The Fishing Vessel Building Industry in Newfoundland:

A Report Presented to Dr. W. S. W. Nowak of M. U. N.

By: Ron Tobin

Canadian Fisheries Reports No. 12, June 1969.

Proceedings Conference on Fishing Vessels Construction Materials.

Montreal, Canada, October 1-3, 1968.

Sponsored by the Federal – Provincial Atlantic Fisheries Committee.

Newfoundland Situation – Wood vs. Steel

After listing the different types of material possible to use in ship construction, I think I can narrow it down to wood and steel in our Newfoundland shipbuilding. There are boats in the 50ft – 150ft. Range, which is made of wood in Newfoundland, but the emphasis, could be placed on steel. As I have now narrowed it down to the two main materials used in Newfoundland shipbuilding, I feel I should comment on both of these with most of my emphasis on steel. This does not men that I am neglecting wood as a building material in larger ships in Newfoundland, but most of the larger ships are built of steel; and through information that I have accumulated about steel shipbuilding and later discussion on wood and steel, I hope to make my paper a knowledgeable one concerning steel as a material used in Newfoundland with wood as competition.

Canadian Fisheries Report No. 12, June 1969.

Proceedings Conference on Fishing Vessels.

Construction Material - Sponsored by the Federal-Provincial Atlantic Fisheries

Committee

When you compare building costs in other countries, it seems that Canadian-built wooden vessels compete favorably with steel vessels built elsewhere. This is in contrast to the relatively high costs for larger steel vessels built in Canada.

Something to note is that the hull cost is low when there is a choice of building materials, but high when steel is the only possible material.

Something to Think About

Why not consider a fishing vessel with a wooden bow for ease of construction, lead plating under the machinery and lead engine bulkheads to suppress engine noise, steel plating in the midship section for ease of construction, and in the stern, for best water flow to the propeller, aluminum top sides for stability, steel deck for ease of welding, and aluminum for the superstructure, again to ensure stability? This new thinking could extend equipment also. Various types of rubber containers could be used for holding water, fuel and catches. Perhaps even inflatable fish-holds could be constructed. They could be shipped or towed home as soon as full and new ones created by inflation.

Steel

Since the days of the first steel hull, the quality of steel has greatly improved. The improvements consist mainly of increased strength and toughness, improved weld ability, and formability, and increased structural reliability. The most important developments for improving steel have been changing its chemical composition by alloying, heat treatment, and improved manufacturing techniques, vacuum melting and degassing. Of course, work hardening (cold rolling and extrusion) is also important. Other special processing techniques are expected to play an important role in further improving steels.

During the last one hundred years, the maximum useable yield strength has been increased tenfold from 30, 000 lb. /in.2 (30 KSL) to 300 KSL (300, 000 lb. /in.2). Today, yield strengths above 225 KSL can be obtained in over one hundred steels.

“High strength” steels start around 42 KSL yield strength. High strength low alloy (HSLA) steels range from 42 KSL to 80 KSL. Quenched and tempered “Extra High Strength” steels have yield strengths from 80 KSL to 160 KSL. Any steel with a yield strength above 160 KSL is considered an “ultra high strength” steel.

It has long been a common practice to use special high strength steels for the more highly stressed members of larger or vary weight sensitive ships. Recently, the HSLA steels have become the most serious competitors for the conventional plain carbon steels. (See ASTM 4-572 and similar grades). 50 KSL yield strength steel was used in the construction of nuclear submarines. It is confidently expected that there will be enormous increases in the use of “extra” and “ultra” high strength steels up to 500 KSL strengths with associated reductions in relative cost. Recent developments of quenched and tempered steels in the vicinity of 150 KSL strength and the evaluation of suitable welding techniques have made such materials attractive for structures of submarine and aircraft carriers.

Assuming that the displacement ship, which is only moderately weight sensitive, will continue to play its dominant role, it is predicted that steel will remain the most commonly used (large) ship hull material. It is further predicted that in five years, high strength steels will be used to a larger extent than mild steel for ship construction.

The society has in the past endeavored to provide ready-use information to the shipbuilding industry, and the Guide for the Selection of High Strength and Alloy Steels, (T. and R. Bulletin No. 2-11), was published in 1964. It has since been used extensively as a valuable reference work, and has now been reprinted this year. Task group HS-6-2 are working on a new edition of this guide to bring it up to date, and also to add new chapters on the following types of steel: fracture tough, low temperature and cryogenic, abrasion, for use at high temperatures, and corrosion resistant. The guide in its present form gives chemical compositions, mechanical properties, cost factors, and well as information on selection. There is an extensive bibliography.

