In the fall of 2016 the Tobermory Maritime Association had begun the regulatory process to “Bring History Home”. Our goal is to return the S.S. Norisle to Tobermory where she has served, and to then scuttle her just outside of the Fathom Five National Marine Park. The waters of Tobermory already shelter a maritime museum. What better final resting place for her to be preserved then in the crystal clear waters of Tobermory?
Now that the lawsuit between the SS Norisle Steamship Society and the Township of Assiginack has been resolved, the TMA is resuming our efforts to sink the SS Norisle in Tobermory as a dive site. This way, she can be admired by divers for decades to come and thus saving her from an otherwise certain fate in the scrapyard!
What will this take?
Well… dozens if not hundreds of hours of work has already been completed in communication with multiple levels of government, paperwork and more paperwork, and obtaining permits and letters of support.
Now what do we need?
There is a great deal of planning that goes into the scuttling of a ship this size. A significant amount of the legwork for permits and logistics has already been done but there is still much more work ahead of us. The TMA asks that anyone interested in volunteering in the preparation of the SS Norisle is asked to contact Mike and Kelly through the Tobermory Maritime Association Facebook page.
Please consider donating to this effort! Along with the planning it is expensive. This is the easiest way you can support us in the preservation of this local Maritime History.
