In the 1990's the magazine Ship's Monthly ran a series of articles under the heading "A Captain and his Ship". The August 1997 issue featured Captain James Caldwell, at that time Master of the veteran Canadian steamship "Segwun".

          The next season Jim moved to Reoch Transports of Montreal, a company that owned a fleet of elderly bulk carriers, starting as a watchman in 1956, then serving as wheelsman for the 1957-59 seasons. Among his Reoch ships were the Forestdale (1890/1,896grt), Parkdale (1910/8,947ert) and Willowdale (1930/2,631 grt). As he gained experience and upgraded his qualifications, he moved into the officer ranks. In 1960 he became Third Mate; he quickly ascended the promotion ladder until in 1971 he was appointed captain of the self-unloader Avondale (1908/5,663grt). By the early 1980s, though, Reoch’s ships were uneconomic to operate in competition with newer vessels and the company went out of business. Soon after that, Jim saw an advertisement placed by the Muskoka Lakes Navigation and Hotel Company, which required a captain for the Segwun.
         As master since 1984 (actually one of two as the ship has two crews), Jim Caldwell has gained a unique perspective on the Segwun. From master of a 500-foot bulk carrier to captaincy of a 128-foot passenger ship required some adjustments, he said, but the basic elements of seamanship are common to both kinds of vessels. For a recent interview, he stepped outside the small, crowded wheelhouse and discussed the Segwun: “She handles well because of her two engines. In a strong wind, though, with a high superstructure and only a 12-foot draught, she tends to heel a little.” Nevertheless, the Segwun is an extremely safe ship. Her wheelhouse equipment includes radar, which Captain Caldwell has needed to use only once in 12 years and that for a mere 20 minutes, and a magnetic compass. The Canadian Coast Guard, which inspects and licenses the vessel, applies its stringent rules rigidly. Age notwithstanding, the Segwun is in excellent condition. According to Captain Caldwell, her hull is sound and watertight; her engines and boiler operate efficiently. The wooden upperworks are well maintained. Her next five-year inspection will take place in the drained Port Carling Lock at the end of the 1997 season when the hull will be sandblasted and painted, and any deficiencies corrected.

RMS Segwun; Part 2: The ship.

RMS Segwun; Part 1: Captain.

        When asked how he got the job as master of the 1887-built Segwun, the oldest operating steamship in North America, Captain James Caldwell simply said, ‘“‘I made a phone call, spent a day aboard learning the ropes, and the job was mine.” There was more to it than that, of course. He brought 29 valuable years of experience on Great Lakes ships to his new position.
          Like many Great Lakes sailors, Jim Caldwell spent his early years on a farm. He was born in 1937 at Owen Sound, Ontario, a small  city on an arm of Georgian Bay, which itself is an arm of Lake Huron. Although Owen Sound nowadays sees few ships, in the 1950s it was a busy port, especially for grain-carrying vessels. Jim’s first employment, however, was not with a local company but with Bayswater Shipping of Belleville, Ontario, which owned several old ships. Joining the company in 1955, he started out as a  deckhand on the George S. Cleet (1912/2,174grt), built by Caledon at Dundee as the tanker Iocoma and converted to a self-unloader in 1951. After four months he advanced to watchman.

The history of the Segwun begins on the River Clyde in Scotland. A replacement was urgently needed for the wooden-hulled Nipissing. which had succumbed to fire on Lake Joseph in 1886. The new ship. a paddlewheeler like her predecessor, was also named Nipissing, but had an iron hull. She was sent across the Atlantic in pieces and was reassembled at Gravenhurst where a wooden superstructure was added and the engine of the original Nipissing installed. The second Nipissing ran on all three Muskoka lakes, but later she operated mostly on Lake Muskoka. In an area with limited roads and railways. she served villages and small towns as a passenger ship forlocal inhabitants and summer visitors. Her freight deck carried a variety of goods for residents, cottage owners and businesses. But the Nipissing began to suffer from mechanical problems; she was laid up in 1914 at Gravenhurst and remained out of service for more than a decade. By 1924, though, business for the Muskoka Navigation Company was improving and a decision was made to rebuild the Nipissing, whose hull remained in good condition. It was a major undertaking, which involved converting the ship from a sidewheeler to a propeller driven vessel, as well as installing a new boiler and engines.

With all these alterations, the owners concluded that a new name was required and the ship re-entered service in 1925 as the Segwun, an Ojibwa Indian word meaning ‘springtime’. For the next 30 years, she served mainly on Lake Muskoka, carrying passengers, cargo and mail. Interestingly, to this day she carries the designation ‘Royal Mail Ship’, one of the few vessels anywhere bearing this title, although her red mail box nowadays is used mainly for passengers’ postcards.

After the Second World War the Segwun underwent some modifications, including the addition of several staterooms (later removed). But times were changing in Muskoka. Car ownership was increasing and roads were being improved. The fleet of the Muskoka Navigation Company began to shrink. In 1958 the Segwun was involved in a series of accidents and was withdrawn from service. Sold to the town of Gravenhurst for one dollar, the ship became a static attraction as a museum in 1962.

The Segwun remained at her dock in Gravenhurst, attracting a modest number of visitors each summer, but gradually deteriorating as funds for her upkeep were scarce. However, in 1969 a marine engineer, John Coulter, inspected the ship and claimed that she could be returned to service. Very few people were willing to believe his optimistic prediction — and even if it were technically feasible, she would still have to meet strict safety and environmental standards. And where would the substantial financing come from? Local groups went to work and, as things turned out, a major donor was the Ontario Road Builders’ Association, whose better highways had, ironically, been one of the causes of the Segwun’s retirement. Other companies and individuals joined in to provide technical assistance, often at minimum cost or even free, and the government of Ontario made substantial grants. Volunteer labour by Muskoka residents kept costs down, but the final figure for restoring the Segwun to operating condition was about $1,300,000. In carrying out the work, particular emphasis was placed on keeping the ship true to her times, in this case the mid-1920s.

On 21st June 1981 the fully restored Segwun steamed up Lake Muskoka to Port Carling, a triumphant return to service, particularly in view of the scepticism that had surrounded her reconstruction. Since then, she has continued to provide a variety of trips each summer. One important reason for the ship’s success is that, with a 99-passenger maximum capacity, she is never crowded. Another is the gumwood-panelled Royal Muskoka Salon, an elegant 42-seat dining room, located at the stern and with windows on three sides. Cuisine and service achieve consistently high standards. On the promenade deck, the ship’s original name is commemorated in the Nipissing Lounge, where the bar is situated. A forward lounge, a small lounge aft and an open but covered seating area astern are also located on this deck.

Since this article was published in 'Ships Monthly' magazine in August 1997 ownership of the Segwun has transferred to the Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre.