|
SS Kyle Newfoundland 220 Ft Captains Ship aground for over 40 Years
Our Greatest Navigator In 1927 SS Kyle finds Old Glory
================"New"================= First reporters story below
The S.S. Kyle was launched on April 17th, 1913 by Mrs. R.G. Reid, wife of the President of the Reid Newfoundland Company. The Kyle was named in accordance to Fleet Tradition, as the vessels in the Reid Coastal Fleet were all named for Scottish towns. The agreement between Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. and the Reid Newfoundland Company which foresaw the construction of the SS Kyle was signed on April 17, 1912. A little less than a year later construction of the ship at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England was completed and on April 7, 1913 the Kyle was launched by Mrs. R.G. Reid, wife of the president of the Reid Newfoundland Co. On May 20th of that same year the S.S. Kyle sailed through the Narrows of the St John's Harbour (Photo below) for the first time under the command of Captain Lorenzo Stevenson. At this time the ship was described by the Evening Telegram as being a "specimen of marine architecture."
Peter Stevenson, Grandson of the first Captain of the SS Kyle, Captain Lorenzo Stevenson first to sail through the Narrows on May 20th 1913 is now in touch with us in 2010. He has only one photo of his Grandfather and he is trying to locate it.
The ship was to join the Reid Newfoundland Coastal Fleet to provide a Labrador region with it's first regularly scheduled service. The S.S. Kyle was the 10th ship to join the Reid Newfoundland Company's prestigious Alphabet Fleet. Although it may not have had the grandeur of some of the ships in the fleet it was the fastest and having been strengthened for ice was the strongest as well. For this reason the S.S. Kyle was sometimes used as an ice breaker. During it's lifetime the Kyle was known as Newfoundlanders "Bulldog of the North" provided many valuable services to citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition to passengers and cargo, the Kyle also carried a doctor whom the people would receive medical attention from. Before Confederation the S.S. Kyle was operated by the Commission Government. In 1915, after two years as a costal boat on Newfoundland's northeast coast, the S.S. Kyle was appointed to the North Sydney/Port aux Basque ferry. The ship began working with the Canadian National Railway in 1923 when they took over the duties of the Reid Newfoundland Company's coastal/railway service. She played a vital role in World War II as she was called on to carry Newfoundland troops to the mainland to join Canadian troops in preparation for the battle on the front lines in Europe. In 1926, the ship returned to the Labrador service where it became a vital part of life for the citizens of Labrador. The vessel provided Labrador with it's first regularly scheduled ferry service. For years, the S.S. Kyle ferried fisherman back and forth between the Carbonear area and the Labrador coast during the spring and summer months. Often being the only link between Labrador and the outside world, the Kyle provided both stationers and permanent residents of Labrador with supplies, transportation, mail service and medical care. In addition, the vessel enabled clergy to visit isolated communities and it provided transportation for children attending boarding schools. When Newfoundland entered into Confederation with Canada in 1949, the S.S. Kyle was purchased by Canadian National Railways. It was then re-assigned to the North Sydney/Port aux Basque ferry service, it was used as an icebreaker in the Botwood Bay of Islands area, and it continued to service Labrador. In 1958 the vessel was sold to Nova Scotian and American interests. It became the property of Shaw Steamships Co. Ltd. where it was renamed the "Arctic Eagle" and registered at Halifax, Nova Scotia and used in the seal fishery In 1961, Guy Earle of the "Earle Brothers Freighting Company" of Carbonear purchased the vessel for $100,000.00 and he then proceeded to form a company called Kyle Shipping Ltd. On January 21, 1961 Fred's brother Guy Earle traveled to Halifax and brought the ship back to Newfoundland where they gave it back it's old name. Now renamed back to her original as the SS Kyle. The Earle brothers had traveled extensively on the Kyle during it's days on the coastal service they were quite familiar with the ship. Knowing that the Kyle's hull had been strengthened for ice the Earle's decided that they would convert the Kyle into a sealing vessel. For the next seven springs, under the command of Captain Guy Earle the S.S. Kyle carried scores of anxious men to and from the Front where the annual seal hunt took place. The S.S. Kyle had only minimal damages in her voyages to and from the Front until 1967. In this year the S.S. Kyle was caught in fast ice and collided with an iceberg experiencing extensive damage. After the collision with an iceberg, the Kyle was taken out of service so that a decision could be made about her future. Luckily enough, the damage was above the waterline and the vessel was able to return safely to the Harbour Grace Harbour where her future was to be determined. During this time, on February 4th, 1967, a violent storm broke out consisting of powerful winds and waves. It was during this storm that the Kyle was torn from her moorings and blown to Riverhead, Harbour Grace. Now usually when a ship breaks anchor it is headed for tragedy on the harbour's beaches but this was not so for the Kyle. Seafarers and fishermen alike claim that it was not the Kyle's destiny to go to an underwater grave. Instead, they are of the opinion that the Kyle was actually guided to it's resting place in Riverhead by the "seamen's ghost" - where its illustrious past would never be forgotten. The Earle brothers, faced with an expensive salvage operation, decided to flood the hull of the ship to prevent further drifting. And so, to this day "the last of the coal burners" has come to know Riverhead, Harbour Grace as its final resting place. Visible from the highway entering Harbour Grace, the S.S. Kyle stands as a living monument of a way of life long forgotten by many Newfoundlanders.