Corrosion is of course still a problem with steel hulls, although in recent years, great improvements have been made in paints and various surface coatings. The steel task group is engaged on a six year corrosion investigation program, where the aim is to evaluate the long term corrosion resistance in a marine environment of a number of the normal corrosion allowance may be reduced for some or all of the steels tested.

Steel samples 4” by 6” X 1/8” drilled and welded in a standard way with a standard sandblast finish, are to be mounted on test racks, each with 20 or 30 samples. Test racks of the various steels will be installed on board various types of ships, on drill rigs, etc. Council tests will be made simultaneously at the INCO Kure Beach Test Site. Results will be based on evaluation of test racks exposed one, three, and six years. INCO will carry out the evaluation work according to their normal procedures. S. N. A. M. E, INCO, ABS, and various steel companies are directly involved in this program. Due to its wide scope, it is expected to receive financial support from some fifteen types of agencies.

Evaluation of the specimens will be conducted on the following basis”

1. Test environment

2. Corrosion rate in mls. /yr. determined by weight loss.

3. Type of corrosion product, i.e., color, thickness, and tenacity.

4. Frequency and depth of pitting.

5. Assessment of foreign material build-up and susceptibility to crevice corrosion.

6. Corrosion character of weldment with respect to base plate.

7. Unusual observations.

This will be carried out over this period, and results will be tabulated.

Increase in Number of Steel Fishing Vessels
A General View of Construction Materials of Fishing Vessels in Japan

By – Seitaro R. Kojima,

Chief of Fishing Boat Section,

Fisheries Agencies of Japan, Tokyo

It is not necessary to say that steel is an excellent construction material inherent in the material.

The loss from fire in wooden hulls is usually total.

A third factor to consider is those losses from structural weakness – foundering, stranding, etc. , are comparable to those from fire.

It is at this point, and for the reason of cost that concrete may be adopted for the small boat field. However, it cannot yet be claimed that a trend to that material is evident at this time in this country.

The broad trend in the use of materials in the Canadian situation may be summarized thus:

General:

- Large trawlers steel built, newer materials used internally and in

Superstructures

- Medium draggers mostly wood, but tendency to steel construction with

development of new fishing methods.

- Small boats mostly wood, but on verge of commencement of plastic and/ or

metal hull production.

A general observation is that in the two larger vessel categories, there has

been a trend away from the traditional, and to the unusual in material, as well as design

Newfoundland

In looking at the Newfoundland Situation, the only two places which built the size of ships I am interested in, in Newfoundland, are E. F. Barnes Co. and the Marystown Shipyard. E. F. Barnes has stopped building these ships now, since the past four years, so my central point of shipbuilding in Newfoundland is Marystown Shipyard.

Most of the larger ships which are built in Newfoundland today are built of steel, with that certain range, where it would not matter if you used steel or wood. I believe it is called the economic range of materials.

Looking back a few decades, we can look at the first steel ships built in Newfoundland by E. F. Barnes. The information I received was from verbal communication with Mr. Leslie Hellier of E. F. Barnes Ltd.

Marystown

The names of the vessels which were built at Marystown were:

1. Atlantic Margaret

2. Atlantic Carol

3. Cape Verde

4. Cape Borde

These were all 150-foot stern trawlers.

The first two were equipped for bottom sea trawling only, while the second two were equipped for bottom trawling and midwater trawling. The first two would use a dragging net, which was about twelve (12) inches from the floor of the sea, while the sea, while the next two would use a net, which could be used for both inshore, fishing and deep sea fishing.

Now that I have given some minor information concerning E. F. Barnes and Marystown, I would like to continue on taking E. F. Barnes Marystown and discussing each one of these individually.

E. F. Barnes

In Newfoundland today-wood is used mostly in small boats and long liners.

E. F. Barnes – Before 1950’s

A. This company, which is situated in St. John’s has built a number of steel ships. They first built 2-3 small boats, about 25 feet long, which were used in St. John’s Harbour.

B. E. F. Barnes built about five steel boats, about 25 feet long, for Price Newfoundland Company. These boats were used by Price Co. in the rivers and lakes around their company. They were used in fresh water.

C. Then 2-3 25-foot boats were built for Chimo Ships. Then a 30-foot boat was built; this was actually a tunnel boat, which could travel over sand bars.

Around the 1950’s

E. F. Barnes built four boats in the 1950’s:

1. Bonaflesh – This boat was 50 feet long, and it was used as a pilot boat on Bell Island.

2. Banareng – This was a 50-foot long liner, which was used in St. John’s. It was later tied up in Trinity Bay, and it got iced up on one side, and tipped over. It was later used by Babb Construction in Harbour Grace, which it was built for.

3. Seni-Barno – This was a 50-foot long boat. It was used for different things along the coast. This boat was later lost along the coast of Cape Race; and unfortunately, three people died also with a tragic event tied into the loss of the ship.

4. Bamasteer – This was the fourth and final boat built by E. F. Barnes Ltd., and it was between 50 and 55 feet. Mr. Barnes mostly used this as a pleasure boat, but he later gave it to the Grenfell Association, who later sold it to a Dr. Lawson of Montreal.

Finally, E. F. Barnes built four boats around the time just before Marystown Shipyard opened in 1968. The period of building for these four boats was from early 1962 to August month in 1967, when the fourth boat was finished.

1. The first on which was started in 1962 was called Cobs Arm. It was 80 feet long.

2. The second boat which was built by E. F. Barnes in 1962 was named Pike’s Arm. This boat was used for hauling limes down in Notre Dame Bay.

3. The William Dawe, the third boat built in this period was 121 feet long and it was a general cargo boat.

4. The fourth and final boat built in this period from 1062-1967, and which was finished in August of 1967, was called the Stratacona. It was 90 feet long and it was used as a hospital ship for the Grenfell Association of Northern Newfoundland and Labrador.

All the boats which I have mentioned were built by E. F. Barnes and were all built of steel.

Concrete

As a matter of information, there is a man who is presently in St. John’s who is an Australian. He is building a concrete boat in his spare time and it is small deck boat. He is building it on the site in St. John’s where E. F. Barnes built some of their boats in the East End of St. John’s.

MARYSTOWN

The following articles are taken from the Evening Telegram Library on Industries. The articles may not appear in full; and pictures have to be left out, but notes taking on the articles have resulted in the following information.

Marystown

The $6,000,000 fish plant, a shipyard costing twice that amount, the building of draggers, wharves and other associated projects are expected to run up to a total of close to $30,000,000. Initial work in the overall development started last July.

Shipyard

The shipyard buildings give the impression of large swimming pools or community stadiums. Work manger on this project is Kenneth M. Clarke while T. J. V. Colton is head of production. Both are from the United Kingdom.

The operation is owned by the Newfoundland Marine Works Ltd., which is part of Canadian Vickers Shipyards Ltd. Of Lauzon Quebec, whose parent company is located in London, England.

In the building one gets a feeling of being lost in a large vacuum. One building is 380 ft long, 120 ft wide and 70 ft high. The other is 400 ft long, 80 ft wide and 60 ft high. Equipped to handle vessels up to 250 ft long, the shipyard can build, repair or overhaul several at a time, depending on size.

An outstanding feature of the is giant magnetic cranes and other equipment attached to the machine shop, which has already started work on the construction of a dragger, one of four to be built for the Mooring Cove Fish Plant.

Mr. Clarke, who transferred from Lauzon, Que., where he was employed with George P. Davis, said some of the key personnel for the operation had already been recruited at shipyards in England. Up to the latter part of April, twenty four families had arrived, taking up residence in the new Marystown subdivision.

One thing favoring Newfoundlanders in gaining employment in the highly skilled operation, he said, was the fact that they are “ship-minded”. A number of students have been recruited from the Vocational Training School at Salt Pond, Burin, and he considered them to be “Very Keen”.

Mr. Clarke thought that by the first of next year some 350 people will be finding employment at the shipyards. And this number will be increased to about 750 within three years.

Marystown offers an attractive site for a community, being situated on the shores of scenic Mortier Bay, which is free from ice all year around.

Mr. Clarke, who was delighted with the appearance and geographical arrangement of Mortier Bay, strongly suggested that Marystown be promoted as a free or trans-shipment port. Since new industry is being established, other activity can also be encouraged, he maintained. This and more add to great possibilities for Marystown.

Mr. E. P. Reddy, who was then Mayor of Marystown, and president of the First Burin Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, said that one desperate need is for new housing. Mr. Martin, the fish plant manger, had complained that the lack of it was interfering with the training of personnel. He said that staff could be brought in from nearby outports, but there was nowhere for them to stay.

Mayor Reddy sees another desperate need for a paved road to the peninsula.

Everyone contacted saw community problems; but accepting them as part of the sudden growing pains, they were confident that they would be overcome.

A History of Marystown – March 11, 1966 – Industrial Development.

All the premises of the old Marystown Shipyards have been demolished. It is not expected that any construction will get underway, at least for another month, when excavation work gets more advanced.

The Brakes Cove site at Marystown, where a small shipyard is now located, will emerge as a large steel shipyard, a marine slipway, and repair shops, said Mr. Canning, Liberal Member for the District.

“A complex as modern as any of its kind in Canada,” remarked the Liberal Member. Mr. Canning predicted it will be the busiest yard and slipway in eastern Canada.

He also forecast that by February, 1967, five large stern trawlers, carrying fifteen crew members each, will be sailing to the Grand Banks from Marystown.

These trawlers will be of the latest design, resulting in an easier, safer, and more profitable life for our fishermen, he said.

Within a year from sailing, these boats will be joined by five more, a fleet to be built at Marystown.

All in all, it will be large operation, making a great impact on the economy of Placentia Bay, Mr. Canning said.

Shipyard Backing Approved

The government at Ottawa will pay $1,600,000 towards development of port facilities at Marystown, Placentia Bay; the Commons was informed on Monday. 0

The $10,000,000 shipyard is being built by George T. Davies shipbuilding firm of Lauzon, Quebec. The Newfoundland Government has guaranteed a $7,000,000 loan towards the cost.

The Premier said that the shipyard can be expected to build at least one $1,000,000 fishing vessel a year. He also said that the loan made by the Government was to provide encouragement for the project in the form of Government participation.

Premier Smallwood said that in the next ten years, the shipyards will turn out at least $60,000,000 worth of vessels, mainly fishing draggers.

September 7, 1965

A $2,000,000 marine haul-out and modern trawler repair facilities are to be built at Marystown, Placentia Bay, Transport Minister J. W. Pickersgill announced Friday.

The federal Department of Transport will finance construction of a 1,000-ton haul-out at a cost of about $1,000,000, and at the request of Newfoundland Government, the Federal Government has also approved expenditure of $ 825,000 from the Atlantic Development Fund towards the cost of the associated repair facilities, said Mr. Pickersgill. The project was recommended by the Atlantic Development Board.

The Provincial contribution towards this phase will be $275,000.

Mr. Pickersgill said that the Marine haul-out and repair yard was necessary to cope with the growing number of trawlers in the province, which have made facilities Clarenville and Lewisporte inadequate.

April 6, 1967

COMMENT BY PREMIER SMALLWOOD

If fishing firms here are not prepared to treat the Marystown Shipyard preferentially with regard to the building of ships, “they will be wasting their time coming near this Government (for help or co-operation) as long as I am here.”

Opening Set For August 28 August 4, 1967

The $3,000,000 Shipyard at Marystown on the Burin Peninsula, capable of building twelve steel ships a year, will be officially opened on August 28 by Premier J. R. Smallwood

Some of the ships to be built at the shipyard will cost as much as $1,000,000, to fully equip with modern gears, Premier Smallwood disclosed.

August 25, 1967

The shipyard is being operated on behalf of the Newfoundland Government by Newfoundland Marine Works Limited, a company in which shares are owned by Canadian Vickers Shipyards Limited, and by owners of local off-shore fishing vessels.

The shipyard will be capable of building and repairing ships, and also undertaking heavy industrial engineering. Each year, it will be capable of building ten to twelve trawlers, with a length o f175 feet or coastal freighters, up to 250 feet in length.

To offset periodic shortages of shipbuilding work, the yard is fitted with machinery to fabricate commercial and industrial work, such as pentstack for hydro development, pylons for transmission lines, tanks and pressure vessels.

The $14,000,000 shipyard at Marystown, officially opened August 28 by Premier Smallwood, forecasts unprecedented growth and prosperity for that Burin Peninsulas town. Even today, Marystown, with 4,000 residents, has no unemployment.

Facilities tend to rate as the number one problem.

December 5, 1967

A federal inquiry has proposed that working hours in the Newfoundland shipping industry be brought into line with the 40-hour week. Provisions of the Federal Labor Code by January 1, 1974.

