Before Captain John
The History of The Jadran Before Toronto
The Jadran has sat at on Toronto’s waterfront for a long time. Until recently that didn't look like it would change, but as of later this week the ship will be removed from the harbor and scrapped.
I walked past the old ship last weekend and while gazing up that the vilified restaurant that has has gained so much media attention I had a thought…Where did this ship come from anyway?
As it turns out the Jadran has had an interesting life and one I think is worth cataloging.
Croatian Born
The Jadran started out as a cruise ship for Jadronlinija Lines, a ferry service in Croatia that still operates to this day.
The line carries both locals and tourists up and down the Adriatic coast while also making short stops at various towns and major locations.
When the Jadran was built, the line had 65 ships under its command and the Jadran and its sister ship, the Jugoslavija were commissioned to be the next additions.
Both ships were at the time considered to be some of the most opulent cruise ships in the Adriatic. They were very the first large passenger ships especially built for Jadrolinija Lines and featured both luxurious interiors and excellent accommodations both both passenger classes and its crew.
When the Jadran was completed in 1957 it featured a number of cabins for First Class, 159 passengers and a Tourist & Deck Class with space for 32 passengers. However facilities for both were the same only differing on the style of the cabin rooms, obviously First Class being more ordinate. This didn't seem to phase the Jadran’s passengers who remarked that either class was very comfortable.
High Seas Life
When the Jadran entered service she sailed on a somewhat longer route than her sister ships; operating between Venice, Rijeka, Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor, and Korfu to Piraeus. She also operated as a full time cruise ship during the off-season.
To keep the ship's high class image it was often based in Venice not Yugoslavia where the company's headquarters were located. The Jadran proved to be the most popular ship of its sisters and eventually she was placed on full time cruise ship duties.
However, the golden days didn't last long. Soon the company bought two larger and more luxurious ships named the MS Dalmacija and the Istra in the mid 1960's. The newer ships offered more comfort and space for passengers so slowly the company sold off the Jordan’s sister ships and in 1975 the Jadran was placed on the market.
A Toronto star article mentions that the Jadran was used by former Yugoslavia president Josip Broz Tito, however I can't seem to find any basis on this.
Toronto Bound
Eventually the ship was bought by John Letnik a Toronto entrepreneur who owned a successful seafood themed boat restaurant on the Toronto waterfront with an 1902 boat named the MS Normac. The Jadran was perfect for expanding his restaurant and when the deal was finalized it cost Letnik $875,000 to purchase the ship, the only catch being he now had to get it from the Adriatic sea to the Toronto harbour.
The journey took little over 15 days with a crew of 16 to help navigate and ensure the safe voyage of the ship across the North Atlantic from Pula, Yugoslavia to Toronto. The trip was nothing short from hectic as she was caught in a massive storm and was hit constantly by huge waves, but eventually she made it across with little damage. The ship was actually given a speeding ticket when it entered the St. Lawrence Seaway, almost as it if the ship was in a hurry to being its new life.
When the Jadran arrived in Toronto in the fall of 1975 she was greeted by a crowd of 150 officials and a few onlookers as it made its way to what would become its permanent home for the next four decades. Letnik then began working on getting the ship ready for its new duties with numerous renovations totaling around $3 million Canadian dollars.
In 1981 the smaller ship MS Normac was struck by a Toronto island ferry and it sunk to the bottom of the harbor. Thankfully the MS Normac was raised and refurbished and was able to begin serving seafaring patrons as a restaurant ship in Port Dalhousie, Ontario. The Jadran was slightly renovated to take on the extra patrons that would now dine in its halls.
For years the restaurant was very successful, however in 1990's the business ran aground and after many legal deliberations and a failed deal to restore the ship, the Jadran was sold as scrap.
Sadly thats where our story ends. As of this writing the Jadran is still sitting in the spot it sailed into all those years ago, but later this week its ropes will be packed up and the ship hauled off to the scrap yard.
There was some cries of restoration and preservation of the Jadran as you can no doubt tell she has had quite the life. However she is well passed her due date and although I think she was once and still is an impressive ship and an important part of Toronto’s history, I’ll be glad to see her off and her metal put to new use.
— Sources —
Images, history: http://www.ssmaritime.com/MS-Jadran-and-Sisters.htm
History: http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/05/22/captain-johns-is-readied-for-its-final-voyage.html
