The Midland Prince was the longest ship built in Canada in 1906 for $375,000, about $10 million in today's dollars
The launch of the Collingwood-built Midland Prince in 1906 appears to be just another day in Collingwood's long history of shipbuilding. However, in the context of Canadian shipbuilding, the Midland Prince was one of the many national achievements that Collingwood produced.
Built as Hull 9, Midland Prince was launched on December 5, 1906. When the giant ship slipped into the flooded basin of Dry Dock No. 1, a new Canadian record was set. The Midland Prince became the longest ship built in Canada and cost $375,000. According to the Bank of Canada's inflation calculator, that figure is now more than $10 million.
The Midland Prince is pictured on the barges waiting to be launched in Collingwood Harbour. Collingwood's second wooden grain elevator can be seen in the background. Collingwood Museum Collection, X974.658.1; Huron Institute #317
The ship was commissioned by James Playfair for the Midland Navigation Company. The large freighter transported grain from Thunder Bay, Duluth and Chicago to the ports of Georgian Bay and Lake Erie. In 1913, the Midland Prince joined the Canadian Steamship Lines (CSL) fleet and remained in service until 1966.
In 1929 the Midland Prince was built by the Midland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. converted into a self-unloader, making it the first Canadian ship of its size for this purpose. As the term “self-unloader” suggests, the ship could unload its cargo using its own equipment, resulting in more efficient operations.
Under CSL, the Midland Prince became a frequent berth on the Welland Canal, carrying coal to Toronto and Hamilton. Like many ships, it had a fair number of scuffs and scratches. Most notably, the ship survived storms, a collision on Lake Superior in 1916, a stranding in 1924 and a fire in later years.
At the end of the 1968 shipping season, Midland Prince was sold to Marine Salvage in Port Colborne. The ship was finally broken up in Puerto del Santa Maria, Spain and demolition began on July 31, 1969.
The Collingwood Museum maintains photographs of the Midland Prince documenting its construction and launch along Collingwood's waterfront. Many of the photographs were collected and documented by the Huron Institute, the predecessor of the Collingwood Museum, while others were recently donated by local collectors and the Collingwood Shipyards.
Part of an original Huron Institute scrapbook page showing a photo of the Midland Prince before launch on December 5, 1906, looking southeast. Collingwood Museum Collection, X974.99.2; The Huron Institute number is currently unknown
As already mentioned, Collingwood's shipbuilding activities produced many national firsts. In addition to the Midland Prince, other national achievements included the construction of the James Carruthers, Canada's largest registered freighter (1913); the first corvette commissioned in Canada during World War II, HMCS Collingwood (1940); and the completion of Canada's largest oil tanker, the Imperial Sarnia (1948).
If you would like to share more Collingwood news, please contact Collingwood Museum staff.
The museum's opening day exhibition is full of interesting stories about Collingwood's shipbuilding past and how the shipbuilding tradition continues to shape local culture. Contributed photo
Today you can see the HMCS Collingwood nameplate and bell at the Collingwood Museum. The Imperial Sarnia half-block model is featured in the Launch Day exhibition.
To explore additional photographs from the Collingwood Museum collection, visit the online collection database at https://collingwood.pastperfectonline.com/. See what records you can find using keywords or advanced searches. A keyword search for “harbor” returns 28 historical photos. The online database launched in December 2023 and staff will add content throughout 2024.