Off to the seal hunt in the 60s Photo thanks to Bob Hardy
Dominion Metals, a St. John's salvage company purchased the
ship and sold it to the Provincial Government of Newfoundland for
$4,000.00 in 1972. Later, when Dr. A.T.Gus Rowe became MHA for
Carbonear, he announced plans to have the historic ship towed to Salmon
Cove where it would be converted into a floating museum. At this time
only minimal deterioration had occurred and preservation of the S.S.
Kyle was still possible. However, the idea of moving the S.S. Kyle met
with much controversy and when it was discovered that the cost of such a
program was so great, the plans were discarded.
In December of 1996, almost 30 years after the vessel had found its resting place just off Stapleton's Beach, the years of lobbying the Federal and Provincial governments paid off. At this time the Town of Harbour Grace, under the direction of Mayor Don Coombs, secured a partnership with both of these governments (Hon.Fred J. Miffin, MP Bonavista Trinity Conception & Hon. Arthur D. Reid, MHA Carbonear Harbour Grace) for an initial step in the restoration of the Kyle. The ship's exterior would be painted in its original colors once more. The hull would be pained black and white and the smokestack would be painted canary yellow. As of April 1997, this dream has become a reality and now tourists and citizens of Newfoundland alike can see the S.S. Kyle in much of its original splendor
Name on the Stern is rarely seen The Kearney Tourist Chalet was built in 1995 and is located near the Spirit of Harbour Grace. This structure is a replica of the "Beacon Light" which was used for the design at the centre of our flag which is featured on the cover of this book. The chalet is named after Michael Condon Kearney who built the lighthouse at the Point of Beach. Operating from June to September each year, visitors to the chalet can obtain information about Newfoundland and Labrador, purchase souvenirs, postcards, or maps. In 1998, a "Kyle" room was attached to the chalet containing artifacts and information about the S.S. Kyle. Located outside of the chalet are two history boards, one of which was donated to the town by the Johnson Family Foundation. One of these boards contains information pertaining to the S.S. Kyle, while the other contains information regarding the town of Harbour Grace. In the years since our first settlers landed here in the
1500's, Harbour Grace has been visited by pirates, pioneers, princes and
princesses amongst others.
Reid Newfoundland Company S.S. Kyle
Built by Swan Hunter Newcastle 1913
Length
B..P
220-0 No. of Furnaces
6
Breadth M
32-3 Kind of Furnaces
Corrugated
Depth M
18-3 Heating
Surface 4468
Tonnage
1055 Grate
Surface 99
Tween Decks 860 Wireless telegram
Nett 548 Dia. Of
Propeller 12-0
Class 100
A1
Pitch 12-0
Steal
Screw
Steamer Size of
shaft 121/2
2 Decks
No. of Revolutions
Total Cubic capacity
29720.cf per min normal horsepower
263
Engines and
Boilers
Boiler Pressure 180
Dia. Of
cylinders 18-1/2.30-1/2.50 Miles
Per Hour 22
Stroke
36 No. of passengers 1 Class
Dia. Of
Boilers
13- 9 No. of passengers Steerace
Length of Boilers
11-6 Electric light
The name SS Kyle was Heard around the world in 1927 after she Locates Old Glory, the Mono-plane owned by Daily Mirror, New York after the failed searches by 52 other ships. Enter site to view Full details.