Judge Charles J. A. Hughes of Fredricton suggested the 40-hour week, with maximum eight hours overtime, at time and one-half rates, be achieved in stages. He found that ship crews now are working between 56 and 84 hours a week.

This recommendation must go to the Cabinet for a final decision.

December 7, 1967

GOVERNMENT OKAYS PAY, WORK HOURS

The federal Government has accepted in full the recommendations of the Hughes inquiry for bringing the Newfoundland Shipping Industry into line with provisions of the Federal Labor Code by the start of 1974.

Over the next six years, the standards will be increased in five steps, until the industry, by the start of 1974, is fully under the code’s standard of a 40-hour week, plus eight hours overtime, averaged over two weeks or more.

December 18, 1967

Newfoundland’s first co-operative ship building yard has been organized on Fogo Island.

Objective of the organization is to provide the fishermen of Fogo Island with larger longer liner boats, so as to give them the opportunity of obtaining a greater return for the time and money spent in fishing.

Construction will begin in late January, on the first vessels to be built under co-operative program.

December 21, 1967

Mr. Martin, Manager of Newfoundland Shipyards Limited at Clarenville claims that Backyard boat builders hurt local Shipyards.

Mr. Martin said shipbuilding in Newfoundland is a “heritage” that is fast disappearing. These yards primarily depended on boats engaged in the coastal trade, which has almost gone.

August 9, 1968

The Marystown Shipyard is short of skilled tradesmen, especially ship platers, and welders with shipyard experience. There are sufficient tradesmen’s helpers.

The $14,000,000 Newfoundland Marine Works Limited Shipyard in Marystown employs approximately 330 persons at present, but a spokesman predicted that the figure would rise to 500 when the shipyard’s peak workforce is reached. The shipyard was officially opened last August, and the ship repair section went into operation in January of this year. The spokesman said that the dock has had a steady flow of repair work, although it could handle additional work. Two steel stern draggers for the Atlantic Fish Processors Company, Marystown, are under construction at the shipyard.

January 8, 1968

Newfoundland Marine Works Limited, operators of the shipbuilding and repairs yard here in Marystown, have been recruiting skilled workers from across Canada, and the first employees are due to arrive soon.

May 2, 1969

The future of shipbuilding in Canada at present looks very grim. At least four shipyards have been forced to close down during the past year, and all shipyards across the country are finding it extremely tough.

The main reason for the shipbuilding crisis is due to the fact that foreign shipbuilders can build vessels much cheaper than their Canadian counterparts.

The cost for labor to build a steel boat is on a ratio of three to one compared with cost of material. In other words, if a steel dragger costs $900,000 to build, two-thirds of that cost, or $600,000, will be for labor. Labor rates in the shipbuilding industry in Canada are three times as high as in the United Kingdom, and the spread is even wider when Canadian rates are compared to other European countries. So a steel dragger, which costs $900,000 to build in Canada, would cost only $500,000 to build in the United Kingdom.

In 1961, a Federal shipbuilding subsidy went into effect, which made it possible for Canadian yards to complete for the Canadian boats which were to be built. However, this subsidy has since been greatly reduced, and at the same time, the previous exemption from customs duties on a variety of imported parts used in shipbuilding has been removed.

Because of the crisis in the fishing industry in the Atlantic Provinces, very few steel draggers have been built during the past year, and this has also had a sizeable effect on shipbuilding in Canada.

Although the future of the shipyard in this Burin Peninsula town may not look as bright as it did when it was opened two years ago, it is still in an enviable position when compared to many of the other yards in Canada.

The location of the yard is a big factor that it has going for it. There are at least fifty steel draggers owned by fishing companies around the Burin Peninsula and South Coast, and these vessels are going to need dry-docking regularly. In addition, Marystown is situated close to the traffic lanes of the Atlantic, and this should bring business this way when foreign boats are in need of repairs.

A year ago, there were more than 300 people employed in the Marystown Shipyard. Today, the workforce is less than half that number.

The Newfoundland Marine Works Shipyard is modern and well-equipped. Former manager, Les Coward, described it as “the best equipped shipyard un Canada.”

The Marystown Town Council recently expressed faith in the shipyard, and the Marystown-Burin Board of Trades stated that “it has taken steps to insure that the shipyard is offered every opportunity to tender on Federal Government repair, conversion, and refit contracts.”

Maybe it was only a coincidence, but just a few days ago, the shipyard announced that it has been awarded three Federal Government refit contracts.

