Photos

During WWII the British Government had requisitioned or built 1,464 various ships for war service. Each of these ships bore the first name "Empire." The Empire Sandy is the last of the "Empire" fleet still in service. The Empire Sandy was built in Willington Quay-on-Tyne, England and went into war service on July 14, 1943. It was one of eight sister ships on the Englishman/Larch class which were designated "Deep Sea Tugs." Each was fitted with extra capacity oil fuel tanks for extended service in the North Atlantic. They were armed with anti-aircraft guns and carried four Royal Navy gunners. The Empire Sandy served in the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. After WWII it was sold and its name was changed to Ashford. It worked as a tug and salvage vessel around the U.K., helping clear the wreckage of war. In 1950, the Ashford was sold to the Great Lakes Paper Company in Thunder Bay, Ontario and was renamed Chris M. For more than 20 years the Chris M towed logs and barges on Lake Superior but as the cost of maintaining the boilers escalated, steam ships were no longer viable economically. The Chris M was eventually sold for scrap and taken to Hamilton, Ontario for breakup. Three days before it was to be broken up for scrap, Norm Rogers, founder of Nautical Adventures, purchased it - it was his dream to recreate an authentic 19th-century Tall Ship. The whole ship was gutted, redesigned and rebuilt in the style of an 1800s three-masted schooner. The privately-funded conversion took five years and upon completion, the ship was rechristened the Empire Sandy. The Empire Sandy now earns her living as a charter vessel in Toronto. She is certified by Transport Canada to provide professional entry level training to those wishing to pursue a career in Canada's merchant navy.
from: doorsopen.org/building/building