Steel fire tug [C.318774] named after the "Firebrand" leader of the 1837 Rebellion, and first Mayor of Toronto. She was built at a cost of $600,000.00 in 1963 - 64 by Russel Brothers at Owen Sound. Hull 1216. She is 81' long, 102 g.t.; and is capable of breaking through 18" of ice. She has a crew of 22, 10 sailors and 12 firemen who work on four shifts. See clipping file for pics and Toronto/Ships Present folder for vessel file. See also Toronto/Shipwrecks folder for Orient Trader file, and Graeme Stewart clipping file for pic of Orient Trader. See also Arctic clipping file Ship Shore Digest, Vol. 17, No. 9, September 1978 for story and pic by Skip Gillam.
Gerry George has supplied a massive archive of photos of the Mac during her 2004 refurbishment, which he used to build an incredibly detailed model. View this archive here.
Launching ceremonies at Russel Brothers shipyard in Owen Sound, Nov. 7th, 1963, for Toronto's new fireboat Wm Lyon Mackenzie. At the podium is mayor Don Summerville, who would die of a massive heart attack less than two weeks later. - from The Sunday Sun, July 18th, 2004.
THE WINDSOR STAR, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1963 New Fireboat 'Raises Blazes' at Launching OWEN SOUND (CP)
With a foamy spray of champagne on the fourth try the William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto's first fireboat, slid down the ways here Thursday. Hundreds of spectators, including municipal officials and citizens of Toronto and Owen Sound, watched the launching of I one cf the most modern fire-boats ever designed. The MacKenzie is named for Toronto's first mayor. It was christened by Toronto Alderman Mary Temple, chairman of the city's fire, welfare and legislation committee.
Alderman Temple cut the ribbon and the champagne bottle swung against the side of the! vessel but it didn't break. It took three more tries and the help of other platform officials before the bottle broke. The trouble didn't end there. The fireboat slid down the ways and kept on sliding sideways right into a slip at the Russel Brothers Shipyards. It took 50 men pulling on a stout line to straighten it out. The vessel will be delivered to Toronto next month after interior work is completed.
Undated commemorative framed plaque, courtesy Bill Howden, Jan. 2018.
Full page clipping from the Toronto Daily Star Sat. July 31st, 1965, supplied by Neil McKinnon, grandson of Russel employee Cliff McKinnon, who worked on the fireboat. Annotation at top reads "This boat built at Russel Bros., Cliff McKinnon worked for several weeks in Toronto after the launch".
Our fireboat bends its elbow and lets fly AT THE READY AGAINST FIRES THREATENING OUR WATERFRONT, THE WM. LYON MACKENZIE CONDUCTS A PRACTICE SESSION. The $605,000 vessel, an "insurance policy" for the lake shore and Toronto Island, can shoot 7,000 gallons of water a minute through its nozzles.
5 big squirts spell safety on waterfront. "Whooooooooosh!" Toronto's floating fire reel, the Wm. Lyon MacKenzie, sails guard on the waterfront, its five powerful nozzles ready to snuff out fires. In service for just over a year, the 14-knot boat would have been invaluable in the tragic Noronic fire and the destruction of the Palace Pier.
Fire Chief Frank Coakwell said that up to mid-June, the boat had answered 28 calls, some of them rescue work at the eastern gap. Chief Coakwell said the boat came into its own at the second-alarm, $85,000 Victory Mills fire at the foot of Sherbourne St. last January.
He regards the $605,000 vessel as an "insurance policy" for the whole waterfront and Toronto Island. "The island has only one pumper," the chief said, "and the MacKenzie is the only piece of equipment that can assist there."
As well as sucking up Lake Ontario and dumping it on fires, the vessel carries 1,00 gallons of three-percent liquid concentrate foam in two tanks. Water is added as it's shot through the high-pressure nozzles and the net result is 333,330 gallons.
The foam is much more effective than water on the type of fires that might break out at the island airport, or at waterfront oil installations.
The MacKenzie carries eight tons of ballast to make her a completely stable firefighting platform, able to travel anywhere in Lake Ontario. Captains of two sorts man the vessel - fire captains to battle blazes, and marine captains to handle her. Their home is Pier 9, Queen's Quay West. The fire hall is a trailer.
Owen Sound Sun Times, Sept. 4th, 1965 Top notation: Built in Owen Sound. Sept. 4th, 1965. Sun Times.
