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Muskegon, July 1996.	Mark Peabody

Great Lakes Fleet Page Vessel Feature -- James Norris

By George Wharton

Built as a traditional style straight-decker by Midland Shipbuilding Co., Midland, ON, the James Norris was launched Sept.10, 1952 for the Upper Lakes and St. Lawrence Transportation Co., Toronto, ON (now Upper Lakes Group, Inc.) entering service in May, 1953. She and her sistership Gordon C. Leitch(1) were the first new vessels built for the Upper Lakes fleet. The Gordon C. Leitch(1) was scrapped in 1985. The James Norris was converted to a self-unloader by Port Weller Dry Docks, St. Catharines, ON during the winter of 1980/81. She is powered by a Canadian Vickers 5-cylinder Skinner Uniflow steam engine rated at 4,440 horsepower at 100 r.p.m. feeding a fixed pitch propeller giving her a rated service speed of approximately 14 knots. She is equipped with a 1000 horsepower bow thruster. The Norris' 17 hatches feed into 6 holds where she is capable of carrying 18,600 tons at her maximum mid-summer draft of 25 feet 6 1/2 inches. Her self-unloading equipment consists of a single belt gravity system feeding a forward-mounted loop belt to a 250 foot discharge boom that can be swung 90 degrees to port or starboard and unload at a rate of up to 3000 tons/hour.

Her early years as a straight-decker were spent on the upper lakes in the coal, grain, and iron ore trades. The Norris entered the Seaway trades in 1959 hauling grain products from the upper lakes to St. Lawrence River ports and iron ore from ports on the Gulf of St. Lawrence back to the Great Lakes.

After her conversion to a self-unloader, the Norris' activity became focused on the aggregate trade; specifically the limestone trade from Colborne, ON to Clarkson, ON. The James Norris had an extensive refit at Port Weller Dry Docks during the winter of 1995/96 following and accident in Colborne, ON where her hull was slammed into the dock by high winds.

She remains an active carrier in the Upper Lakes fleet sailing under the management of Seaway Self Unloaders (partnership of Algoma Central and Upper Lakes Group). Her activity remains focused on the Lake Ontario aggregate trade with the occasional venture into the upper lakes in the aggregate business. The James Norris is the oldest vessel in the ULS fleet and is third only to Lower Lakes Towing's Cuyahoga and Mississagi as the oldest Canadian registered vessel on the Great Lakes. With the Cuyahoga being repowered to diesel during the winter of 1999/2000, the James Norris is now the oldest Canadian registered steam powered lakeboat still in service.  The James Norris is a true classic lakeboat and commands the respect and admiration of sailors and boatwatchers alike wherever she ventures.

Overall dimensions
Length	663'06"
Beam	67'00"
Depth	35'00"
Capacity (tons)	18,600

Interior views photo gallery by Neil Walsh.
 

Milwaukee. Andy LaBorde