Editing Welland Canal

{{Short description|Ship canal in Ontario, Canada, connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie}}
{{Use Canadian English |date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox Canal
  |name                    = Welland Canal
  |image                   =  Welland Canal aerial.png
  |image_caption           =
  |former_names            =
  |mapframe                = yes
  |mapframe-zoom           = 8
  |original_owner          = Welland Canal Company
  |engineer                = Hiram Tibbetts
  |other_engineer          =
  |date_act                =
  |date_began              = {{start date and age|1824}}
  |date_use                =
  |date_completed          = {{start date and age|1829|11|30}}
  |date_extended           = {{start date and age|1833}}
  |date_closed             =
  |date_restored           = {{start date and age|1932|08|06}}
  |len_ft                  = 740
  |len_in                  = 0
  |original_boat_length_ft =
  |original_boat_length_in =
  |len_note                =
<!---Warning:unknown parameter "max_boat_draft" (this message is shown only in preview). --->
  |max_boat_draft          = 26.5 ft (8.08 m)
  |beam_ft                 = 78
  |beam_in                 = 0
  |original_beam_ft        =
  |original_beam_in        =
  |beam_note               =
  |start_point             = [[Lake Ontario]] at [[Port Weller, Ontario|Port Weller]] (St. Catharines)
  |original_start          =
  |start_note              =
  |end_point               = [[Lake Erie]] at [[Port Colborne]]
  |original_end            =
  |end_note                =
  |branch                  =
  |branch_of               =
  |connects_to             =
  |length_mi               = 27
  |locks                   = 8
  |original_num_locks      =
  |lock_note               =
  |status                  = Open
  |navigation_authority    = [[Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation]]
  | module                 = 
}}
[[File:Map of the Welland Canal.png|thumb|The Welland Canal connects [[Lake Ontario]] and [[Lake Erie]] through a series of eight locks, allowing ships to bypass the {{convert|51|m|ft|abbr=on}} high [[Niagara Falls]]]]
[[File:Welland Canal image.png|thumb|Welland Canal with [[Garden City Skyway]] and [[Homer Bridge|Homer Lift Bridge]]]]
[[File:WellandLock3.JPG|thumb|A ship in Lock 3 of the Welland Canal in [[St. Catharines]], just south of the Homer Lift Bridge and Garden City Skyway]]

The '''Welland Canal''' is a [[ship canal]] in [[Ontario]], Canada, and part of the [[St. Lawrence Seaway]] and [[Great Lakes Waterway]]. The canal traverses the [[Niagara Peninsula]] between [[Port Weller, Ontario|Port Weller]] on [[Lake Ontario]], and [[Port Colborne]] on [[Lake Erie]], and was erected because the [[Niagara River]]—the only natural waterway connecting the lakes—was unnavigable due to [[Niagara Falls]].  The Welland Canal enables ships to ascend and descend the [[Niagara Escarpment]], and has followed four different routes since it opened.

The Welland Canal<ref name=":0" /> passes about 3,000 ships which transport about {{convert|40|e6t|e9lb|abbr=off}} of cargo a year. It was a major factor in the growth of the city of [[Toronto, Ontario]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.portstoronto.com/port-of-toronto/225-years-of-port-activity.aspx |title=225 Years of Port Activity |website=PortsToronto}}</ref> The original canal and its successors allowed goods from [[Great Lakes]] ports such as [[Cleveland]], [[Detroit]], [[Milwaukee]], and [[Chicago]], as well as other heavily industrialized areas of the [[United States]] and [[Ontario]], to be shipped to the [[Port of Montreal]] or to [[Port of Quebec|Quebec City]], where they were usually reloaded onto ocean-going vessels for international shipping.

Since its initial opening on November 30, 1829, the canal has been reconstructed numerous times to accommodate larger vessels and provide for quicker navigation. The First Welland Canal was excavated between 1824 and 1829, and operated until 1845. The Second Welland Canal, built between 1841 and 1845, had locks made of stone rather than wood, and had greater width and depth than the First Canal; it remained in operation for nearly a century before closing permanently in 1935. The Third Welland Canal, built between 1872 and 1877, was deeper and wider still and cut a straighter path through the escarpment, and featured 26 masonry locks lined with wood to protect ships rubbing against the sides or bottom; it too operated until 1935. The Fourth Welland Canal began construction in 1913 and, after a delay due to [[World War I]], was eventually completed in 1932; deeper and wider than the Third Canal, its opening permitted two large ships to pass going in opposite directions, and it featured only eight locks, as compared with the 40 locks of the First Canal. It remains in operation to this day.<ref name="The Welland Canals – History">{{cite web | url=http://wellandcanals.ca/History.html | title=The Welland Canals – History }}</ref>

The Welland Canal eclipsed{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} other, narrower canals in the region, such as the [[Trent-Severn Waterway]] and, significantly, the [[Erie Canal]] (which linked the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] and Lake Erie via [[New York City]] and [[Buffalo, New York]]) by providing a shorter, more direct connection from Port Colbourne on Lake Erie to Port Weller on Lake Ontario.

The southern, Lake Erie terminus of the canal is {{convert|99.5|m|ft|abbr=off}} higher than the northern terminus on Lake Ontario. The canal includes eight {{convert|24.4|m|ft|adj=mid|-wide}} [[lock (water transport)|ship locks]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/pdf/welland.pdf |title=Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System – The Welland Canal Section of the St. Lawrence Searey |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119003530/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/pdf/welland.pdf |archive-date=November 19, 2012 }}</ref> Seven of the locks (Locks 1–7, the 'Lift' locks) are {{convert|233.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} long and raise (or lower) passing ships by between {{convert|43|and|49|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} each. The southernmost lock, (Lock 8 – the 'Guard' or 'Control' lock) is {{convert|349.9|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.offshoreblue.com/cruising/welland-canal.php|title=The Welland Canal – Navigation, Locks, Distances, and Passage Information|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710063950/http://www.offshoreblue.com/cruising/welland-canal.php|archive-date=July 10, 2017}}</ref> The [[Garden City Skyway]] passes over the canal, restricting the maximum height of the masts of the ships allowed on this canal to {{convert|35.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

All other highway or railroad crossings of the Welland Canal are either [[movable bridge]]s (of the [[vertical-lift bridge|vertical lift]] or [[bascule bridge]] types) or tunnels. The [[Seawaymax|maximum permissible length of a ship in this canal]] is {{convert|225.5|m|ft|abbr=off}}. It takes ships an average of about eleven hours to traverse the entire length of the Welland Canal.

==History==
{{more citations needed|section|date=November 2018}}<!--First Canal has few references, 2nd/3rd/bypass subsections have none-->
Before the digging of the Welland Canal, shipping traffic between [[Lake Ontario]] and [[Lake Erie]] used a portage road between [[Chippawa, Ontario]], and [[Queenston, Ontario]], which are both located on the [[Niagara River]]—above and below [[Niagara Falls]], respectively.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

===First Welland Canal===
{{main|First Welland Canal}}

The [[Welland Canal Company]] was incorporated by the Province of Upper Canada, in 1824, after a petition by nine "freeholders of the District of Niagara". One of the petitioners was [[William Hamilton Merritt]], who was in part looking to provide a regular flow of water for his many [[Watermill|water-powered]] industries along the [[Twelve Mile Creek (Ontario)|Twelve Mile Creek]] in [[Thorold]]. The construction began at [[Allanburg, Ontario]], on November 30, at a point now marked as such on the west end of Bridge No. 11 (formerly [[Highway 20 (Ontario)|Highway 20]]). This canal opened for a trial run on November 30, 1829. After a short ceremony at Lock One, in Port Dalhousie, the schooner ''Anne & Jane'' (also called "Annie & Jane" in some texts<ref>{{cite book|last1=Merrit|first1=Jedediah|title=Biography of the Hon. W. H. Merritt, M. P|date=1875|publisher=E. S. Leavenworth|location=St. Catharines|pages=123|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=09EOAAAAYAAJ&q=schooner+annie+and+jane&pg=PA123|access-date=April 6, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405104216/https://books.google.com/books?id=09EOAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA123&lpg=PA123&dq=schooner+annie+and+jane&source=bl&ots=gYhld0vsgd&sig=N4akDHaxaGVITP7zUT2d_pDfc48&hl=en&sa=X&ei=i5IiVaXZA5e_sQSvoIDQAQ&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=schooner%20annie%20and%20jane&f=false|archive-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref>) made the first transit, upbound to [[Buffalo, New York]], with Merritt as a passenger on her deck.

The first canal ran from [[Port Dalhousie, Ontario]], on Lake Ontario south along Twelve Mile Creek to [[St. Catharines]]. From there it took a winding route up the [[Niagara Escarpment]] through [[Merritton, Ontario]], to [[Thorold]], where it continued south via Allanburg to [[Port Robinson, Ontario]], on the [[Welland River]]. Ships went east (downstream) on the Welland River to Chippawa, at the south (upper) end of the old portage road, where they made a sharp right turn into the Niagara River, upstream towards Lake Erie. Originally, the section between Allanburg and Port Robinson was planned to be carried in a tunnel. However, the sandy soil in this part of [[Ontario]] made a tunnel infeasible, and a deep open-cut canal was dug instead.

A southern extension from Port Robinson opened in 1833, with the founding of Port Colborne. This extension followed the Welland River south to [[Welland]] (known then as the settlement of Aqueduct, for the wooden [[Navigable aqueduct|aqueduct]] that carried the canal over the Welland River at that point), and then split to run south to [[Port Colborne]] on Lake Erie. A feeder canal ran southwest from Welland to another point on Lake Erie, just west of [[Rock Point Provincial Park]] in [[Port Maitland, Ontario|Port Maitland]]. With the opening of the extension, the canal stretched {{convert|44|km|mi|abbr=on}} between the two lakes, with 40 wooden locks. The minimum lock size was {{convert|33.5|by|6.7|m|ft|abbr=on}}, with a minimum canal depth of {{convert|2.4|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

Deterioration of the wood used in the 40 locks and the increasing size of ships led to demand for the Second Welland Canal, which used cut stone locks, within just a few years.<ref name="Chambers2008">{{cite book|last=Chambers|first=Melanie|title=Frommer's Niagara Region|url=https://archive.org/details/frommersniagarar00mela|url-access=registration|date=February 26, 2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-15324-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/frommersniagarar00mela/page/199 199]}}</ref>

===Second Welland Canal===
[[File:Welland Canal - Second Canal - Lock.jpg|thumb|A lock of the second Welland Canal]]

In 1839 the government of [[Upper Canada]] approved the purchase of [[share (finance)|share]]s in the private canal company in response to the company's continuing financial problems in the face of the continental financial [[panic of 1837]]. The public buyout was completed in 1841, and work began to deepen the canal and to reduce the number of locks to 27, each {{convert|45.7|by|8.1|m|ft|abbr=on}}. By 1846, a {{convert|2.7|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} deep path was completed through the Welland Canal, and by 1848 that depth was extended the rest of the way to the Atlantic Ocean via the future path of the [[St. Lawrence Seaway]].

Competition came in 1854 with the opening of the [[Erie and Ontario Railway]], running parallel to the original portage road. In 1859, the [[Welland Railway]] opened, parallel to the canal and with the same endpoints. But this railway was affiliated with the canal, and was actually used to help transfer cargoes from the lake ships, which were too large for the small canal locks, to the other end of the canal (The [[Trillium Railway]] owns the railway's remnants and [[Port Colborne Harbour Railway]]). Smaller ships called "canallers" also took a part of these loads. Due to this problem, it was soon apparent the canal would have to be enlarged again.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}} On April 20, 1882 the canal was re-opened, increasing the depth to twelve feet throughout. The increased depth allowed for ships carrying up to 24,000 bushels of grain to navigate the canal whereas they previously they had only been able to carry about 18,000 bushels. The first trip from Oswego carried 700 tons of coal, compared to 500 tons which was possible before the increased depth.<ref name="Scientific American, a division of Nature America, Inc. 1882 pp. 279–279">{{cite journal | title=New Welland Canal | journal=Scientific American | publisher=Scientific American, a division of Nature America, Inc. | volume=46 | issue=18 | year=1882 | issn=0036-8733 | jstor=26079026 | pages=279 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/26079026 | access-date=April 20, 2024}}</ref>

===Third Welland Canal===
[[File:Welland canal a030556.jpg|thumb|Aerial photo of Port Dalhousie from the third canal era. 3rd canal lock at left, 2nd canal lock at right. Note 3rd canal towpath at upper left and Muir brothers' ship yard centre right.]]
[[File:Old welland canal lock 2.JPG|thumb|left|Abandoned locks of the third canal]]

In 1887, a new shorter alignment was completed between St. Catharines and Port Dalhousie. One of the most interesting features of this third Welland Canal was the [[Merritton Tunnel]], built in 1876 on the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] line that ran under the canal between Locks 18 and 19. Another nearby tunnel carried the canal over a sunken section of the St David's Road. The new route had a minimum depth of {{convert|4.3|m|ft|abbr=on}} with 26 stone locks, each {{convert|82.3|m|ft|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|13.7|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide. Even so, the canal was still too small for many boats.
{{clear}}

===Fourth (current) Welland Canal===
[[File:MS Isa Welland Canal Lock 7.jpg|thumb|MS Isa lifted in Lock 7]]
[[File:132 JUNO in den Welland-Kanalschleusen.jpg|thumb|MS Juno leaving Lock 4]]
Construction on the current canal began in 1913, but work was put on hold from 1916 to 1919 due to a shortage of men and workers during [[World War I]] (1914–18) and was completed and officially opened on August 6, 1932. Dredging to the planned 25 foot depth was not completed until 1935. The route was again changed north of St. Catharines, now running directly north to [[Port Weller, Ontario|Port Weller]]. In this configuration, there are eight locks, seven at the Niagara Escarpment and the eighth, a [[control lock|guard lock]], at Port Colborne to adjust with the varying water depth in Lake Erie. The depth was now {{convert|7.6|m|ft|abbr=on}}, with locks {{convert|233.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|24.4|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide. This canal is officially known now as the '''Welland Ship Canal'''. The Welland Canal's first "hands-free" [[Suction cup|vacuum]] [[Mooring (watercraft)#Other types|mooring]] was tested in Lock 7 prior to 2014.<ref>[http://www.marinepilots.ca/presentations/Pilotage-on-the-Welland-Canal-Mike-Burgess-IMPA-Congress-Panama-2014.pdf Pilotage on the Welland Canal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809152555/http://www.marinepilots.ca/presentations/Pilotage-on-the-Welland-Canal-Mike-Burgess-IMPA-Congress-Panama-2014.pdf |date=August 9, 2017 }} page 6</ref> The installation of the updated systems for Locks 1 through 7 was originally set to be completed in 2017, but the project was not finished until early 2018 after unforeseen delays.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://coms.events/pianc-panama/data/abstracts/en/abstract_0133.html |title=Navigation Improvements for the Welland Canal |last=Miles |first=William |publisher=PIANC Panama|date=May 8, 2018|access-date=February 24, 2023|quote=(SLSMC) has recently completed two improvement projects for the Niagara Region of the St. Lawrence Seaway System on the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225031709/https://coms.events/pianc-panama/data/abstracts/en/abstract_0133.html |archive-date=February 25, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/08/07/search-engine-vacuum-pads-suck-ships-on-canal|title=Vacuum pads suck ships on canal|date=August 8, 2015|access-date=March 12, 2017|quote=next up are the flight Locks 4, 5 and 6, which will be prepped over the winter with installation scheduled for next year.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313041008/http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/08/07/search-engine-vacuum-pads-suck-ships-on-canal|archive-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|6J0tdUgVXK4 |Construction of new Cavotec vacuum mooring system at Locks 4 & 5}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|B1SCmYiqJTo |Construction of new Cavotec vacuum mooring system at Lock 4}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|DLHjJ7vJ6z8 |Welland Canal, suction lift mooring system}}</ref>

====Welland By-Pass====
In the 1950s, with the building of the present St. Lawrence Seaway, a standard depth of {{convert|8.2|m|ft|abbr=on}} was adopted. The {{convert|13.4|km|mi|adj=on}} long [[Welland By-Pass]], built between 1967 and 1972, opened for the 1973 shipping season, providing a new and shorter alignment between Port Robinson and Port Colborne and by-passing downtown Welland. All three crossings of the new alignment—one an aqueduct for the Welland River—were built as tunnels. Around the same time, the [[Thorold Tunnel]] was built at Thorold and several bridges were removed.