No one is able to say what the future holds for the Marystown Shipyard, as far as shipbuilding is concerned; but from a repair end of that business, the yard should be in a position to get its share.

On June 12, 1970, T. Alex Hickman (P. C. Burin) said that the yard at Marystown has a first-class reputation for being a repair yard, but it is not achieving the purpose for which it was originally constructed – to build ships.

Some 27 deep-sea stern draggers – some new and other replacements – will be needed during the next five years by operators of fresh frozen fish plants, said Mr. Hickman. The draggers cost in excess of $1,000,000 each, are beyond the reach of frozen fish plants operators.

He suggested that a 25% Provincial shipbuilding subsidy could be added to the 35% Federal subsidy, to allow the Marystown yard to build stern draggers that will be needed by the trade, or that the Marystown yard could construct draggers and let the plants pay for them by means of a higher purchase arrangement over a number of years.

Two Newfoundland shipyards have been awarded contacts by the Federal Department of Supply and Services.

1. Canadian National’s Newfoundland dockyard in St. John’s has been awarded a

$53,571 contract for maintenance and repairs to the Canadian Coast Guard Ships:

- Walter E. Foster and John Cabot.

2. Newfoundland Marine Works Limited at Marystown has been awarded a $23,779

Contact for maintenance and repairs to the Coast Guard Ship, Tupper.

February 10, 1971

Engineering work is under way at the Marystown Shipyard, and construction of two 149-foot stern trawlers for National Sea Products Limited of Halifax, should begin in a couple of months, according to Ken Clarke, yard manager.

National Sea Products is adding six vessels, at a cost of almost $10,000,000 to its fleet in 1972.

February 18, 1971

Every preference was given to placing the order for construction of four tugs for the Newfoundland Refining Company operation at Come By Chance, with the Marystown Shipyard, says Company President Homer White; but the company could not afford to “pay the high price for the service that would have been required, had the tugs been built at Marystown,”

He was referring to recent criticism from the P. C. Party, to the awarding of contracts for the tug construction to a United Kingdom firm.

Government has to make expenditures in connection with the Marystown Shipyard in the past fiscal years.

They included $2,600 for land, $50 for equipment, for a total of $2, 650 in the fiscal year 1969-70, and $8,500 for land and $8,264 for insurance, for a total of $16, 764 in the fiscal year 1970-71. The deficit of the shipyard for 1970, as of last November 30, was $405,366, and this was paid for by the Government.

The Government has received no payments from the shipyard to be applied against the Government investment.

July 26, 1971

Israeli businessmen have formed a Newfoundland Company, and will sign an agreement this week with the Provincial Government to take over the management of the Marystown Shipyard.

John Ranie, who worked for Upper Clyde Shipyard of Scotland, and who has been described as one of the greatest shipbuilders in the world, by Premier Smallwood, will be manger of the yard.

September 9, 1971

Fisheries Products Limited is having three stern trawlers built in Norway because it is cheaper, and delivery can be made much more quickly.

The ships which will cost about $3.5 million in Norway are much cheaper than any which could be provided in Canada. Even with the Federal subsides and other incentives, which could be applied, any ships built at Marystown would still be more expensive than ships purchased from Norway, where there are no subsidies or other incentives.

Mr. Monroe said he felt the facts were “pretty good reasons” to order the ships from Norway, as they are “desperately needed”, to keep the Catalina Plant in operation.

October 6, 1971

The 513-ton Nova Scotian scallop dragger, Gulf Grenadier, is in Marystown having engine repairs made. It is a 120-foot dragger.

October 1971

Construction of two 650-ton fishing trawlers should begin at the Marystown Shipyard by the middle of this month, says yard manger Ken Clarke. The trawlers, each 149 feet long, are being built for National Sea Products Limited of Halifax, N. S., purchasers of the defunct Ross-Steers fish plant on the Southside of St. John’s Harbour.

Construction steel for the trawlers arrived at Marystown on October 4.

Mr. Clarke said that the trawlers should be ready for delivery to their owners in late December, 1972, or early January 1973.

Shipbuilders Oppose Expansion at Marystown Shipyard – August 31, 1971

Louis Rochette, president of the Canadian Shipbuilding and Ship Repairing Association, says that the industry is “unalterably opposed” to the proposed new $50,000,000 to $60,000,000 shipyard at Marystown.

Mr. Rochette, who was quoted in an article on the shipyard in the August 26th edition of the Toronto Globe and Mail, business section, Report on Business, said the new yard will be competing with the established industry for Federal funds, and will be “a continuous drain” on the industry.

The Federal Government is being asked to provide half of the estimated $60,000,000 cost of expanding the Marystown Shipyard.

The Premier said the expand yard would be capable of building ships up to 230,000 tons, and would employ more than 2,000 persons.

August 24, 1971

The Newfoundland Government has turned the operation of the Marystown Shipyard over to an international financial syndicate in the first of a series of moves which is expected to result in a new $50,000,000 to $60,000,000 Shipyard being started in the area by the end of 1971.

The Shipyard will be managed by new company, Gander Shipping Enterprises Ltd., which is wholly owned by the syndicate headed by Panmaritime Limited of Zurich. Switzerland.

November 13, 1971

Premier Smallwood has announced new business for the Marystown Shipyard that will double the work force to about 440 workers within the next year, and guarantee full employment until at least 1977.

The Premier told a press conference that Algad Fisheries Limited has signed a contract for six new trawlers in addition to two others already on order, and has optioned for eight more.

Mr. Smallwood also said that the trawlers valued at about $2.5 million each, will mean about $50,000,000 worth of business for the yard.

August 28, 1972

Economic Development Minister Val Earle has termed his talks in Israel about the future of the Marystown Shipyards “very successful.”

November 3, 1972

Two 154-foot steel trawlers being built for the National Sea Products fish plant at St. John’s will be christened here today.

November 4, 1972

Panmaritime Limited withdraws from Marystown Shipyard.

Economic Development Minister Val Earle stated that a crown corporation will manage the yard while the Provincial Government is negotiating with another company to take over management electives. The negotiations are expected to go on for some time.

December 9, 1972

Marystown Shipyard Work Wins Praise from Experts.

The work presently being done at the Marystown Shipyard on the Burin Peninsula show the complete story, but they do give some indication of why wood and steel have served us so well.

5. Shipyards equipped to build in steel can easily diversify into other steel

consuming industries, to cover the inevitable slumps that shipbuilding has, and will occasionally suffer.

6. Steel is readily available, and is easily repairable, even in fairly remote areas.

Steel as a Shipbuilding Material
Why Steel?

By far the greatest percentage of the world’s tonnage is built using steel as a construction material. We should, therefore, consider the advantage and disadvantages or this material before looking at its specific physical properties.

Steel has a high strength to weight ratio, compared to other possible alternatives. This enables a thin skin to be used in conjunction with small section stiffeners, thus giving a high internal capacity for any particular set of overall dimensions.

Steel is relatively cheap. Comparison with other materials shows that steel is superior to all materials, except wood, when viewed from a strength/weight/cost basis.

Wood, however, has very definite limitations regarding the size of vessel which can be constructed in the material, and is rapidly becoming more expensive and difficult to obtain in shipbuilding quality.

Steel has known and readily reproducible properties. It is possible therefore, to design structures which are not excessively overweight to compensate for possible flaws.

Steel ships are relatively easy to repair, using commonly available tools and skills.

Other advantages are that it is possible to achieve a 100% W. T. skin; there is little or no fire risk: and the material is resistant to abrasion from ice or attack by rot and borers.

The principal disadvantages are that steel is prone to corrosion and requires regular maintenance. Effective coating systems have now been developed, using epoxy materials, but these require controlled conditions for application, and are very expensive.

Working Conditions the Material Must Withstand

The materials which comprise a ship’s hull are subject to continuous, reversing, and shock loadings of various magnitudes, and from many different sources.

Continuous loadings are imposed by the structure carrying its cargo, by supporting machinery, by resisting hydrostatic pressure of the water in which the vessel is floating, or by supporting a head of liquid such as fuel oil in a tank.

Reversing loadings are imposed on the structure due to hogging and sagging as the ship passes through a seaway or by panting and pounding as the vessel pitches and the stem is first deeply immersed, and then fully emerged.

Shock loadings arise, through cargo landing on a deck, fouled fishing gear, sudden application of loads to deck machinery, ice-breaking, towing loads, or other sources stemming from the service in which the vessel is engaged.

In addition to the tensile and compressive stresses induced by the above causes, the ship is subject to twisting and racking; these are caused by a combination of oscillatory motions of roll, pitch and yaw.

Ship structures may also be required to function under conditions of extreme heat or cold, to resist abrasion, and corrosion from liquids and gases. I can be seen, therefore, that whatever material is selected for ship construction must be very versatile; and at the present time, steel satisfies the requirements of the service more fully than all other alternatives so far as the larger commercial vessels are concerned.

Assistance Available to Fishermen in Newfoundland – Complied by S. Wells.

Issued by the Extension Service,

Memorial University of Newfoundland

October, 1967

Construction Techniques –

Moderator –

Eugene M. Gorman,

Deputy Minister of Fisheries,

Prince Edward Island.

Construction Techniques of Steel Fishing Vessels – By Mike Waters,

Assistant Naval Architect and Technical Project Co-Coordinator, Marine Industries Limited, Sorel, Quebec.

Article on Small Shipyard, Trinity, Trinity Bay
Article – June 18, 1971 – Evening Telegram

Trinity, Trinity Bay, once one of the major shipbuilding communities in Newfoundland, is witnessing a resurgence of the shipbuilding industry.

On June 9th of this year, two (2) 58-foot long liners were launched at Henry Vokey’s Shipyard, and are being completed for their owners – Captain Matthew Whelan of St. John’s, and William Short of Harbour Grace.

The keels for these vessels were laid in July 1970. Another 45-foot long liner is almost completed, and the yard is standing to build three (3) more 50-footers.

Mr. Vokey said that within the next few months, a total of six long liners will be under construction at his shipyard.

The Trinity Shipyard is the biggest single industry in the community. It employs fourteen men, including Mr. Vokey and his father.

Workmen at the yard skillfully fashion and shape the frames of the vessel, cut from local wood.

The planking and other wooden material for the vessels are sawn up at the sawmill at the shipyard.

However, there is one break here with traditional methods of building ships in Newfoundland. The wood, apart from that used for the frames, is imported from the Mainland.

Iron work for the vessels built at Mr. Vokey’s shipyard is turned out by the local blacksmith, Cyril Hiscock.

Another long liner is also under construction at Trinity. The vessel is being built by Samuel Vokey, Vokey, and Henry Vokey’s brother.

This article appeared in the Evening Telegram in June of 1971; and when reading it, I wondered that if shipyards were set up across Newfoundland communities and properly managed, this would contribute a great deal to shipbuilding in Newfoundland. Shipbuilding could grow and become an economic income for Newfoundland. Then maybe the bigger shipyard’s which we would hope to have set up could work on building larger, more modern ships, and also repairing them. Right now, in Newfoundland, a big ship is considered to be from 60 feet to 130 feet. You never know what the possibilities are unless you become involved in the industry.

In reading this article, I thought about the effect small shipyards could have on larger shipyards. Some of the work load which would certainly increase as the shipbuilding industry increased could be handled by these smaller yards; and by these smaller yards increasing and becoming more efficient, the larger ones would certainly be affected. Marystown is set up to handle the whole situation.

In one article about a few years appeared in the Evening Telegram, a man in an executive position stated that there were no skilled tradesmen in Newfoundland, and Newfoundlanders were Jack-of-all-trades. The workers were offended and threatened to strike, but things were restored to order, and an example of how shipbuilding industries could be affected.

The Wrackers of Newfoundland – By Bartley Higgins

From MacLean’s / January 1973

Shipwreck Stripping as a Dying Art

Wracking is a Newfoundland outport tradition of the finest variety. Like the rumrunners of Harbour Breton and the flour smugglers of St. Barbe, the wrackers who live along the Strait of Belle Isle practice a craft that is historic, exciting, profitable, and occasionally outside the law.

In years gone by, wrackers were out and out criminals, who lured unsuspecting vessels onto the rocks, where they could be plundered at leisure. The early inhabitants of Cape Bauld and Cape Norman were noted for their tendency to set inviting false beacons on stormy nights, or when visibility at sea was poor.

Now, of course, times have changed, and wracking has come to mean the art of stripping an already wrecked ship. No one sets false beacons anymore. But ships do occasionally run ashore by mistake, especially in confined waters like the Strait. And once aground, she’s fair game for everyone, whether or not her owners have officially given her up or not.

For all its color tradition, wracking is on the way out. There just haven’t been as many shipwrecks as there used to be. An occasional fishing boat drives ashore these days, and sealing vessels caught in the ice are still fair game, but that’s about it. No big freighters have been wrecked in the Strait of Belle Isle for more than fifteen years. Old John Macey, before his death, blamed it on technology. “Those bejeezers inventions,” he grumbled, talking about such things as radar and depth sounders.

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