Auke Visser's Other Esso Related Tankers Site | home
Sarnolite - (1916-1947)
See her as : Imperial Sarnia (2) - (1948-1986) & Imperial Hamilton - (1947-1963)
SARNOLITE operated on and off of the Great Lakes.
( Photo Earl D. Simzer Collection & courtesy George Ayoub )
The third consecutive sister ship tanker for Imperial Oil was christened SARNOLITE. She was launched September 27, 1916.
Like the others, this vessel was 258 feet (78.6 metres) long and could carry just over 20,000 barrels of petroleum products.
There were various duties assigned to SARNOLITE. In the early years she operated on the Gulf of Mexico to Halifax, Nova Scotia,
with stops included at Tampico, Mexico, and Cuba. She also sailed between Saint John, N.B., and New York, N.Y., and even Halifax
to France late in World War One. During the twenties and thirties, SARNOLITE was used as the fleet training ship.
SARNOLITE was in and out of the Great Lakes. She was often ordered to carry bunker oil and became known as "the dirty ship"
because of the nature of these cargoes.
Imperial renamed her IMPERIAL SARNIA in 1947 and IMPERIAL HAMILTON in 1948 when a new, and larger, IMPERIAL SARNIA was built.
The vessel received a new pilothouse at Port Dalhousie during the winter of 1951-52. This structure outlived the vessel and later
served as the Pilothouse Museum at Corunna, Ontario.
On September 4, 1961, IMPERIAL HAMILTON caught fire at Sarnia and was badly damaged. She was retired, sold, converted to a
barge and eventually used as a breakwater. In 1970 her remains were cut up for scrap.
"SARNOLITE"
(47) (b) IMPERIAL SARNIA (I)
(48), (c) IMPERIAL HAMILTON (134515).
Built 1916 Collingwood Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. 250 x 43.1 x 16.6. Gross 2060, net 1549.
Damaged by fire at Sarnia, Sept 4,1961. Retired 1962.
Converted to barge at Sarnia and lay idle at Windsor. Taken to Kewaunee, Wis., 1967,
for use as breakwater.
Owners:
l) Imperial Oil (1916- 62)
2) Earl's Welding Service, Sarnia (1962-67).
"Sarnolite".The Miramar Ship Index for "SARNOLITE"
IDNo:
|
1134515
|
Year:
|
1916
|
Name:
|
SARNOLITE
|
Keel:
|
|
Type:
|
Tanker
|
Launch Date:
|
27.09.1916
|
Flag:
|
CAN
|
Date of completion:
|
11.1916
|
DWT:
|
|
Yard No:
|
47
|
Length overall:
|
|
Ship Design:
|
|
LPP:
|
76.2
|
Country of build:
|
CAN
|
Beam:
|
13.1
|
Builder:
|
Collingwood SB Co.
|
Material of build:
|
|
Location of yard:
|
Collingwood
|
Number of screws/Mchy/ Speed(kn):
|
1T-8.5
|
|
|
Subsequent History:
1947 IMPERIAL SARNIA - 1948 IMPERIAL HAMILTON
Disposal Data:
Made into a barge 1962 & eventually scrapped in 1970.
History:
ON
|
LR/IMO
|
ID
|
Year
|
Name
|
Tons
|
Change
|
Registered Owner
|
134515
|
|
1134515
|
1916
|
SARNOLITE
|
2060
|
|
Imperial Oil
|
134515
|
|
1134515
|
1916
|
IMPERIAL SARNIA
|
2060
|
1947
|
Imperial Oil
|
134515
|
|
1134515
|
1916
|
IMPERIAL HAMILTON
|
2060
|
1948
|
Imperial Oil
|
Additional information :
Registry & Rig Information
|
|
Vessel Name:
|
SARNOLITE
|
Nationality
|
CANADA
|
Official Number:
|
134515
|
Rig:
|
Propeller
|
Dimensions & Tonnage
|
|||
Vessel Length:
|
250.00
|
Gross Tonnage:
|
2060.00
|
Vessel Width:
|
43.00
|
Net Tonnage:
|
0.00
|
Vessel Height
|
16.50
|
Hull Material:
|
Steel
|
Masts:
|
|
Hull Number:
|
00047
|
Builder Information
|
|
Place of Build:
|
Collingwood, Ontario
|
Builder:
|
Collingwood Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
|
Date of Build
|
1916
|
Name Changes
|
|||
Vessel Name:
|
Date:
|
Registry
|
Official #
|
IMPERIAL SARNIA
|
1947 - 1948
|
CANADA
|
134515
|
IMPERIAL HAMILTON
|
1948 - 1970
|
CANADA
|
134515
|
Ownership Changes
|
|||
Owner Name
|
Date
|
Registry
|
Official #
|
Imperial Oil, Ltd.
Sarnia, Ont. Canada
|
1916 - 1962
|
CANADA
|
134515
|
Earl R. McMurter
Sarnia, Ont. Canada
|
1962 - 1965
|
CANADA
|
134515
|
Medusa Portland Cement Co.
Charlevoix, MI U.S.
|
1965 - 1967
|
|
|
Bultema Dock & Dredge Co.
Muskegon, MI U.S.
|
1967 - 1970
|
|
|
Rebuild History
|
Dimension change, 1946 (250 x 43.16 x 16.58). Hull stripped by Earl's Welding Service, Sarnia, Ont., 1962; pilothouse removed to Courtright, Ont., as marine museum.
|
Disposition
|
Sunk as temporary breakwater, c.1968, at Palisades (South Haven), MI. Went to pieces in winter, 1969-1970; clamshelled out and scrapped in summer, 1970.
|
History
|
Stripped hull sold to Portland Medusa Cement Co. for proposed dock at Charlevoix, MI, in 1965, but was never used. Passed up at Detroit, October 13, 1967, in tow of tug MUSKEGON, bound for Lake Michigan. As IMPERIAL HAMILTON: Severely damaged in stern section by explosion, September 5, 1961, at dock, Sarnia, Ont. Five crewmen injured.
|