===Proposed Fifth Welland Canal===
These projects were to be tied into a proposed new canal, titled the '''Fifth Welland Canal''', which was planned to by-pass most of the existing canal to the east and to cross the Niagara Escarpment in four twinned [[Panamax]] locks. While land for the project was [[Eminent domain|expropriated]] and early designs initiated, the project never got past early planning or construction stages and has since been shelved.

The present Welland Ship Canal was originally designed to last until 2030, almost 100 years after it first opened, and 200 years since the first full shipping season of the original canal in 1830. Subsequent improvements to the canal infrastructure mean that it may last much longer before it needs to be replaced.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/welland-canal-b-1829-still-work-progress_19990310.html|title=WELLAND CANAL (B. 1829) STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS|website=www.joc.com|language=en|access-date=December 7, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208003541/https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/welland-canal-b-1829-still-work-progress_19990310.html|archive-date=December 8, 2017}}</ref>

==Accidents==
On June 20, 1912, the government survey steamer ''La Canadienne'' lost control due to mechanical problems in the engine room and smashed into the upstream gates of Lock No. 22 of the 3rd Welland Canal, forcing them open by six inches. The resulting surge of water flooded downstream, cresting the upstream gates of Lock No. 21 where five boys were fishing. One boy ran to safety and one of the boys was saved by a government surveyor. But the remaining three<ref>{{cite news | title = ''Three Boys Drowned When Steamer Broke Thru Gates Of Canal'' | work = Toronto World  | date = June 21, 1912}}</ref> were knocked into the water, drowning in the surge.

[[File:Port Robinson Welland Canal10 Bridge12 after collision with Steelton Aug25 1974.jpg|thumb|Aftermath of the collision with the Port Robinson Bridge 12]]

On August 25, 1974, the northbound ore-carrier [[Port Robinson, Ontario#The demise of Bridge 12|''Steelton'' struck Bridge 12]] in Port Robinson. The bridge was rising and the impact knocked the bridge over, destroying it. No one was killed. The bridge master, Albert Beaver, and a watchman on the ship suffered minor injuries. The bridge has not been replaced and the inhabitants of Port Robinson have been served by a ferry for many years.

On August 11, 2001, the [[lake freighter]] ''[[MS Windoc (1959)|Windoc]]'' collided with Bridge 11 in Allanburg, closing vessel traffic on the Welland Canal for two days. The accident destroyed the ship's [[bridge (ship)|wheelhouse]] and funnel (chimney), ignited a large fire on board, and caused minor damage to the vertical-lift bridge. The accident and portions of its aftermath were captured on amateur video.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Wn2RDzsvg|title=Windoc Bridge Accident|work=YouTube|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061218111241/http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DD2Wn2RDzsvg|archive-date=December 18, 2006}}</ref>  The vessel was a total loss, but there were no reported injuries, and no pollution to the waterway. The damage to the bridge was focused on the centre of the vertical-lift span. It was repaired over a number of weeks and reopened to vehicular traffic on November 16, 2001. The Marine Investigation Report concluded, "it is likely that the [vertical-lift bridge] operator's performance was impaired while the bridge span was lowered onto the Windoc."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bst.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/marine/2001/m01c0054/m01c0054.asp|title=Transportation Safety Board of Canada – Marine Investigation Report M01C0054|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706181402/http://bst.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/marine/2001/m01c0054/m01c0054.asp|archive-date=July 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilot1LVvioM|title=YouTube|website=[[YouTube]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529122509/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilot1LVvioM|archive-date=May 29, 2016}}</ref>

At around noon on Wednesday September 30, 2015, the Lena J cargo ship collided with Bridge 19 in Port Colborne, closing the bridge to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic until an assessment could be made on the condition of the bridge.<ref name="niagarathisweek.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/5943018-port-colborne-bridge-still-closed-to-vehicles-after-collision-with-ship/|title=Port Colborne bridge still closed to vehicles after collision with ship|date=October 2, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005163555/http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/5943018-port-colborne-bridge-still-closed-to-vehicles-after-collision-with-ship/|archive-date=October 5, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vesselfinder.com/news/4388-Cargo-Ship-clips-bridge-in-Port-Colborne-Canada|title=Cargo Ship clips bridge in Port Colborne, Canada – Vesselfinder|website=www.vesselfinder.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005125020/https://www.vesselfinder.com/news/4388-Cargo-Ship-clips-bridge-in-Port-Colborne-Canada|archive-date=October 5, 2015}}</ref> The vessel had sustained damage to its bridge, but was still able to continue on its voyage to Burns Harbour, Indiana. Pictures of the damage sustained to the vessel and Bridge 19 were captured.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/10/01/collision-closes-port-colborne-bridge|title=St. Catharines News – Latest Daily Breaking News Stories – StCatharinesStandard.ca|website=StCatharinesStandard.ca|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005214340/http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/10/01/collision-closes-port-colborne-bridge|archive-date=October 5, 2015}}</ref> On Friday October 1, 2015, Chris Lee, an acting direct engineer for the City of Port Colborne, said that the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) will likely close the bridge to all vehicle traffic until the end of the year. However, pedestrians will be able to cross the bridge, and emergency services will be able to cross the bridge on a limited basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portcolborne.ca/page/Bridge_Status|title=City of Port Colborne – Bridge Status|website=portcolborne.ca|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006233705/http://portcolborne.ca/page/Bridge_Status|archive-date=October 6, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2015/10/02/port-colborne-bridge-to-be-closed-for-months|title=Welland News – Latest Daily Breaking News Stories – WellandTribune.ca|website=WellandTribune.ca|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006012128/http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2015/10/02/port-colborne-bridge-to-be-closed-for-months|archive-date=October 6, 2015}}</ref><ref name="niagarathisweek.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://eriemedia.ca/status-of-bridge-19-port-colborne/|title=Status of Bridge 19 Port Colborne|first=Press|last=Release|date=October 2, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006002105/http://eriemedia.ca/status-of-bridge-19-port-colborne/|archive-date=October 6, 2015}}</ref> On Tuesday October 6, 2015, the City of Port Colborne released a media statement, which stated that Bridge 19, "will remain closed to vehicular traffic until after the close of the shipping season in December. Repairs will begin in early January." Detour routes have been planned and mapped by the City of Port Colborne and the City of Welland in order to ease the flow of traffic over Bridge 19A.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portcolborne.ca/fileBin/library/Media%20Release%20-%20Port%20Colborne%20Bridge%20Closures.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=October 7, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305150236/http://portcolborne.ca/fileBin/library/Media%20Release%20-%20Port%20Colborne%20Bridge%20Closures.pdf |archive-date=March 5, 2016 }}</ref>

The Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial at Lock 3 was unveiled on November 12, 2017. This commemorates the 137 workers who died while building the canal.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/governin/Fallen-Workers-Memorial.asp |title=Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial |access-date=November 17, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118221916/https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/governin/Fallen-Workers-Memorial.asp |archive-date=November 18, 2017 }}</ref>

On July 11, 2020 two cargo ships, the ''Alanis'' and the ''Florence Spirit'', struck each other while executing a passing manoeuvre near [[Port Robinson, Ontario|Port Robinson]]. According to the [[St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation]], no one was injured, no cargo was spilled, and an investigation would be undertaken.<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 11, 2020|title=Dramatic collision between two vessels on Welland Canal caught on tape|work=[[CityNews]]|url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2020/07/11/dramatic-collision-between-two-vessels-on-welland-canal-caught-on-tape/|access-date=July 11, 2020}}</ref> The final investigation report was released in August 2022.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 29, 2022|title=Marine transportation safety investigation report M20C0188|work=[[Transportation Safety Board of Canada]]|url=https://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/marine/2020/m20c0188/m20c0188.html|access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref>

==Sabotage==
The Welland Canal has been the focus of plots on a number of occasions throughout its existence. However, only two have ever been carried out. The earliest and potentially most devastating attack occurred on September 9, 1841,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/article/624304--canal-has-been-terrorist-target-brock-prof| title = Canal has been terrorist target: Brock prof | work = Niagara This Week  | date = February 26, 2010}}</ref> at Lock No. 37 (Allanburg) of the First Welland Canal ({{coord|43.07796|N|79.20991|W|}}) (approximately 180&nbsp;m north of today's [[Welland Canal Bridge 11|Allanburg bridge]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wellandcanals.com/forum/index.php?topic=396.0 |title=宜春滤伦科技有限公司 |access-date=February 28, 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718023633/http://wellandcanals.com/forum/index.php?topic=396.0 |archive-date=July 18, 2011 }}</ref> when an explosive charge destroyed one of the lock gates. However, a catastrophic flood was prevented when a guard gate located upstream of the lock closed into place preventing the upstream waters from careening down the route of the Canal and causing further damage and possible injury or loss of life. It was suspected that [[Benjamin Lett]] was responsible for the explosion.

On April 21, 1900, about 6:30 in the evening,<ref name=Clark121>Clark ''The Irish relations: trials of an immigrant tradition'', p.121</ref> a dynamite charge was set off against the hinges of Lock No. 24 of the Third Welland Canal (just to the east of Lock No. 7 of today's canal ({{coord|43.122976|N|79.192372|W|}})), doing minor damage. This time, the saboteurs were caught in nearby Thorold. John Walsh, John Nolan and the ringleader "Dynamite" Luke Dillon (a member of [[Clan-na-Gael]])<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2455912| title = ''Dynamite Luke among canal's terrorists'' | work = Welland Tribune  | date = February 19, 2010}}</ref> were tried at the Welland Courthouse and found guilty, receiving life sentences at [[Kingston Penitentiary]]. The "star witness" at the trial was a 16-year-old Thorold girl named Euphemia Constable, who caught a good look at the bombers before being knocked unconscious by the blast. While waiting to testify, the girl received death threats, but, they turned out to be a [[hoax]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}} As for the prisoners, Nolan lost his sanity while incarcerated, John Walsh was eventually released while Luke Dillon remained in custody until July 12, 1914.<ref name=Clark122>Clark ''The Irish relations: trials of an immigrant tradition'', p.122</ref>

The [[First World War]] brought with it plots against the canal and the most notable of them came to be known as "The Von Papen Plot". In April 1916, a United States [[federal grand jury]] issued an indictment against [[Franz von Papen]], Captain [[Hans Tauscher]], Captain [[Karl Boy-Ed]], Constantine Covani and [[Franz von Rintelen]] on charges of a plot to blow up the Welland Canal.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=Tauscher, Figure In 1916 Plot, Dies. Acquitted of Charges That He Planned to Blow Up Welland Canal in World War. Served Krupp Interests. Ex-Aide of von Papen Had Arms Firms Here. Husband of Johanna Gadski, Singer |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B03EEDC103FE13BBC4E53DFBF66838A659EDE |quote=Captain Hans Tauscher, former officer of the Imperial German Army, who was indicted with Franz von Papen during the World War but acquitted by a Federal jury of charges that he conspired to blow up the strategic Welland Canal, died here yesterday in [[Saint Clare's Hospital (Manhattan)|St. Clare's Hospital]]. ... |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=September 6, 1941 |access-date=March 21, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402183446/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B03EEDC103FE13BBC4E53DFBF66838A659EDE |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B04E2DC163BE633A2575BC1A9629C946796D6CF| title = Indict Von Papen As Canal Plotter. Federal Jury Names Recalled Attache and Four Others in Welland Conspiracy. One Name is Kept Secret. Captain, Tauscher, Fritzen, Covani, and Another Accused| newspaper = [[New York Times]]| date = April 18, 1916| quote = Captain Franz von Papen, Military Attache of the German Embassy, who was recently, at the request of the United States Government, recalled to Germany, was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury yesterday as one of the heads of the alleged conspiracy that was hatched in this country in the first weeks of the war to destroy the Welland Canal, which forms the navigating link in Canadian territory between Lakes Erie and Ontario. ...| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305043528/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B04E2DC163BE633A2575BC1A9629C946796D6CF| archive-date = March 5, 2016| df = mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |page= 652 |title=Welland Canal Case |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g8dPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA652 |newspaper=Information Annual |date=1917 |access-date=March 23, 2015 }}</ref> However, Papen was at the time safely on German soil, having been expelled from the US (where he had been serving as a German military attaché) several months previously for alleged earlier acts of espionage and attempted sabotage.

Von Papen remained under indictment on these charges until he became [[Chancellor of Germany (German Reich)|Chancellor of Germany]] in 1932, at which time the charges were dropped.

==Shipping season==
The canal regularly opens late March through December, with closure in the winter due to hazardous weather. On March 20, 2007, the record for the earliest season opening was broken,<ref name="2007-opening" /> and matched the following year.<ref name="2008-opening" />

==Facts and figures==

===Current canal===
* Maximum vessel length: {{convert|225.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}
* Maximum vessel draft: {{convert|8.08|m|ft|abbr=on}}
* Maximum above-water clearance: {{convert|35.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}
* Elevation change between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie: {{convert|99.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}
* Average transit time between the lakes: 11 hours
* Length of canal: {{convert|43.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}

===Increasing lock size===

{|class="wikitable"
!Canal
!First (1829)
!Second (1846)
!Third (1887)
!Fourth (1932)
|-
!Locks
|align="right"|40
|align="right"|27
|align="right"|26
|align="right"|8
|-
!Width (metres)
|align="right"|6.7
|align="right"|8.1
|align="right"|13.7
|align="right"|24.4
|-
!Length (metres)
|align="right"|33.5
|align="right"|45.7
|align="right"|82.3
|align="right"|261.8
|-
!Depth (metres)
|align="right"|2.4
|align="right"|2.7
|align="right"|4.3
|align="right"|8.2
|}

