Saguenay Shipping

[Tom Reidy]

Anybody else sailed with Saguenay? It was great way to save on Income Tax.
I was 4th. eng on the Sunek Sept. 65-Jan. 67, and paid off in Kitimat, and stayed.

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Tom
You were undoubtly aboard the Sunek when it was in a collision with the Tanker LAWRENCECLIFFE HALL Nov 16th 1965,and went down in about 35foot water after rolling over!
After getting her to the upright position again,she was taken to Davie Shipyard in Lauzon Quebec and refitted!
How about your acount of this ,i am sure it will make good reading!
Cheers

PS Would you perhaps have a Pic of the Sunek at all!
If so could you post it here! Gallery
Thanks!

[Tom Reidy]

The Lawrencliff Hall was a laker and newlly built. I was standing the 8-12 ER watch Before being called for watch there was this terrifice bang. I thought " We've made good time.",thinking we were out in a heavy Atlantic swell: till the alarms went. We towered over the Lawrencesliff Hall so much that our F'castle look out were looking down on her deck. We collided with our port bow, lost our port anchor which went clean through tha laker. They were upset so we never asked for our anchor back. She had no double bottoms, single keel, so she went down fast and was quickley beached. Our electric whistle (typhon) wasn't working and nobody had requested steam on the whistle. Engineers hate steam on the whistle as it wastes so much water
The Greek junior on watch noted in the movements book "Bag bag" Probably meant "Bang bang". This of course was seized upon by the investigating lawers. Leckie was on the bridge doing his morning checks when the skipper (A Norwgian) said "Is the steam on the whistle?", as we bore down on the laker. Leckie said "I'm not the engineer on watch" The skipper said "Oh no, oh no" BANG Leckie said "Oh yes"
We unloaded our cargo of wheat in Quebec and proceeded to Levi dry dock. In Canada, beer is kept separate from other bonded goods. So we had lots of beer. Canada Customs opened the bond weekly for our issue of 200 cigs and a bottle.At the enquiry, the skipper claimed that he had requested "Steam on the whistle" from Leckie. Lawers conversed among themselves in French. Leckie objected and just about had a Contempt of Court charge.
The Skipper got one years suspension and the mate six months suspension. The skipper was posted to Jamaica, and came to visit us regularly ( for some bond)
As we left dry dock (just before freeze-up) the Lawrencecliff Hall was towed in. We exchanged pleasantries whereiin I learned to swear in French.

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Tom
Thanks for that it was interesting reading!
Any Pic at all!??
Cheers

[Tom Reidy]

Sorry no pics.
They didn't teach us how to use a camera at Leith Nautical The collision occured in a blinding snow storm just at the Isle d'Orleans. Both vessels were outwith the proper channel. Something navigators will undestand.
At about the same time another collision occured, in the same vicinty, involving a Russian freighter.
Wonder if that skipper went to Siberia.(which is no joke)

[Tom Reidy]

The Sunek was painted green but as a susidiiary of The Aluminum Co. of Canada, the superstructure was
built from unpainted aluminum. Probabley as an advertising gimmick.
I paid off in Kitimat BC, and saved the company my fare home, went to work in the aluminun smelter.
Taught marine engineering in HMCS Quadra 1982-83, designated OI1, Officer in charge Engineering Studies.
Some of my students are probabley retired from the Candian Navy now.

[jean-francois allard]

Hello mister sailors,

I was "navigating" on the net for a picture of the Lawrencliffe Hall because there is a painter's exhibition in Montréal showing a boat that looked pretty similar to my neophyte's eyes .

But it is not similar at all and you would most likely laugh at me if you could see the painting... which shows a boat with the commanding rooms in the back and not in the front as the Lawrencliff had...

I happen to be the grandson of the captain Larosée of the Lawrencecliff at the time of the accident in 1965; that is why I remember ( not so much...I was young ! ) this boat. The least to say is that it was a big thing in the family that grandpa's boat had been hit. It was also a big thing in the family that another boat from the same company was hit as well on the same river a couple of years after ( or was it before ? ). In that second accident, my uncle lost his life after having been safe on the ground, in an attempt to go and grab the safe before it sank, as it seemed to be a possibility at least during those days.

Old stories... Maybe some of you could happen to have more pictures ; I'd be happy to watch them if ever.

Thanks to all anyway for the pleasure I had getting shortly into your world and words ( I just learned the word "laker"... ).

Best regards,

Jean-François Allard

[Tom Reidy]

Hubert Desgagnes (somewhere in Quebec)wrote and published, with photographs,an article on this subject0
Hackers destroyed my contact list so I have no means of locating Hubert, who speaks English

[Carolyn Brown]

.ps as regards passenger manifests customs and immigration Montreal would be my best giuess. Saguenay Shipping address was 1090 University Ave, Montreal

Good day sir: that is exactly why I came to this site, to see if anyone knew where the company went. No they are no longer on University (now called Robert Bourassa). My ex husband worked for Saguenay back in the mid to late 70’s as a ship’s agent, and I spent a lot of time visiting the ships when they came into port in Montreal. I don’t however, recall any of the ships having accommodations for passengers though.

Alcan, has ceased to exist, at least under that name, and is now called Novellis. What I don’t know is if it was just a name change or a different company altogether, but they are still located here in Kingston, Ontario in the old Alcan buildings.

If anyone has any info on when Saguenay closed or moved, I would appreciate knowing.

[David Donaldson]

Saguenay Shipping Limited was sold to a German owned shipping company called Stinnes in 1985. It went bust a couple of years later because containerization took over and without backhaul from the Caribbean a general cargo service between Canada and the Caribbean was not viable