Canada's Last Fairmiles B

David Dunlop · #1 19-02-10, 03:02

I noticed recently in a Canadian boating magazine that a popular cruise boat operating in the Toronto area was up for sale and that it started out life as a Fairmiles B built in Canada during World War Two. Cannot remember the name it now operates under, but was wondering if anyone knows the boat and what has happened to it. The photo showed extensive rework from the deck up and I think the original V12 R/R marine units had been replaced with deisels.

Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) · #2 19-02-10, 03:08

I'm here, downtown. Find out a bit more (it's a big harbour) and I'll look-see.

Bruce Parker (RIP) · #3 19-02-10, 03:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

I noticed recently in a Canadian boating magazine that a popular cruise boat operating in the Toronto area was up for sale and that it started out life as a Fairmiles B built in Canada during World War Two. Cannot remember the name it now operates under, but was wondering if anyone knows the boat and what has happened to it. The photo showed extensive rework from the deck up and I think the original V12 R/R marine units had been replaced with deisels.

I think it's the one being restored to its wartime configuration in Sarnia, Ontario.

David Dunlop · #4 19-02-10, 19:14

Hi Bruce. I am not sure it's the same boat. I think the Sarnia one was hauled out of the water back in 2003 or 2007 to be worked on, with funding at that time being a very critical issue. That boat was aslo built in Sarnia during the war so had a strong preexisting connection to the area.

What I recall seeing in the magazine this winter was a pair of photos of the boat still in the water. From the wheelhouse area forward, the look of the Fairmiles was still there, but aft of that point there was an entirely new second deck level running to about the fantail. One of the photos of it was taken at Toronto Island, not sure about the second one. The new look of the Sarnia boat was quite different. A new second deck ran full forward to the focsle area and it appeared a new wheelhouse had been put on top of that structure. That boat also had a post war French Name I believe about three words long. The Toronto boat had a longer name.

I did a quick check of the Canadian Boat Registry and got four or five hits for Fairmiles sized craft. The Sarnia one was still actively registered, the others were all recently dropped and no details were available.

Peter Ford has a chum in Montreal when he worked for CBC there in the late 1950's early 1960's who had purchaed a surplus Fairmiles. The engines, generators and com equipment were all gone, but this chum lived on it for several months tied up somewhere along the river and powered by a landline.

Incidentally, there is a British built Fairmiles currently for sale in Greece, converted to a yacht, It served as a downed airmen rescue craft during the war. An early pattern Canadian Kit Boat is also for sale in the USA...Texas???. It is likely one of the 8 such Fairmiles kit boats sold to the US Navy early in the war. Five of those were subsequently sold to the Mexican Navy after the war.

malcolm erik bogaert · #5 19-02-10, 20:18

there used to be a Fairmiles shipyard here in Berwick on Tweed...if you google berwickshipyard you should get some usefull information as to ships.boats.trawlere/yaghts etc...constructed by this company...best regards from a very cold snowy north-northumberland.malcolm

peter simundson · #6 20-02-10, 02:10

...that was in Toronto was eventually bought by Howard Hughes and the entire hull was fibreglassed, It is now a houseboat on Lake Erie. The Sarnia one was used as a tour boat there for many years and is now being refurbished, There is another at Black Creek Marine on the North Shore of Lake Erie. It is beached and used for storage. The Collingwood one disappeared to parts unknown. It too was a tour boat. There is another sunk in Georgian Bay. For the real enthusiast two are in the breakwater on the North shore just west of the Burlington Bridge.
Finally the Dundas Fairmile was cut up and burned by the Cadet Corps using it in 1965. It was just beside the Dejardins Canal.

Peter Simundson

David Dunlop · #7 20-02-10, 03:18

Peter, that wouldn't happen to be the Black Creek Marine in the Port Dover area would it? Was in that area a few years back, but maybe the Fairmiles had not been beached then and if it had been but was extensively reworked, I may not have recognized it if it rolled over on me!

David

Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) · #8 20-02-10, 14:33

Peter Simundson Wrote:

That's the one, The Fairmile is in a trailer park area about 500 yards east. It's beached on the creek edge. The guy who owns it was about 30 and lived in a drydocked boat in Hamilton Harbour. He wouldn't sell it because "One day it would be worth a million dollars". They are all of their 110 feet when you get on them and poke around.

Peter

Ken Hughes · #9 20-02-10, 19:14

There is about 3 of these still in New Zealand as far as i know.
They were in Auckland and i remember one being moored near the harbor bridge.

David Dunlop · #10 21-02-10, 07:35

Not that I would pay a million for a wooden clunker, but wouldn't a Fairmiles make a great restoration project, if one won a lottery...like that ship would ever come in for me!!! But think about it, you'd be covering all three elements of the armed forces. The navy is the obvious element, but you can also factor in the roar and smell of two R/R Merlin engines and the hearty thump of light cannon fire and cordite. HHHhhhmmmmm!!!

David Dunlop · #11 18-04-10, 17:05

Just spent another lunchtime browsing the local magazine shop and read an interesting article in the current BEST OF BRITISH PAST AND PRESENT Magazine.

Seems the city of Portsmouth is now the proud home of a pair of fully restored British built boats, both with very impressing, documented war records. One served as an RAF Rescue Launch and looked stunning in it's dark blue glossy paint job with the large RAF roundels painted on either side of the prow, as it was cutting through the water, coming out of the harbour abeam of it's harbour mate!

The second boat, Code '107' is in full Royal Navy livery as it looked when guarding the flanks of the US Forces landing at Omaha and Utah beaches on D-Day.

If anyone is down that way this summer, the plan is that for 25 GBP, one can go on a patrol on one of these boats. They plan to keep their history alive and well for as long as possible.