===List of locks and crossings===
Locks and crossings are numbered from north to south.
{{Welland Canals map}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Municipality
!Lock or bridge number <sup>†</sup>
!Crossing
!Remarks
|-
|[[St. Catharines]]
|Lock 1
|
|{{coord|43.217484|N|79.212992|W|}}
|-
|St. Catharines
|Bridge 1
|Lakeshore Road (Regional Road 87)
|[[Bascule bridge]]
|-
|style="color: #777;"|St. Catharines
|style="color: #777;"|Bridge 2
|style="color: #777;"|Church Road (Now Linwell Road)
|style="color: #777;"|Never installed
|-
|St. Catharines
|Lock 2
|
|{{coord|43.193131|N|79.202178|W|}}
|-
|St. Catharines
|Bridge 3A
|Carlton Street (Regional Road 83)
|style="color: #777;"|Bascule bridge.  Replaced original Bridge 3 (destroyed in accident)
|-
|St. Catharines
|Bridge 4A
|[[Garden City Skyway]]: [[Queen Elizabeth Way]]
|
|-
|St. Catharines
|Bridge 4
|Queenston Street (Regional Road 81) (former [[Ontario Highway 8|Highway 8]])
|[[Bascule bridge]], also known as "Homer Lift Bridge"
|-
|St. Catharines
|Lock 3
|
|{{coord|43.155230|N|79.193058|W|}}<br>location of Welland Canal Information Centre
|-
|St. Catharines
|Bridge 5
|Glendale Avenue (Regional Road 89)
|[[Vertical-lift bridge]]
|-
|[[St Catharines]]
|Bridge 6
|[[Great Western Railway (Ontario)]]<br />(now [[Canadian National Railway]])
|Bascule bridge
|-
|St Catharines
|Lock 4
|
|twinned [[Canal lock#Staircase locks|flight lock]]
|-
|Thorold
|Locks 5–6
|
|{{coord|43.134283|N|79.191899|W|}}<br>twinned [[Canal lock#Staircase locks|flight lock]]s
|-
|Thorold
|Lock 7
|
|{{coord|43.123446|N|79.193895|W|}}<br>southernmost lift over the [[Niagara Escarpment]]
|-
|style="color: #777;"|Thorold
|style="color: #777;"|Bridge 7
|style="color: #777;"|Hoover Street
|style="color: #777;"|removed
|-
|style="color: #777;"|Thorold
|style="color: #777;"|Bridge 8
|style="color: #777;"|[[Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway]]<br />(now Canadian National Railway)
|style="color: #777;"|removed
|-
|Thorold
|
|[[Thorold Tunnel]], carries [[Ontario Highway 58|Highway 58]]
|
|-
|style="color: #777;"|Thorold
|style="color: #777;"|Bridge 9
|style="color: #777;"|Ormond Street
|style="color: #777;"|removed
|-
|style="color: #777;"|Thorold
|style="color: #777;"|Bridge 10
|style="color: #777;"|[[Welland Railway]]<br />(now Canadian National Railway)
|style="color: #777;"|removed winter 1998
|-
|Thorold
|[[Welland Canal Bridge 11|Bridge 11]]
|Canboro Road (Regional Road 20) (former [[Ontario Highway 20|Highway 20]])
|Vertical-lift bridge. Lowered prematurely on ''[[MS Windoc (1959)|Windoc]]'' in 2001
|-
|style="color: #777;"|Thorold
|style="color: #777;"|Bridge 12
|style="color: #777;"|Bridge Street (Regional Road 63)
|style="color: #777;"|[[Port Robinson, Ontario#The demise of Bridge 12|destroyed by the ''Steelton'' in 1974]], replaced by a pedestrian ferry
|-
|[[Welland]]
|
|[[Main Street Tunnel (Welland)|Main Street Tunnel]]: (Highway 7146)
|
|-
|Welland
|
|[[Townline Tunnel]]: Highway 58A and [[Canadian National Railway]]/[[Penn Central]]
|
|-
|[[Port Colborne]]
|Bridge 19
|Main Street (Regional Road 3) [[Ontario Highway 3|Highway 3]]
|Bascule bridge
|-
|Port Colborne
|Lock 8
|
|{{coord|42.899122|N|79.246166|W|}}<br>[[control lock]]
|-
|Port Colborne
|Bridge 19A
|Mellanby Avenue (Regional Road 3A)
|Bascule bridge
|-
|style="color: #777;"|Port Colborne
|style="color: #777;"|Bridge 20
|style="color: #777;"|[[Buffalo and Lake Huron Railroad]]<br />(now Canadian National Railway)
|style="color: #777;"|removed winter 1997
|-
|Port Colborne
|[[Clarence Street Bridge|Bridge 21]]
|Clarence Street
|Vertical-lift bridge
|}

==Profile==
The following illustration depicts the profile of the Welland Canal. The horizontal axis is the length of the canal. The vertical axis is the elevation of the canal segments above mean sea level.
[[File:Welland canal profile.svg|frame|center|Profile of the Welland Canal from Lake Ontario (left) to Lake Erie (right)]]

==Old alignment prior to Welland By-Pass relocation==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width="25%"|Municipality
!width="10%"|Bridge Number <sup>†</sup>
!width="35%"|Crossing
!width="30%"|Remarks
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"|'''Welland Recreational Waterway''' branches off from the [[Welland By-Pass]] at [[Port Robinson, Ontario|Port Robinson]]
|-
|[[Thorold]]
|
|[[Canadian National Railway]]
|built during the relocation
|-
|Thorold
|
|[[Ontario Highway 406|Highway 406]]
|built after the relocation
|-
|[[Welland]]
|
|Woodlawn Road (Regional Road 41)
|built after the relocation
|-
|Welland
|[[Welland Canal Bridge 13|Bridge 13]]
|East Main Street/West Main Street (Regional Road 27)
|[[lift bridge|vertical-lift bridge]], counterweights removed  {{Coord|42|59|30|N|79|15|05|W|scale:10000_type:landmark_region:CA-ON|name=Welland Canal, Bridge 13}}
|-
|Welland
|
|Division Street (Regional Road 527)
|built after the relocation
|-
|Welland
|Bridge 14
|Lincoln Street
|rebuilt as fixed-span after the relocation  {{Coord|42|59|01|N|79|15|16|W|scale:10000_type:landmark_region:CA-ON|name=Welland Canal, Bridge 14}}
|-
|Welland
|[[Welland Canal Bridge 15|Bridge 15]]
|[[Canada Southern Railway]] ([[Penn Central]])
|rare Baltimore [[truss bridge|truss]] [[swing bridge]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicbridges.org/truss/wellandrr/index.htm|title=Welland Railway Bridge|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115052726/http://www.historicbridges.org/truss/wellandrr/index.htm|archive-date=January 15, 2008}}</ref> {{Coord|42|58|37|N|79|15|21|W|scale:10000_type:landmark_region:CA-ON|name=Welland Canal, Bridge 15}}
|-
|Welland
|Bridge 16
|Ontario Road/Broadway Avenue
|rebuilt as fixed-span after the relocation, the new span located to the north of the original site of Bridge 16 {{Coord|42|58|25|N|79|15|21|W|scale:10000_type:landmark_region:CA-ON|name=Welland Canal, Bridge 16}}
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"|cut by western approaches to [[Townline Tunnel]] (Highway 58A and [[Canadian National Railway]]/[[Penn Central]])
|-
|Welland
|Bridge 17
|[[Canada Air-Line Railway]] (now [[Canadian National Railway]])
|vertical-lift bridge, counterweights still present {{Coord|42|56|57|N|79|15|00|W|scale:10000_type:landmark_region:CA-ON|name=Welland Canal, Bridge 17}}
|-
|Welland
|Bridge 18
|Forks Road
|bridge span removed {{Coord|42|56|50|N|79|14|58|W|scale:10000_type:landmark_region:CA-ON|name=Welland Canal, Bridge 18}}
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"|'''Welland Recreational Waterway''' merges with the [[Welland By-Pass]] at Ramey's Bend in [[Port Colborne]]
|}

