Chugging along: Norisle gutting preps ship for dry-dock refit.

• Position: NEWS - S.S. Norisle steamship - Brief article

Northern Ontario Business Staff

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Plans are still afloat to get the S.S. Norisle back in ship shape, following a fall cleaning session that gutted the 66-year-old vessel in preparation for her refit.

Berthed at her home port of Manitowaning on Manitoulin Island, the Norisle underwent a full stripping last fall. A crew was sent in to remove the guts of the ship, including pipes, electrical work and fire extinguishing equipment, as well as any leftover woodwork.

The steamship is now set for phase two of the refit, which will send her into dry dock at Purvis Marine Ltd. in Sault Ste. Marie. Funding applications are currently being prepared to lobby for capital to carry out that phase of the plan.

There has been renewed interest in the steamship following the recent return of the S.S. Keewatin to Port McNicoll in June. After being docked in Michigan for more than 40 years, the 107-year-old Scottish-built ship was purchased by Skyline International Developments Inc. as part of a scheme to create a $1.7-billion luxury waterfront development that includes a residential component, a hotel and a marina.

But...