FIREBOAT WINS PRAISE - Toronto's fireboat, Wm Lyon MacKenzie won high praise for its role in extinguishing a fire in a ship in Toronto harbor recently. The fireboat was built last year by Russel Bros. Ltd. It is seen, above, undergoing tests in Owen Sound harbor before delivery last summer. Powerful streams of water pour from the vessel's five "guns", one on the foredeck, one on the afterdeck, one on the bridge and two on the highly manoeuverable tower. (Sun-Times Staff Photo.)
this past winter (2004), successfully overhauled the Amador crane on the Toronto Fire Services fireboat, the William Lyon MacKenzie. We removed the crane, had it delivered to our plant and conducted all repairs at our site.
The overhaul involved electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic engineering changes. Rob Anselmi of the Toronto Fire Services is extremely pleased with the outcome of this project and we at Dilts Piston Hydraulics Inc. are very proud of our accomplishment.
Jan. 31, 2006. The Wm. Lyon Mackenzie tied up at her Queen's Quay berth during a big snowstorm. Looking north towards downtown Toronto. She has been recently modernized and has ice breaker capability. Photo by John63.
Aug. 23, 2006. In Toronto harbor, giving a welcome to the USNSCS GRAYFOX, wich was ariving in Toronto with US and Canadian cadets aboard. Photo by Fred Miller.
Aug. 23, 2006. At Toronto, Ont., welcoming the USNSCS GRAYFOX. Photo by Fred Miller.
Aug. 23, 2006. After the welcoming, she came alongside for a closer view. Photo by Fred Miller.
Sept. 16, 2006. Fireboat WM. LYON MACKENZIE is patrolling Toronto Harbour, Toronto, ON. She's named after Toronto first mayor. She's to provide marine fire fighting as well as ice breaking capabilities. Photo by Michel Gosselin.
June 20, 2007. Fireboat WM. LYON MACKENZIE is docked at 339 Queen's Quay West, Fire Station #334 in Toronto Harbour, Toronto, ON. She's named after Toronto first mayor. She's to provide marine fire fighting as well as ice breaking capabilities. Photo by Michel Gosselin.
June 21, 2008. Fireboat WM. LYON MACKENZIE is docked at 339 Queen's Quay West, Fire Station #334 in Toronto Harbour, Toronto, ON. She's named after Toronto first mayor. She's to provide marine fire fighting as well as ice breaking capabilities. Photo by Michel Gosselin.
July 4, 2010. Stern view of WM LYON MACKENZIE as she's moving through the Western Gap in Toronto, Canada. She's starting the Parade of Sail in Toronto, Canada. It's the final event of the Toronto Waterfront Festival. She's named after Toronto first mayor. She's to provide marine fire fighting as well as ice breaking capabilities. Photo by Michel Gosselin.
July 4, 2010. Stern view of WM LYON MACKENZIE as she's moving through the Western Gap in Toronto, Canada. She's starting the Parade of Sail in Toronto, Canada. It's the final event of the Toronto Waterfront Festival. She's named after Toronto first mayor. She's to provide marine fire fighting as well as ice breaking capabilities. Photo by Michel Gosselin.
June 22, 2013. Toronto Fire Services William Lyon Mackenzie (originally built as a tugboat in 1964) demonstrates its capabilities at the 2013 Toronto Waterfront Festival. Photo by Joseph Wong.
July 1, 2013. Main fireboat for City of Toronto (Canada) serves on Lake Ontario also is class 1C icebreaker built in 1964 and named after first lord mayor of Toronto: William Lyon Mackenzie. Built with modified tugboat hull for firefighting and icebreaking by Russel Brothers Ltd has crew of 22 and powered by 2x Caterpillar diesels. tonnage 102GT had refit in 2004 . Photo by Jezuk.
Toronto Fire Boat Wm. Lyon MacKenzie. Larry Thorne
Published on 10 Jun 2013.
Nice walk around on deck while underway Published on 1 Sep 2013.
On Board the Mackenzie for the CNE Air Show 2013
(shot with the GoPro 3).
4 minutes of docking: Larry Thorne
Published on 1 Sep 2013
Toronto Star
Published on 24 Feb 2015.
Toronto Fire Department's fire boat provides a 'behind the scenes' look at maintaining the routes from Toronto to the island.
Built to last at Russel Brothers Ltd in Owen Sound in 1964, the 81' Toronto Fires Services veteran fireboat WM. LYON MACKENZIE conducts icebreaking operations on an ice covered Toronto harbour on January 7, 2018. Photos by Carl Burkett.
Toronto Fire Services. Published on 9 Jan 2018, 7:32. During the winter months when Lake Ontario freezes over, the Toronto Fire Services, fireboat William Lyon MacKenzie clears channels to the islands by breaking ice in the Toronto harbour.
Rick Mercer pilots the fireboat Jan. 2018 in Toronto.
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