Design and construction Beginning in the mid-1840s, Canadian companies began importing iron vessels,
prefabricated by shipyards in the
United Kingdom. It would not be until 1889, however, that the first steel-hulled Canadian ship,
Manitoba, was built on the Great Lakes. In 1887, the Hamilton Steamboat Company, a fleet managed by Tunis Bruce Griffith of
Hamilton, Ontario, placed an order for a steel steamship with
William Hamilton & Company, a shipyard located on the banks of the
River Clyde in
Port Glasgow, Scotland.
Hull number 64, built at William Hamilton & Company's Glen Yard, was christened
Macassa. She was licensed to carry 536 passengers, and was equipped with an elegant interior consisting of carved, polished hardwood panels, velvet sofas, silk curtains and velvet carpets. She was also equipped with electric lights.
Macassa had only a single tall mast, which was located behind her pilothouse. With the exception of a small cabin designed to shelter the passengers and crew, the
promenade deck was completely open, while her main deck was enclosed.
Macassa was
clinker built. Her hull was long. Her beam was wide, while her hull was (some sources state or ) deep.
Macassa had a
gross tonnage of 574 tons, and a
net tonnage of 459 tons. She was powered by two 135
rpm triple-expansion steam engines; the cylinders of the engines were , and in diameter, and had a
stroke of . Steam for the engine was provided by a single coal-fired,
Scotch marine boiler, which had a
working pressure of . The engine was built by William Kemp of
Glasgow, Scotland, while the boiler was manufactured by Burnett & Company of
Govan.
Macassa had a top speed of , and was propelled by two fixed pitch propellers.
Service history Macassa was accepted by the Hamilton Steamboat Company after she completed her
sea trials on the River Clyde. She was
registered in
Glasgow, Scotland, on May 2, 1888, and left for Hamilton on May 16. Newspapers in 1888 speculated that
Macassa would arrive at her destination on around June 1. After
Macassa arrived in Hamilton on the morning of June 7, she was given the Canadian
official number 93932 on June 29, 1888, when she was registered in Hamilton. For most of her career, she was engaged in the passenger trade between Hamilton and
Toronto, Ontario. Early in her career, she also stopped at
Lorne Park,
Oakville and
Burlington Beach, Ontario. While in Hamilton on August 11, 1892, a deckhand on board
Macassa leaned against a gangway whilst trying to fill a bucket of water, fell overboard and drowned. She made a 39-mile (62.8 km) trip between
Burlington and
Port Dalhousie, Ontario, on April 6, 1894, in an hour and fifty minutes. In an effort to make
Macassa more profitable, she was sent to the
Collingwood Shipbuilding Company of
Collingwood, Ontario, in 1905 to be lengthened. Her hull became long, her gross tonnage 529 tons, her net tonnage 234 tons, and her carrying capacity ; the reason behind the reduction of her tonnage after the lengthening is unknown. The new piece was inserted between her pilothouse and funnel. Officers' quarters were constructed behind the pilothouse, the cabin on the promenade deck was enlarged, her mast was moved behind the pilothouse, and a second mast was installed
aft. The lengthening significantly decreased
Macassas length-to-beam ratio, causing her to roll badly even in moderate weather. On September 19, 1906, a deckhand on board
Macassa lost his foot after it became entangled in a mooring line while she was in Hamilton. In 1911, the Hamilton Steamboat Company merged into the Niagara Navigation Company, a company that operated passenger ships between Toronto and various
Niagara River ports. In 1912, the Niagara Navigation Company was absorbed into the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company, which itself was merged into the Canada Transportation Company of
Montreal, Quebec, on June 11, 1913. The Canada Transportation Company was renamed
Canada Steamship Lines later in 1913. Late in the summer of 1912,
Macassa ran a special service from
Coburg,
Port Hope,
Bowmanville, and
Oshawa, Ontario, to Toronto, where she ferried passengers to and from the
Canadian National Exhibition. While with Canada Steamship Lines,
Macassa frequently travelled between
Grimsby, Ontario, Hamilton and Toronto. She was used as the official boat for the Wrigley Marathon Swim. At the end of the 1927 shipping season,
Macassa was laid up in Toronto. In the winter of 1927,
Macassa was sold to the Owen Sound Transportation Company of
Owen Sound, Ontario, and was rebuilt as a nightboat in Toronto.
Macassa was renamed
Manasoo, a combination of
Manitoulin Island and
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Her promenade deck was covered with passenger cabins, and her pilothouse and masts were replaced. After her rebuild, she was licensed to carry only 70 passengers.
Manasoo left for Owen Sound on April 22, 1928. Along the way, she stopped in
Goderich,
Lion's Head and
Wiarton, Ontario. After entering service in May, she mainly operated between Sault Ste. Marie and Owen Sound, via the
North Channel.
Manasoo carried passengers and various types of freight.
Final voyage After the lucrative 1928 shipping season,
Manasoo was open to special commissions.
Cowman Donald Wallace of
Oil Springs, Ontario, and his friend Thomas Lambert (also of Oil Springs) drove to Owen Sound, where they boarded
Manasoo. Wallace had planned to purchase cattle from several farmers from around Manitoulin Island. Under the command of Captain John McKay,
Manasoo began her voyage on September 13. She sailed to
West Bay, Ontario, and then she proceeded to
Manitowaning, Ontario, where she loaded two automobiles. She left Manitowaning for Owen Sound at 12:00p.m. on September 14, with 19 crewmen, two passengers, 115 cows and one bull on board. By the time
Manasoo had cleared the
North Channel of
Lake Huron, a sizeable storm had developed. By 2:00a.m. the next day,
Manasoo had begun to list to
port. Captain McKay eventually decided to beach
Manasoo on nearby
Griffith Island. After some time,
Manasoos starboard
bilge lifted out of the water, causing water to leak in through gangways and other openings. Only one lifeboat was launched before
Manasoo rolled over onto her port side, and sank stern first.
Manasoo sank in three to five minutes. The only lifeboat launched capsized. A life raft broke loose when
Manasoo sank; only six of the crew, including Captain McKay were able to climb aboard. One of the crew, Chief Engineer Thomas McCutcheon, died of exposure, and his clothes were distributed among the survivors. After floating on the raft for over 60 hours, the survivors were rescued by the
Canadian Pacific Railway steamer
Manitoba. Sixteen of the 21 people on board died. Although the specific reason for
Manasoo sinking remains unknown, the shifting of the cattle is believed to be partly responsible. ==
Manasoo wreck==