PORT COLBORNE—After having been towed to the Marine Recycling Corporation in Port Colborne in October, the historic steamship the S.S. Norisle has now been pulled out of the water and is on ground, awaiting its final fate.
On October 4, the ship was towed from Manitowaning by the tug Ecosse, arriving a little over a week later.
The 215-foot Norisle was originally built in Collingwood in 1946. It served as a ferry between Tobermory and Manitoulin from 1947 until 1974, when it and the M.S. Norgoma were replaced by the M.S. Chi-Cheemaun.
The Norisle had been docked in Manitowaning since Assiginack Township purchased it in 1975 for $1.
Dismantling of the ship will start in March, with about 90 percent of the Norisle to be recycled in metal and used in other ships.