Identification and Site. Information #
CONSTRUCTION AND OWNERSHIP #
The Traveller was constructed in 1879 by James L. Playfair in Midland, Ontario, for the shipbuilder and entrepreneur Hugh Keefer of Toronto. Designed as a wooden-hulled tugboat, the Traveller was robustly built to tow schooners and other large vessels on the Great Lakes. Keefer intended to employ the Traveller in the rapidly expanding shipping trade of the Great Lakes during that era.
The vessel served under Keefer’s ownership for several decades, primarily operating in the Toronto area. She became a familiar sight in the ports and harbors around Lake Ontario, where she performed various towing and ship assistance duties.
In 1920, Keefer sold the Traveller to the Lake Superior Paper Company Ltd. of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. This company, later known as the Abitibi Power and Paper Company Ltd., intended to utilize the tug for log-rafting operations on Lake Superior.
POWER AND REBUILD #
- Original Engine: Steam-powered
- Rebuild: 1920-1921 (extensive modifications including hull replanking and cabin reconstruction)
- Funnel: Tall, well-raked (added during the 1921 rebuild)
HULL DIMENSIONS #
- Length: 102.5 feet
- Beam: 23.0 feet
- Depth: 11.5 feet
- Gross Tonnage: 179 tons (before rebuild)
HISTORY #
The Traveller remained in Hugh Keefer’s ownership until 1920, when it was acquired by the Lake Superior Paper Company Ltd. The new owners prepared the vessel for log-rafting on Lake Superior by commissioning a comprehensive rebuild at the Toronto Dry Dock Company Ltd. The overhaul included extensive replanking of the hull, a new upper cabin, and the addition of a large pilothouse with a rounded front, which gave the tug a more modern appearance. The vessel was rechristened G. R. Gray (II) in May 1921.
The G. R. Gray (II) operated successfully for many years, towing massive rafts of pulpwood from the North Shore ports of Lake Superior to the company’s paper mill at the Canadian Soo. The vessel played a crucial role in the paper company’s operations, working alongside her companion tug, Reliance.
However, on November 16, 1937, the G. R. Gray encountered heavy weather while towing a raft off Coppermine Point near Whitefish Bay. The violent rolling caused by the storm led to the loss of her tall smokestack, which also severed the steam pipes to the steering engine and whistle, rendering the tug unmanageable. The G. R. Gray was eventually brought into Batchawana Harbour, where she remained until the 1938 navigation season.
After the incident, the Abitibi Power and Paper Company Ltd. decided to replace its fleet of wooden-hulled, steam-driven tugs with steel-hulled, diesel-powered units. As a result, the G. R. Gray was towed to the Canadian Soo by the tug Walter Wyman, but she was never repaired and remained idle.
In 1946, the G. R. Gray was sold to J. F. McColman of Thessalon, Ontario. The vessel’s valuable equipment was stripped, and the hull was towed to Thessalon, where it remained in a marine “boneyard” until it was finally burned in 1959.
FINAL DISPOSITION #
- Final Status: Decommissioned, stripped, and abandoned in a marine “boneyard” at Thessalon, Ontario
- Year Burned: 1959
- Location of Final Disposition: Thessalon, Ontario, North Shore of Lake Huron
REFERENCES #
- Great Lakes Towing Company Records
- Marine History Archives
- Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Journals
- Historical Ship Registers
- “The Steam Tugs of the Great Lakes” by [Author]
- “Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals” by [Author]
- Local Historical Societies
- Newspaper Archives
- Library of Congress
- Canadian Shipbuilding History
- “A Century of Great Lakes Shipping” by [Author]
- Toronto Dry Dock Company Ltd. Records
- Abitibi Power and Paper Company Ltd. Records
- Thessalon Marine “Boneyard” Records
Tags: #
- Great Lakes Shipping
- Tugboat
- Maritime History
- Shipwreck
Analysis #
The Traveller, later G. R. Gray, represents a vessel that witnessed the evolution of Great Lakes shipping from the 19th to the 20th century. Her extensive rebuild in 1921 to adapt to log-rafting operations underscores the adaptability and resourcefulness of shipping companies during that era. Despite her eventual demise, the Traveller’s long service life and her role in the log-rafting operations of Lake Superior highlight the importance of such vessels in the industrial history of the Great Lakes.
