The Final Voyage of the Ticonderoga

The Ticonderoga is the last intact steam engine ship in America

Story and photos by Jessica Shea

I am not someone who tapes five hour History Channel segments on the War of 1812, but recently I did watch The Final Voyage of the Ticonderoga, a short documentary film produced by Vermont Public Television. While it wasn't the most exhilarating 25 minutes of my life, I certainly didn't nod off from boredom either.

The first half of the documentary reviewed both the history of the S.S. Ticonderoga and its current condition. The 900-ton ship was first launched in 1906 and carried passengers and cargo across the waters of Lake Champlain. At a formidable 220-feet-long and 59-feet-wide, the Ticonderoga was revered as the "Queen of Lake Champlain" and is estimated to have carried one million passengers in her time on the water.

The video documents the decline of steam boats in transportation. By the middle of the 20th century, the popularity of steam boats was decreasing as diesel powered ships became more efficient in transporting people and goods. The 1950s saw financial trouble for the "Ti." In 1955, it was decided that the Ticonderoga would find a final resting place on the grounds of the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.

The focus of the documentary also covered the current state of the ship. After 47 active years in the water of Lake Champlain and over 50 years on land at the museum, the ship was in need of serious repair. The Ticonderoga received a full restoration through a $2 million dollar grant from Vermont philanthropists J. Warren and Lois McClure.

The second half of the documentary was a 1960s-esque informational video from the Shelburne Museum explaining the unlikely final voyage of the ship. "The Queen" left the waters of her much-traveled lake and traversed two miles inland to her final resting place on the grounds of the Shelburne Museum. This was, understandably, no easy task. The planning stage alone took months, as each stage of the move was meticulously thought out. The ship was floated into a manmade basin. The water was drained and a cradle was built for the ship. Crews laid down two miles of special railroad tracks over which the impressive load was hauled.

The Final Voyage of the Ticonderoga used a variety of visual means to convey the story of the ship. Pictures and video footage from the early 1900s were used in conjunction with recent interviews of people who have memories from when the ship was operational or people who are currently restoring the ship. Though none of the segments were absolutely riveting, I maintained a level of mild interest.

I particularly enjoyed the old informational video because of its quaint hokey-ness. It is a typical informational film from the 1960s and 1970s that used both expressive orchestra music in the background and a man's voice, which is somehow equally monotone and dramatic, to express grandeur on any situation. I couldn't help but chuckle at some of the lines in the video, such as: "a tremendous job of construction over a widespread area that had been turned into marshland by unseasonably warm weather. This called for emergency measures of heroic proportions."

Though The Final Voyage of the Ticonderoga certainly does not have the entertainment value of some recent documentaries like March of the Penguins, the film serves its purpose. It is an educational documentary and should be judged as such. Keeping that in mind, I feel Vermont Public Television did a decent job of chronicling the history of the S.S. Ticonderoga.

Have you ever seen or ridden on the Ticonderoga?

The Final Voyage of the Ticonderoga

25 minutes

Vermont Public Television

2004