoy

| cargo

| 9

| 1919

| Thor Iron Works / Dominion Shipbuilding

War Hydra

| cargo

| 145

| 1919

| Polson Iron Works Limited

War Taurus

| cargo

| 146

| 1919

| Polson Iron Works Limited

War Timiskaming

| cargo

| 147

| 1919

| Polson Iron Works Limited

Aquila/War Hamilton

| cargo

| 148

| 1919

| Polson Iron Works Limited

War Algoma

| cargo

| 149

| 1919

| Polson Iron Works Limited

War Halton

| cargo

| 150

| 1919

| Polson Iron Works Limited

General Currie

| cargo

| 1

| 1919

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

General Morrison

| cargo

| 2

| 1919

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

General Turner

| cargo

| 3

| 1919

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

General Williams

| cargo

| 4

| 1919

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

Hessa

| cargo

| 5

| 1919

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

Skolma

| cargo

| 6

| 1919

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

Torontonian

| cargo

| 7

| 1920

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

T. L. Church

| cargo

| 8

| 1920

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

Canadian Pathfinder

| cargo

| 10

| 1920

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

Canadian Engineer

| cargo

| 11

| 1920

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

Gonzaba/Washington

| cargo

| 14

| 1920

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

Floraba/Bolivar

| cargo

| 15

| 1920

| Dominion Shipbuilding Limited

Ned Hanlon

| tug

| 1932

| Toronto Drydock Company

William Inglis

| ferry

| 1935

| Toronto Drydock Company

Sam McBride

| ferry

| 6

| 1939

| Toronto Drydock Company

HMCS Nipigon (J154)

| minesweeper

| 15

| 1941

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMCS Burlington (J250)

| minesweeper

| 16

| 1941

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMCS Georgian (J144)

| minesweeper

| 17

| 1941

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMCS Thunder (J146)

| minesweeper

| 18

| 1941

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMCS Gananoque (J259)

| minesweeper

| 19

| 1941

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMCS Goderich (J260)

| minesweeper

| 20

| 1941

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMS Fort York (J119)

| minesweeper

| 21

| 1942

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMS Parrsborough (J117)

| minesweeper

| 22

| 1942

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMS Qualicum (J138)

| minesweeper

| 23

| 1942

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMS Shippigan (J212)

| minesweeper

| 24

| 1942

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMS Tadoussac (J220)

| minesweeper

| 25

| 1942

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMS Wedgeport (J139)

| minesweeper

| 26

| 1942

| Dufferin Shipbuilding / Toronto Shipbuilding

HMS Antares (J282)

| minesweeper

| 31

| 1943