Radium King facts for kids
Reassembly of the Radium King, 1937.
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Canada |
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| Name | Radium King |
| Operator | Northern Transportation Company |
| Builder | Manseau Shipyards |
| Laid down | 1937 |
| Completed | 1937 |
| Commissioned | as Radium King |
| Decommissioned | 1967 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5288906 |
| Status | Museum Ship, Northern Life Museum in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 96 feet (29 m) |
| Beam | 20 feet (6.1 m) |
| Draught | 4 feet (1.2 m) |
| Installed power | 2 x 240 horsepower (180 kW) diesel engines |
| Crew | 10 |
The Radium King was a special ship built in 1937. It was designed to carry important materials, like ore, on the Mackenzie River in Canada. This included uranium, a unique material used for energy and other projects during World War II. Later, the Radium King also moved barges on Great Slave Lake.
Contents
Building the Radium King
The Radium King and its sister ship, the Radium Queen, were built in Montreal by Manseau Shipyards. These ships were too big to travel all the way to the Mackenzie River by water. So, they were taken apart into many pieces.
A Journey by Train
The ship's parts were loaded onto nine large train cars. The train carried them to Waterways, Alberta. This town was the furthest north a train could go in North America at that time. Once the parts arrived, the Radium King was put back together. Then, it was ready to sail on the Mackenzie River.
Life on Board
The Radium King had a crew of 10 people who worked on the ship. It could also carry up to 10 passengers.
Sailing the Northern Waters
The shipping season in the northern parts of Canada was very short. This was because the rivers and lakes would freeze over for much of the year.
Facing the Ice
In 1942, the Radium King was the last ship to make a round trip down the Mackenzie River. It had to leave by August 17 to get back before the ice formed. Sometimes, ships would get stuck. For example, in 1945, the Radium King and another ship, the Radium Express, got trapped by ice in Yellowknife.
In 1953, the Radium King was the first ship to cross Great Slave Lake that year. It arrived in Yellowknife on June 8. Even though the lake's ice had broken, it had not yet moved away.
The "Radium Line" Ships
The company that owned the Radium King, Northern Transportation, added many more ships to its fleet. Many of these ships, like the Radium Charles and Radium Yellowknife, also had "Radium" in their names. Because of this, the whole group of ships became known as the "Radium Line."
Adventures and Retirement
The Radium King had some exciting moments during its time on the water.
Surviving an Explosion
In 1956, the Radium King was towing a barge filled with mining supplies. These supplies exploded, but the Radium King survived the blast.
Stuck in the Ice
In 1959, a famous English professor named Hugh MacLennan wrote about a trip he took on the Radium King. He said that in 1958, the ship suddenly got stuck in the ice on Great Slave Lake for over a week. This happened because of a sudden cold snap early in the shipping season.
A New Life as a Museum
In 1967, the Radium King was retired from service. Today, you can see it on display outside the Northern Life Museum in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. The ship was carefully restored and turned into a museum.
Checking for Safety
In 2005, a study was done on the ships that carried radioactive ore. The good news is that the Radium King and most other ships from the "Radium Line" were found to be safe and free of any harmful contamination. Only one ship, the Radium Gilbert, had some contamination.
