George Thurston – Kingston ON

George Thurston was a prominent shipbuilder in Kingston, Ontario, during the mid-19th century. Between 1842 and 1869, he constructed 24 vessels, significantly contributing to the maritime industry on the Great Lakes. 

Among his notable works was the schooner ARABIA, launched on April 26, 1853, at the Kingston Marine Railway Company shipyard. The ARABIA was a three-masted barque measuring 132 feet in length, 26 feet in beam, and 12 feet in depth, with a tonnage of 309. Initially, it engaged in trade between the Great Lakes and England, taking advantage of the improved St. Lawrence Canals. After a successful voyage to Liverpool, the ARABIA returned to the Great Lakes, continuing to carry general cargo until it sank near Echo Island in Georgian Bay on October 5, 1884. 

Another significant vessel built by Thurston was the steamer NEW ERA, constructed in 1849. This wooden sidewheel steamer measured 172 feet in length, 23 feet in beam, and 9 feet in depth, with a gross tonnage of 263. The NEW ERA operated on the Canada Mail Line, servicing routes between Montreal and Kingston. In 1868, while laid up in Kingston, the vessel burned and was later refloated and removed to Garden Island by D. Calvin in October 1870. 

Thurston’s contributions to shipbuilding in Kingston were instrumental in the development of maritime commerce on the Great Lakes during the 19th century. His craftsmanship and the vessels he constructed played a vital role in facilitating trade and transportation in the region.

• Arabia, built in 1852 by George Thurston in Kingston, Ontario, was a three-masted wooden barkentine. At 132 feet in length, with a 26-foot beam and a depth of 12 feet, it was a robust vessel designed for cargo transport. The ARABIA carried bulk goods such as grain and timber throughout the Great Lakes region and occasionally beyond, even reaching English ports. Its efficient design and versatility were typical of mid-19th-century sailing vessels.
• Duncan City was a two-masted wooden schooner, originally built as a bark-rigged sailing vessel in 1852. Over the course of her career, she was rebuilt multiple times and renamed twice before her eventual wreck in 1888.
• New Era was originally built in 1848 by G. Thurston at Fowler’s Yard in Kingston and launched around June 1st of that year. The vessel underwent significant modifications and a complete rebuild in 1862 by the same builder, G. Thurston, this time at Portsmouth, Ontario. During the rebuild, the ship received a new keel, frames, bottom timbers, stem, deck beams, engine frame, and deck. The reconstruction included adding “false sides” to improve stability, which had been an issue with the original design.
• Queen of the Bay was a two-masted wooden scow-schooner. Scow-schooners were known for their flat-bottomed design, which made them especially useful for navigating shallow waters and transporting cargo in and out of small harbors and rivers. This type of vessel was widely used in the mid-19th century for short-haul freight transport across the Great Lakes. (Unconfirmed)
• George Thurston was a wooden bark—a three-mast vessel primarily used for cargo transport. Barks were commonly used on the Great Lakes during the 19th century for shipping bulk freight like grain, coal, and timber. The vessel was built by Geo. Thurston in Kingston, Ontario, and had a respectable gross tonnage of 307 tons. The 3-mast configuration allowed the vessel to take advantage of both wind power and towing to navigate the Great Lakes.
• Watertown was built in Kingston, Ontario, in 1864 by George Thurston, a well-known Canadian shipbuilder. Designed as a sidewheel steamer, it likely served in passenger and freight transport along Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands region, connecting key ports such as Kingston, Cape Vincent, Clayton, and Oswego.