Launched June 2, 1913, at Port Arthur, Ontario, the Noronic  became the flagship of the Northern Navigation Division of Canada Steamship Lines.    At 362 feet the largest of the passenger steamers on the Great Lakes, she was built to carry 562 passengers and a crew of 171.  The Noronic was lavishly outfitted, and included a dining room for 272 guests.

A special end of season cruise in 1949 ended in tragedy for those on the Noronic. While she was docked in Toronto on September 17, a fire started in a linen closet and spread throughout the ship. One hundred and nineteen lives were lost in this Great Lakes disaster.