S.S. Keewatin leaving Port McNicoll after finding new home

The last Edwardian-era streamliner in existence is moving to a new home.

Currently docked in Port McNicoll, the S.S. Keewatin now belongs to the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston.

The ship was built in Scotland in 1907 and was formerly owned by CP Rail.

"We're pleased to steward the Keewatin through the next phase of its life here in Kingston," said Chris West, Marine Museum's board chair.

"The story of the Keewatin is a story of Canada's creation as a country. It is vital that the ship, which is the last of its kind, be preserved for current and future generations, and our Museum has the expertise, facilities, and funding to be able to do this."

Skyline Investments donated Keewatin to the museum in Kingston.

"We're pleased to donate this historic and treasured passenger ship to the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes to ensure its continued long-term preservation," said Blake Lyon, Skyline Investments CEO.

"Kingston is an amazing location for the Keewatin to receive maximum exposure, and the Marine Museum, with its historic dry-dock, is well qualified to maintain the Kee and showcase its important history – a goal we all share."

The ship should arrive in Kingston in late summer or early fall 2023, following a stop at a shipyard this spring for repairs. The Keewatin operated as a historical attraction in Port McNicoll from 2012 until the pandemic.

"While we are saddened Keewatin will leave Port McNicoll, we are pleased that she will be preserved for generations to come at her new home at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes and will share our experience and expertise with the museum," said Wayne Coombes, Friends of Keewatin president.

The Keewatin will be integrated into the museum's transportation collection, which covers the last 200 years of Great Lakes history.

After it was built, the ship crossed the Atlantic Ocean to link a CP Rail route between Owen Sound and Fort William Port Arthur.

From 1912-1965 it served as a passenger line out of Port McNicoll, where it retired from service.

Tug towed to Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1967, it served as a maritime museum.

Skyline purchased the ship in 2011 and returned it to Port McNicoll in 2012.