Lincoln hopes to save iconic ‘pirate ship’ from federal dismantling

The Town of Lincoln is trying to save the landmark pirate ship" off the QEW in Jordan Harbour after learning the federal government plans to remove its three standing masts.

Chief Administrative Officer Mike Kirkopoulos said the town was told by federal officials that the larger of the three masts would have to be removed for safety reasons, but learned all three are being brought down when the government issued an RFP this week.

Our hope is to try and reach out through the federal government, through the coast guard, and see if there is a way it can be saved," Kirkopoulos said Friday.

La Grande Hermine, which sits approximately 25 metres from the shore, is a draw for thousands of people who travel the QEW through Niagara and stop to explore or snap a photo.

A former floating restaurant from Quebec, it was tugged to Jordan and docked in 1997, but was never moved again and its ownership is undetermined. In 2003 it was set ablaze and became a rusting hulk on Lake Ontario.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada put out a request for proposals on Oct. 26 for a company to remove the shipwreck's three standing masts and surrounding debris, including a fourth mast which collapsed on the wheel house. The contract also includes welding steel plates to the wreck to block off three identified access points that people can use to get on board.

Bids are being accepted until Nov. 9.

According to the RFP, the Canadian Coast Guard's vessel of concern program did an assessment of the ship in March 2021 and found big problems.

The coast guard said the wreck posed a significant level of danger to the environment as well as to the health, safety and well-being of the public."

As a result of this assessment, it was deemed necessary to proceed with the removal of the main mast and to restrict access to the wreck to mitigate the hazards present," the RFP says.

Fisheries and Ocean's Canada describes the state of the ship in the document as Stranded, dilapidated, burnt."

But the old hulk has become a tourist attraction for Lincoln and one it doesn't want to lose. It's generated a lot of social media and traditional media attention over the years.

Kirkopoulos said many people come to Niagara and specifically to Jordan to see it.

With hundreds of thousands of vehicles travelling the QEW each day, he said people stop to see the ship and then start exploring other things in town, whether it be a fruit stand or a winery.

When you look at something like that, that is iconic in some ways in terms of what it looks like and what people associate with a ship like that, once you remove the masts, it becomes less of a visual marker and a lot harder to see from the QEW."

Kirkopoulos said it may not be possible to save the entire wreck but there may be another way to keep the masts at the location and display them.

We're open to anything, short of just having it just disappear from that particular area."

He said the town reached out to the federal government over last day or so and is waiting to hear back.

If there is a way to shore it up, make it safe in its current form, that's first and foremost where we'd like to go."

The Standard reached out to Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Canadian Coast Guard Friday with questions but did not receive a response by press time.

Karena Walter is a St. Catharines-based reporter, primarily covering City Hall for the Standard. Reach her via email: karena.walter@niagaradailies.com