Legendary Titanic-era steamship to make an appearance in Toronto
The 116-year-old S.S. Keewatin is set to make an appearance in Toronto this week, giving locals a chance to view the oldest remaining Edwardian-era steamliner in the world.
The Keewatin will be visible from the Toronto waterfront on the afternoon of October 21 as it makes its transit from the Hamilton shipyard where it underwent a lengthy refurbishment, to its new permanent home.
The ship will live on as the star attraction at the Great Lakes Museum in Kingston, where it is scheduled to arrive on October 23.
Constructed in 1907 by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co Ltd. of Glasgow, Scotland — five years before the Titanic set sail on its fateful maiden voyage — the steamliner was initially owned by The Canadian Pacific Railway.
CP’s fleet of steamships, like the Keewatin, plied the Great Lakes until retirement in the 1960s, and following the scrapping of a sister ship a decade later, the Keewatin stands as one of the last of its kind.
The ship has become something of a cultural icon of the Great Lakes, and has been the subject of multiple books, featured on a 2020 Royal Canadian Mint coin, and even appeared on an episode of CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries.
The S.S. Keewatin will make its voyage to its permanent home at the Great Lakes Museum’s drydock in Kingston this week.
The ship’s travel plans and itineraries are weather-dependent, with departure and arrival times, and plans to be updated as the voyage gets underway.