What is Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company?
The '''Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company''' operated at [[Port Arthur, Ontario|Port Arthur]], Ontario, now part of [[Thunder Bay]], on [[Lake Superior]] from its organization in October 1909 until its reorganization in November 1916 as the '''Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company'''.<ref>Port Arthur Daily News, October 14, 1909.</ref> It was probably a subsidiary of the Cleveland-based [[American Ship Building Company]]<ref>Port Arthur Daily News, October 5, 1914.</ref> until entrepreneur [[James Whalen (Canadian businessman)|James Whalen]] took control in 1916.<ref>Port Arthur News-Chronicle, November 7 & 11, 1916.</ref> Whalen was president from 1909–1916. Its dry dock and shops were located at Bare Point at the extreme eastern end of the Thunder Bay harbour. They were constructed in 1910. The first launching of a vessel was June 27, 1911, a scow or barge for the Great Lakes Dredging Company.<ref>Port Arthur Daily News, June 27, 1911.</ref> During the First World War, the company also produced shells and munitions for the [[Imperial Munitions Board]]. It also built Big Bull tractors in 1915.<ref>Port Arthur Daily News, May 20, Aug 14, 1915.</ref> ==Ships built by the company== * Hamiltonian (steel package freighter, 1912) * Calgarian (package freighter, 1913) * [[Noronic]] (passenger steamer, 1913) * Nasookin (passenger steamer, 1913) * Sicamous (passenger steamer, 1914) * W. Grant Morden (lake bulk carrier, 1914) * Blaamyra (ocean freighter, 1916) * Thorjerd (ocean freighter, 1916) ==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}} {{coord|48|27|11|N|89|10|45|W|type:landmark_region:CA-ON|display=title}} [[Category:1909 establishments in Canada]] [[Category:2014 disestablishments in Canada]] [[Category:Companies based in Ontario]] [[Category:Thunder Bay]]