<sup>†</sup> If assigned by the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority. The original bridges across the fourth canal were numbered in order. Numbering was not changed as bridges were removed.

==See also==
* [[Container on barge]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="2007-opening">
  {{cite news
  | title = Welland Canal Opens Today, just Beating the Arrival of Spring
  | date = March 20, 2007
| page = A21
  | work = Toronto Star
  | location = Toronto
  }}
</ref>
<ref name="2008-opening">
  {{cite web
  | title = Canal opens for 2008 shipping season
  | website = niagarathisweek.com
  | date = March 26, 2008
| access-date = September 2, 2020
| url = https://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/3290087-canal-opens-for-2008-shipping-season/
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180125203623/https://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/3290087-canal-opens-for-2008-shipping-season/
  | archive-date = January 25, 2018
| url-status = live
  }}
</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Welland Canal}}
* [http://www.wellandcanals.ca Wellandcanals.ca – Detailed photo tours of all Four Welland Canals]
* [http://images.ourontario.ca/Brock/Results.asp?grd=105 Survey maps of the First and Second Welland Canals at Brock University]
* [http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/R2/jsp/R2.jsp?language=E&loc=VT00.jsp Official Seaway Schedule Page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612190635/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/R2/jsp/R2.jsp?language=E&loc=VT00.jsp |date=June 12, 2008 }}
* [https://greatlakes-seaway.com/navigating-the-seaway/welland/ Official Seaway Traffic Map Page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612101610/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/navigating/map/index.html |date=June 12, 2010 }}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=3ScDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1931+plane&pg=PA62 "New Inland Canal Rivals Panama", February 1931, Popular Science]
* [http://oldwellandcanals.wikidot.com/ The Old Welland Canals Field Guide]
* [https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&view=map&msa=0&msid=105822307812007027098.000469aac1d826988241b&ll=43.156185,-79.249556&spn=0.011489,0.02429&t=h&z=16/ Exploring the Old Welland Canals] (Google map)
* [http://www.niagararails.com/maps.shtml Railway Maps] (includes details of the Welland Realignment)
* [http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/pdf/welland.pdf The Welland Canal Section of the St. Lawrence Seaway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119003530/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/pdf/welland.pdf |date=November 19, 2012 }} ([[PDF]])
* [http://www.historicbridges.org/b_c_on_niagara.htm Has information about Niagara Region bridges, including many Welland Canal Bridges.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927030002/http://www.historicbridges.org/b_c_on_niagara.htm |date=September 27, 2011 }}
* [http://www.welland.library.on.ca/digital/Chist.htm Welland Public Library archive of canal history images & clippings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802072828/http://www.welland.library.on.ca/digital/Chist.htm |date=August 2, 2018 }}
* [http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/results.asp?action=browse&q=295&key=335 Images from the Historic Niagara Digital Collections]
* [http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/results.asp?action=browse&q=79&key=335 Art works from the collection of the Niagara Falls Public Library]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Wn2RDzsvg "Windoc Bridge Accident."] ''YouTube'', 2006-09-30.
* [http://www.boatnerd.com/windoc/ Al Miller, "Windoc Accident."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205093938/http://www.boatnerd.com/windoc/ |date=February 5, 2012 }}
* [http://champlainsociety.utpjournals.press/doi/book/10.3138/9781442618732 The "Great Swivel Link": Canada's Welland Canal], a history of the canals published by the [[Champlain Society]] in 2000.
* [https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/5045 Welland Canal Records] Brock University Library Digital Repository
* [https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/5959William Hamilton Merritt Welland Canal circular RG 506] Brock University Library Digital Repository
* [https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/5042 Sykes fonds Welland Canal Scrapbook RG 341] Brock University Library Digital Repository
* [https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/9266 Ivan S. Brookes fonds RG 182] Brock University Library Digital Repository

{{coord|43|09|20.00|N|79|11|37.50|W|region:CA_type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Welland Canal}}
{{Greatlakes}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Welland Canal| ]]
[[Category:1830 establishments in Upper Canada]]
[[Category:Canals in Ontario]]
[[Category:Canals opened in 1830]]
[[Category:History of transport in Canada]]
[[Category:Saint Lawrence Seaway]]
[[Category:Ship canals]]
[[Category:Transport in St. Catharines]]
[[Category:Transport in Welland]]