The SS Canadiana was a passenger excursion steamer that primarily operated between Buffalo, New York, US, and the Crystal Beach Park in Crystal Beach, Ontario, Canada, from 1910 to 1956. Canadiana was the last passenger vessel built in Buffalo, New York.
After being sold in 1956 Canadiana changed owners numerous times, and by 1983 she was berthed in Ohio needing major restoration. A nonprofit group, the "Friends of the Canadiana", brought the ship back to Buffalo in 1984 with a hope of restoring her to service. When restoration efforts failed the ship was scrapped at Port Colborne, Ontario, in 2004.
Construction
The Canadiana was built at the Buffalo Dry Dock on Ganson Street in 1910 and was the last passenger vessel to be built in Buffalo. She was designed by marine architect Frank E. Kirby, who later designed the largest side wheel overnight steamers built for the Great Lakes, the Greater Buffalo and the Greater Detroit.
The completed ship was long with beam amidships. She was powered by one triple-expansion steam engine that produced 1,446 horsepower; a single propeller provided propulsion. Canadiana had a cutout in the main deck to allow passengers to view the "workings" of the engine.
Canadiana was fitted with brass railings, red mahogany trim from Honduras and beveled mirrors. She was designed to be a premier vessel designed not only for transportation but also for pleasure. Originally intended to carry 3,500 passengers, it was decided by the United States Coast Guard that 1,800 was a safer number. With the reduction in passenger capacity, the ship's owners found room to construct the largest dance floor of any steamer that sailed the Great Lakes.
History
After her completion, Canadiana joined her sister ship, Americana, which had been built in 1908. Both ships made round-trip passages between Buffalo and Crystal Beach until Americana was sold in 1929. Although the Canadiana was popularly known as "The Crystal Beach Boat", she occasionally made journeys to other destinations including Port Colborne, Ontario, while Crystal Beach remained her primary destination. During her crossings between Crystal Beach and Buffalo big band concerts were often held aboard with performances by some of the region's most famous musical acts, including some that regularly performed within the park's large Ballroom Building.
After the completion of the Peace Bridge in 1927, which allowed automobile traffic between Buffalo and Crystal Beach, the Canadiana became less popular. Ticket prices were kept low to attract enough passengers to make the ship profitable. During World War II, the Canadiana saw an increase in business due, in part, to wartime gasoline rationing. A British pilot with the Canadian Air Force was killed when he lost control of his aircraft while "buzzing" the Canadiana during the war.
In its last year of service an "incident" happened on board the Canadiana. While returning from Crystal Beach to Buffalo on the evening of May 30, 1956, violence erupted between several youths. The group of belligerents, made up of whites and African-Americans, left little doubt that racism was a factor in the incident. This incident, along with shrinking revenues, made continued operation of the ship uneconomical. The 1956 season proved to be the last for the Canadiana and she was sold.
After being sold, the Canadiana was involved in an accident on July 30, 1958. While on her normal excursion trip traveling upstream on the Maumee River from her berth in Toledo to Bob-Lo Island, the Canadiana was struck by a railroad swing bridge and damaged. The Canadiana was sold in 1960 and was towed to Cleveland, Ohio, being unofficially renamed Pleasurama. From 1960 through 1967 the Canadiana was stored at Buffalo, Fairport and Cleveland. She sank at her berth in Cleveland on February 17, 1982, and wasn't refloated until May 1983. Following her refloat, she was moved to Ashtabula, Ohio.
A second Americana, formally a 1940s-built ferry-cruise boat for the Circle Line, was placed in service to Crystal Beach during the 1988–89 seasons, with mixed profits. After the park's closure, the ship was used for lake cruises. Her owners, among them proprietor Ramsey Tick, filed for bankruptcy in 1990, and the small ship was later sold to Caribbean interests.