Fate decided: Norgoma will be ripped apart by Purvis cutting torches

Sault Ste. Marie, ON – City council has decided to pay Purvis Marine $395,000 to break the 188-
foot M.S. Norgoma into scrap metal.

The Monday-night decision settles months of squabbling between those determined to save
the rusting former package freighter/passenger ferry/museum ship, and those who believe it’s
a costly blight on the Sault waterfront.

The Norgoma decision that we’ve got before us today will lead to questions of what could
have been, had the ship received the type of funding it ought to have received all these years, had we just tried this tact instead of that one, said Mayor Matthew Shoemaker. I think the questions of what ought to have been are misplaced, the mayor said.

We got the Norgoma for a dollar in roughly 1975 and have had the debate ever since of
whether or not it was proper for our waterfront. I hold the view… that it was not a proper use of municipal resources to invest in its viability all those years. We are at this point in our decision-making because of a decision that probably ought never to have been made in the first place, Shoemaker said.

Tom Vair, the citys deputy chief administrative officer for community development and
enterprise services, said city staff have worked hard to try to find another home for the Norgoma.

The city has signed two agreements for purchase and sale for the Norgoma, Vair said.
Neither of those groups were able to consummate the deal. Were probably talked with 10
different groups over the last few years trying to find another solution.

Ultimately the cost of relocation, the cost to refurbish, the cost to dock, and now the looming
cost that other municipalities have asked to have money in escrow in case it didn’t work out so
they can’t dismantle the boat, has made it not feasible for anyone else, Vair told the meeting.

From the city’s perspective, were spending money on insurance and were spending money on
docking fees so it is getting expensive. That bill has been adding up. It really came down to
trying to find a viable solution.

Unfortunately, the best solution is decommissioning the vessel. We were able to get a quote
from a local firm which was much less than we received from an out-of-town firm, Vair said.

I don’t think anyone around this table originally would have wanted to see the Norgoma be
decommissioned, but I think were at a state where that is our best option, said Ward 3 Coun.
Angela Caputo.

At Purvis’s request, the city will waive $5,000 to $8,000 in landfill fees associated with disposal
of non-ferrous materials including wood, roofing materials, asbestos, oil, lubricants and paint.

Purvis must now move the boat as soon as possible from its current $40-a-day berth at Algoma
Steel to a ship-breaking location.

Soo Today

US Brig Niagara will get ‘multi-million-dollar’ maintenance and upgrades

Published: Dec. 18, 2023, 11:00 a.m.

By Deb Kiner | dkiner@pennlive.com

The U.S. Brig Niagara in Erie will get “multi-million-dollar” maintenance and upgrades with plans to sail “Pennsylvania’s northwest coast in 2026 when the United States and the Commonwealth celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.”

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission said today its contract with the Flagship Niagara League will expire on Dec. 31 but “both organizations are pleased to reaffirm their commitment to continued collaboration for the advancement of Erie and the region’s maritime history.”

The commission said it will make a “substantial investment” in the Erie Maritime Museum Complex and the U.S. Brig Niagara.

“Both the museum and the ship will receive significant upgrades, with the development of new exhibits at the museum and repairs and improvements to the ship over the next few years.  The elevation of the museum as a top-tier maritime history destination will draw a wider audience, educating more people about this important history and serving as a driver for Erie’s tourism economy.”

The commission said that while Niagara will spend most of her time day-sailing from her home port, there are plans “to sail to other Great Lakes destinations several times a year and to continue to participate in Tall Ships.”

The commission said it will “resume direct management of the U.S. Brig Niagara, hiring the ship’s professional crew, a staffing model successfully employed from 1992 to 2009. This model will include hiring a full-time captain, chief mate, shipwright, as well as seasonal crew members.”

The commission will allocate an additional $400,00 to support the Niagara’s operations. That is in addition to an existing $350,000 for maintenance and operations.

In the coming year, the commission said it will “embark on a multi-million-dollar Commonwealth Capital Project to tackle Niagara’s deferred maintenance and to make major systems upgrades. The significant investment of resources over the next two years will culminate in the ship sailing Pennsylvania’s northwest coast in 2026 when the United States and the Commonwealth celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.”

The U.S. Brig Niagara, according to Flagship Niagara League, “is a faithful reconstruction of Oliver Hazard Perry’s relief flagship during the Battle of Lake Erie.”

This past summer, the U.S. Brig Niagara suspended its sailing schedule “due to mechanical issues outside the control of both organizations …”