Sister subs bid a final farewell

SUBMARINE MUSEUMS: The Ojibwa, on a barge bound for the marine museum in Port Burwell, and the Onondoga, parked in the St. Lawrence River, pass in the fog

The submarine Ojibwa, as long as a football field, is towed over a submerged barge in Halifax harbour, in preparation for it being towed to Port Burwell where it will become a tourist attraction. Once the sub was in position over the barge, the barge was raised, lifting its cargo out of the water. (

The sub sisters got a glimpse of each other Wednesday afternoon in the foggy St. Lawrence River off Rimouski.

For the last time.

The decommissioned Canadian navy submarine Ojibwa was aboard a barge, towed by a tugboat on its way to its new home at Port Burwell where it will become a museum piece.

About 4 p.m., Ojibwa passed its sister Onondaga parked on a cradle on the riverbank at Rimouski, Que., where it has become a popular tourist attraction.

At the Onondaga, a naval salute marked Ojibwa's passing.

"Today as the fog lifted we saluted the Ojibwa as its passed Onondaga for the last time, an historical submarine event," said Maurice Allard, director of the maritime historic site at Pointe-au-Pere.

He said saving two out of three sister submarines from Canada's fleet, "is not bad for our submarine community."

Ojibwa and Onondaga, Cold-War-era diesel-electric boats launched in Britain in the mid-1960s, have found new lives that have saved them from the wrecking yard.

"Everything is going well," reported Dan McNeil, project co-ordinator for Project Ojibwa as he monitored the westward progress of the tugboat Florence McKeil as it tows its precious cargo.

The Ojibwa left Halifax harbour Saturday where it rested since decommissioning in 1998, he said.

It is expected to arrive in Hamilton June 5 where it will have a permanent cradle manufactured and transferred to a smaller barge to navigate the Welland Canal that will deliver it to Port Burwell on Sept. 8.

The Ojibwa will take up residence alongside Otter Creek beside a Canadian naval history museum as part of a $6 million project.

The submarine, nearly as long as a football field, will become only Canada's second submarine visitors can clamber aboard, after Onondaga.

The federal government provided funds to help the Elgin Military Museum acquire the sub.

McNeil, a retired Rear Admiral of the Canadian navy and skipper for ships, said the arrival in Port Burwell will become a community celebration. The entrance to the harbour must be dredged and fundraising is continuing. Information can be found at www.projectojibwa.ca.

The westward progress of the Ojibwa can be monitored on the Project Ojibwa website.

Backers of the venture predict 100,000 visitors a year and economic benefits of $14.4 million annually for the economically hard-hit Port Burwell-Bayham area.

Port Burwell opted for the submarine when Port Stanley took a pass.

Once on display, the Ojibwa will be one of four submarines around the Great Lakes, including American subs in Buffalo, Cleveland and Chicago.