Verendrye

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Verendrye

T2-SE-A1

"Verendrye".

"Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye".

"Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye".

( Photo Copyright Reserved )

"Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye".

"Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye".

"Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye".

( Photo copyright MPVB, Sydney )

"Northern Venture" ex. "Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye" after reconstruction.

"Northern Venture" ex. "Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye".

( Photo Copyright Marc Piche )

"Northern Venture" ex. "Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye".

"Northern Venture" ex. "Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye".

"Northern Venture" ex. "Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye".

"Canadian Explorer" ex. "Northern Venture" ex. "Edenfield" ex. "Verendrye" after the

second reconstruction.

VERENDYE, T2-SE-A1

History :

Built by The Kaiser Co., Swan Island Yard, Portland, Oregon.

Yardnumber 80. UMSC No. 1937. Off. nr. 246224.

Keel laid 06-06-1944. Launched 15-07-1944. Completed 14-08-1944. Gr. 10448 t., Net. 6285 t., Dw. 16613 t. L.o.a. 159,57 m., Br. 20,78 m., Dr. 8,99 m. Engine: 2 steam turbines, manufactured by General Electric Company, Lynn, Massachussetts. 7240 B.h.p., 5401 kW. Speed 15 knots. 26 Tanks.

History:

VERENDRYE-1944 completed for United States War Shipping Administration, Portland, Oregon, USA.

EDENFIELD-1947 for Northern petroleum Tank Steamship Company, Newcastle, Great Britain.

EDENFIELD-1949 for Hunting SS Company Ltd., Newcastle, Great Britain.

EDENFIELD-1950 for Eden Tankers Ltd., Newcastle, Great Britain.

NORTHERN VENTURE-1959 for Northern Shipping Corp., Monrovia, Liberia.

NORTHERN VENTURE-1961 for Northern Shipping (Bahamas) Ltd., Toronto, Canada.

NORTHERN VENTURE-19599 for Upper lakes Shipping Ltd., Toronto, Canada.

Additional Reports:

Reported Northern Venture lengthened, widened and converted into self unloading bulk carrier in 1960 by replacement of bow and cargo section with new forebody built by Schlieker Werft, Hamburg, delivered Jul. 1963.

New dimensions, 6 Holds, 20 Hatches: 20 x 4,4 x 17.9 m., Grain 32483 m3.222,6 / 217,2 x 23,0 m, 16628 grt / 24711 dwt.

Reported Northern Venture sold to shipbreakers in Canada. Arrived breakers yard 1983 to be broken up. Forepart joined to ms CABOT (1965).

The Northern Venture was, in fact, the product of being combined with the stern of another vessel. This other vessel was the 1944 “T2-SE-A1” class tanker a) Verendrye built for the U. S. Maritime Commission. (Classification definition T2: tanker, length 500’ - 599’; SE: steam turbine engine; A1: particular class identification) The Verendrye was built as hull #80 by Kaiser Co. Inc., Portland, OR (Swan Island yard) at an approximate cost of $3 million and was one of 147 such tankers constructed at this yard and one of 481 of this type of tanker built at different yards across America for the World War II effort.

Launched July 15, 1944, the vessel’s overall dimensions were: 523’06” (159.56m) loa x 68’02” (20.78m) beam x 39’02” (11.94m ) depth, with a carrying capacity of 16,600 tons (16.87m). Power was provided by a 7,240 s.h.p General Electric steam turbine driving an electric generator/motor with 6,000 s.h.p. output to a single screw propeller with the steam provided by 2 oil fired Combustion Engineering water tube boilers.

After launch, the Verendrye was operated by Los Angeles Tanker Operators Inc., Los Angeles, CA and was chartered to the Canadian government for war service. In 1946, the vessel was chartered to American Pacific Steamship Co., Portland, OR. The year 1947 saw the tanker being sold to Eden Tankers Inc. (managed by Hunting & Sons Ltd.), Newcastle, England and renamed b) Edenfield.

The Edenfield sold to Leitch Transport Ltd. (managed by Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd.), Toronto, ON in 1960 and was renamed c) Northern Venture. This tanker was 1 of 3 “T2’s” purchased by Upper Lakes Shipping; the others being renamed c) Red Wing and c) Hilda Marjanne. The Northern Venture along with the Hilda Marjanne was towed to the Schlieker-Werft Shipyards, Hamburg, West Germany who had been contracted by Upper Lakes Shipping to convert the tankers to bulk carriers for Great Lakes service. Though not usual for a contract such as this being awarded to an overseas company, with the new St. Lawrence Seaway opening in 1959, all of the Canadian shipyards were already engaged in the Builting of new tonnage to take advantage of the much larger vessel dimensions now permitted to access the Seaway.

The Northern Venture’s new keel was laid January 16th, 1961 while her tanker hull forward of the engine room was removed and scrapped. The new hull was of traditional Great Lakes straight deck design with the forward wheelhouse and included 6 holds with 20 hatches. The Northern Venture’s new overall dimensions were: 730’05” (222.63m) loa x 75’00” (22.86m) beam x 39’03” (11.96m) depth, with a carrying capacity of 24,825 tons (25,224 tonnes).

On July 3rd, 1961; the Northern Venture arrived at Port Weller Dry Docks for a refit for Great Lakes service following crossing the Atlantic under her own power (following hull strengthening and the sealing of its hatches for the crossing).

This crossing marked the first time that a vessel of this size built for Great Lakes and Seaway service had made the trans-Atlantic crossing under its own power. The Northern Venture sailed on its maiden voyage July 16th, 1961 light to the Canadian lake head to load grain. The vessel’s ownership had been transferred to Northern Shipping Ltd. (subsidiary of Upper Lakes Shipping) with managers being Island Shipping Ltd., Nassau, Bahamas. The odd registration was due to labor tensions being experienced by Upper Lakes Shipping in the 1960’s. Ownership was transferred back to Upper Lakes Shipping in 1975.

The Northern Venture continued in regular service with Upper Lakes Shipping until being laid up in mid season of 1982 in Hamilton, ON. By early 1983, the forward cabins had been removed and the hull forward of the engine room bulkhead cut off with the stern being scrapped late in 1983 at Port Maitland, ON. On June 25th, 1983; the forward section arrived at Port Weller Dry Docks to be joined with the stern of the Cabot. On October 29th, 1983; the new diesel powered bulk carrier was christened Canadian Explorer with the formal Canadian registration on the Northern Venture being closed November 9th, 1983.