Hull from decayed ship used to craft monument of remembrance in Selkirk

A historic ship being laid to rest offered new life Wednesday as a monument to remembrance.

On the riverbanks of the Red River in Selkirk, Man., a metal monument with a green stem, red poppy and the word “remember” was unveiled with the sunrise on Nov. 11.

All its parts come from the MS Lord Selkirk II, currently being dismantled after years of sitting stagnant.

Ben Hoosier is the owner of SaskSteel, the company tasked with wrecking the rotting ship and removing it from the Red River.

He built the monument in the dark of night Tuesday, using his headlights to carve out the tribute after a conversation with someone sparked the idea.

“I did want to do something; I have a lot of respect for the armed forces and there were a few veterans back home that had a big influence on my life,” said Hoosier. “If we have five hours to play baseball, I have five hours to do this.”

That’s how long it took Hoosier to create the estimated 2,000-pound monument (907 kilograms).

He said there was no welding involved, as the entire form was cut from a single piece of hull plating from the ship.

“The bottom part, sitting on the ground, is a side of the ship - the top of one deck and the bottom part of another,” he said.

The poppy and the word “remember” are carved from a piece of the ballroom floor.

“This particular piece was where the DJ had all his sound equipment,” said Hoosier.

On Wednesday, Hoosier said he noticed more people stopping by the area than most days to take photos of the piece.

Janice Lucek came by to see for herself after hearing about the monument at a Selkirk Remembrance Day service.

“I think it’s fabulous to honour. It’s a wonderful thing they did today,” said Lucek.

As for the future of the piece, Hoosier said he’s happy to give it to someone; otherwise, it will be removed from the site with the rest of the materials.