S.S. Keewatin arrives at Kingston Dry Dock

Hundreds of onlookers gathered on the shores of Lake Ontario in Kingston Thursday afternoon as the S.S. Keewatin made its long-awaited arrival in the Limestone City.

“This thing here’s got such historical value, especially in the Great Lakes, I had to come down and see it,” Kingston resident Don Mitchell said. “She’s a beautiful ship.”

“I took a trip down from Gananoque just to see the ship come in,” Craig Bennink said.

“It takes you back in time,” Susan Crosier said.

The Titanic-era ship left Hamilton two days ago pulled by two tugboats heading on its final journey as a permanent attraction of the Great Lakes Museum.

Its arrival is a long time coming for those who worked years to bring the ship to Kingston from its previous home on the shores of Georgia Bay.

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“Now she’s here, to glorify this site, and be just a jewel, a jewel in the waterfront landscape of Kingston,” Great Lakes Museum board chair Chris West said.

The century-old steamship brought people from all across the region to snap pictures of this piece of maritime history.

Getting the “Kee” into the historic dry dock went smoothly, though it’s a very tight fit.

Now that the ship has arrived, more restoration work is needed before sightseers can board the vessel next spring.

“It’s transformational. We expect, quite realistically, to be in the top three or four tourist attractions in Kingston,” West said.

“And Kingston is a big tourist town.”

Judging by the on-shore turnout, it’s sure to be a popular attraction.