Kyle Ownership Reid Newfoundland Co 1913-1923 Newfoundland Railway, Passenger, Supplies, Cargo, Supplies, Mail service, Icebreaker ********************************** Canadian National Railway 1923-1958 Passenger, Supplies, Cargo, Supplies, Mail service, Icebreaker ********************************* Halifax / New York Partners 1959 Artic Shipping, (Shaw Steamship Co. Ltd) Renamed - Artic Eagle ********************************* Earle Brothers Freighting Co 1960 - 1967 Renamed SS Kyle - Kyle Shipping Limited , Earle Fishery ********************************* Dominion Metals Salvage Company ********************************* Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs 1972 - present ( Presently Department of Works Services and Transportation ********************************** The Alphabet Fleet The Alphabet Fleet started with eight boats which were built in Scotland beginning in 1897. The Argyle, Bruce, Clyde, Dundee, Ethie, Fife, Glencoe and Home, each given a Scottish name by the Reid family whose ancestry comes from Scotland. In subsequent years the fleet was increased by the addition of new vessels: the Inverness, Kyle, Lintrose and the Meigle. As the fleet name suggests, all ship names began with consecutive letters of the alphabet. The Alphabet Fleet gradually disappeared from Newfoundland and by the 1970s the Kyle was the only one left in the Province. Property of the Newfoundland Government, she lies beached at Riverhead, Harbour Grace. http://www.newfoundlandshipbuilding.com/alphabetfleet/images/index.html *************************************************
************************ The SS. Kyle was the Queen of the pan fed coal steam ships on the Eastern seaboard. Her Colors were derived from the black hulled schooners and and yellow Newfoundland dories. The Reid Newfoundland company use of the Kyle was to provide Labrador with its first regularly scheduled passenger service shortly after commissioning , to the North Sydney / Port-Aux-Basques ferry service. In addition to her other duties the Kyle also provided medical services to the people of the coastal region. Her medical officer would often be summoned ashore to examine a patient. Patients who needed hospitalization were taken aboard and ferried to the nearest hospital or medical centre. The medical officers Life aboard the Kyle primarily of dental extractions and motion sickness. During World war II the Kyle played a vital role in the ferrying Newfoundland troops to the mainland to join the Canadian Troops in preparation for battle on the front lines on Europe. Tales have been told that the Kyle preformed ice breaking services for Russia during this period. The Bulldog of the North as many Newfoundlanders knew her, the sight of the black smoke from the stacks of the Kyle sparked a frenzy of activity in her ports of call. *****************************************************
The first news reporter tour and comments on the Kyle on her First day of arrival to St. Johns. The s.s. Kyle, Captain Stephenson, the New ships built for Reid Nfld Co at Newcastle-on-tyne England to run between St, Johns and Labrador ports arrived at an early house this morning. The ship left Newcastle on Saturday at 5pm and had very fine weather until Saturday night and Sunday when a hurricane of wind from the South East veering to the North West with heavy seas were expected and last evening and night in the making in for the land she had a very thick and hove up off the port all night. The Alilp proved herself to be a splendid sea boat. She did 12 knots on the run out and captain and crew are enthusiastic over her qualities as a sea boat and first class steamer. The Purser and Marconi operator, Messrs-March and Baxtor of the Reid Nfld Co. kindly showed a telegram representive through this splendid specimen of marine architecture this forenoon. The boat is undoubtedly a beauty in each respect and her creation seems to have reached the climax in all the handsome, luxuriant and staunch in vessels of the her class. It is almost enough to say that she is a replica of the Excellent Lintrose, though she is 35 feet shorter. The first place visited on board by our reporter was the music room forward of the ship. The beautiful apartment is done in a Birdseye maple polished in the natural color and as most luxuriously furnished. A feature in it being a grand piano of the same wood. The upholstery, carpets etc are in the same uniform color just aft the music room is the main saloon done in polished Mahogany. The doors are paneled in vari-colored plated glass; fancy tinted windows light the room and can accommodate 40 people at the tables. The settees, chairs of splendid upholstery and woodwork. The Pantry is just off the saloon and just forward of the over the saloon is the smoking room, a place in which one can enjoy the weed in the most comfortable and beautiful surroundings. The Captain and Chief officers room is excellently furnished and beautiful wrought are off this room and above this is the wheelhouse, flag rooms etc. The Marconi room is aft in the upper deck and is fitted with every appliance and furnished neatly and with and eye to the comfort of it official. Wireless has a radius of 150 miles. Below on the second deck are the washrooms, toilets, baths for ladies and gentlemen and theses display every comfort and convenience. The staterooms are veritable miniature palaces. The contain the 4 to 6 berth and are painted dead white on the ceiling and the rest enamel white. Each room has its own washbasin and a cunningly devised little ladder to take on to the top berth without the necessity of climbing up by the lower berth. There are also staterooms to accommodate parties of 6 on each side of the ship. The Ladies cabin amidships are also an apartment fitted in a sumptuous way with mirrors set about, handsome furniture and cork and cloth carpets. The mens quarters very comfortable are forward and the steerage which is aft is a fine place containing good berths, beds and furniture and capable of accommodating 120 men and 40 women. The ship is well ventilated and lit throughout with electricity. In the Marconi room is a Morse lamp and telephones run right through the ship/ here six lifeboats are well build to suit the Board of Trade requirements and can carry 31 persons each. The ship is built with particular attention given to strength of structure for contact with ice. She has 5 watertight bulkheads and her tonnage is 1,055. net 548. She is 220 feet long, 32 feet beam, depth of 21 feet. Her engines are reciprocating three cylinders of 1580 horsepower. Today numbers of people inspected her and expressed the pleasure they felt on the viewing such a find ship.
Stone found in the shape of Dads Ship 2007
Email us at: info@sskyle.com
|
