Submarine will surface in Hamilton port on route to Port Burwell

The last of Canada’s fleet of 1960s-era submarines was slated to slip into the Port of Hamilton early Tuesday morning on her way to a new future as a museum.

HMCS Ojibwa spent the last 12 days being towed here from her base in Halifax. The retired warship made the journey in a floating dry dock operated by Hamilton’s Heddle Marine towed, in turn, by the McKeil Marine tug Florence M.

The 2,500-tonne underwater giant entered the Royal Canadian Navy in 1965 and served throughout the Cold War until her decommissioning in 1998.

Getting the boat to the end of her 1,200-nautical mile voyage taxed the imagination of both McKeil and Heddle staff.

“We are proud to be part of Project Ojibwa,” said Rick Heddle in a news release. He was in Halifax to supervise the loading of the submarine for its journey to Hamilton.

The Ojibwa will spend the summer here at the Heddle shipyard receiving some early restoration work and permanent cradles to assist in the transportation to her final destination.

In September she is to be towed by barge to Port Burwell where the 300-foot long, five-story high submarine will be transported overland to her permanent home. She will open for tours in the summer of 2013.

Heddle Marine Service Inc. is a full service ship repair yard that provides expert repair services to all types and various sizes of vessels in the marine industry. Established in 1987, it is the only marine repair firm that operates multiple floating dry docks on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes.

Operating since 1956, McKeil Marine’s core business is providing cost effective marine transportation and project services for a wide array of industries. With its skilled sailing and support crew, marine architects and engineers, the company works closely with customers to provide innovative marine solutions throughout the Great Lakes to Eastern Canada and the Arctic.