Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company

The Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard that operated at Port Arthur, Ontario, now part of Thunder Bay, on Lake Superior from 1911 to 1993.

Its dry dock and shops were constructed in 1910 and located at Bare Point at the extreme eastern end of the Thunder Bay harbour.

[4] The company built and repaired many ships during its years of operation, including warships during the First and Second World Wars.

[5] Entrepreneur James Whalen began the company in 1909. Letters patent issued at Port Arthur in February 1909 and construction began in 1910 after negotiations with The American Ship Building Company, which supplied top management and skilled workmen.

The officers at the time were James Whalen, President from 1910 to 1924; Irving S. Fenn from the American Ship Building Company, Secretary-Treasurer; and Hugh Simms, Superintendent.

1914 marked the launching of W. Grant Morden, later known as Donnacona, a 625-foot (191 m) vessel that was completely built at Western Dry Dock.

In 1916, it was acquired by John Burnham of Chicago, who changed the name to Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company Limited.

[8] Heddle Marine purchased the property in 2016 and operates as a ship repair and winter layup facility.

At the time of its construction, the machine shop contained the largest vertical boring mill between Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia.