Old but indestructible, or When I'm sixty-four

 This blog has contained too many notices of old tugs going to the scrappers recently. Tug companies may be cleaning house as they have been carrying worn out vessels on their rosters for too long. However a few durable tugs are still soldiering on at relatively unheard of ages. One of those is the R.J.Ballot, which has apparently answered the Beatles question "Will you still need me....when I'm sixty-four."

R.J.Ballott at the former Coast Guard base, now the Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE) in Dartmouth.

Foundation Maritime, that legendary Halifax based towing company, built up a rag tag fleet during World War II. Some of those tugs were replaced by war emergency tugs in the late 1940s, but by the mid 1950s they still had several underpowered and steam driven boats. 

When the newly developing Labrador iron ore mines came into production, new port facilities were built at Sept-Iles, QC that could handle the largest of a new breed of bulk carriers. Along with nearby Baie Comeau, the ports required tugs with power and heft. Foundation went to Davie Shipbuilding in Lauzon (now part of Lévis), QC for what eventually turned out to be nine new tugs. Delivered in the years between 1956 and 1963, and all powered by Fairbanks Morse engines (and all but one, single screw driven) they have provided remarkable service for a variety of owners. 

It is notable that of those nine tugs, three were sold foreign and likely scrapped, and all but one of the rest remain in daily service in Canada. * - see below

The first of what were big ship berthing tugs at the time, is in Halifax now, having transitioned to long distance towing work. R.J.Ballott arrived from Makkovik, Labrador, via St. Barbe with the barge Kaligak loaded with construction equipment.

It is the same barge that R.J.Ballott towed out of Halifax on October 3, 2019

The tug, built in 1956 as Foundation Victor has had a long career with several owners as Point Victor, Kay Cole and Jerry Newberry and is still going strong at 64 years of age. It has been noted in this blog many times. Enter the name in the search box, or for a complete record see: R.J.Ballott

This Tim Randall photo shows Foundation Victor in its orginal colour scheme.

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* Foundation Valiant, later named Point Valiant (i) and André-H. was broken up in recent months at Quebec City. See this recent post

Point Vigour ex Foundation Vigour  is still at work as McKeil's Molly M 1.

Point Viking ex Foundation Viking  works for Construction Polaris Inc of Sept-Iles, QC.

Point Vim ex Foundation Vim works for Les Barges de Matane Inc of Matane, QC.

Point Valour ex Foundation Valour works for Thunder Bay Tug Services at Thunder Bay, ON.

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R.J.Ballott follow up

The tug R.J.Ballott (ex Jerry Newberry, Kay Cole, Point Victor, Foundation Victor) sailed from Halifax today giving Triton, NL as its destination. It is towing the barge Kaligak, loaded with construction equipment taken on at the Waterworks Construction dock in Woodside. (In my previous post I stated that the barge was being unloaded, but in fact is was being loaded.) Some of the gear will be getting a real salt water dousing on the trip.

Since its Foundation days, the tug's exhaust stack has been extended, to reduce fumes in the wheelhouse.

The open tug/boat Waterworks 1 (a former seine skiff) stands by to remove linehandlers from the barge.

Waterworks Construction, as the name implies, specializes in building wharfs and has sent equipment to Newfoundland and Labrador before.

Incidentally the barge, although operated by NGC Nunatsiavut Marine Inc, is maintained by McKeil Marine and has been on the for sale list for some time. NGC is the business arm of the Nunatsiavut Government (the self-governed autonomous region of Labrador established by Inuit land claims). I believe the word "kaligak" refers to a specific type of sled in the Inuit language.

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R.J.Ballott - return of a veteran

The Newfoundland based tug R.J.Ballott is back in Halifax for one of its rare visits, but it is certainly no stranger to the port.

Built in 1956 as Foundation Victor it initially served the port of Sept-Iles, berthing large bulk carriers, but often wintered in Halifax. When Eastern Canada Towing Ltd [ECTUG] took over ownership, new tugs were built for Sept-Iles, the tug was renamed Point Victor  in 1973 and transferred to Halifax. This was the first of the Foundation company's distinctive "triple deckers", designed to provide a clear view of the deck of large bulk carriers.

Although a big and heavy tug, its 1280 bhp and single screw were not adequate for the harbour work here and it was sold in 1977 to C.A.Pitts Construction becoming Kay Cole. McKeil took over ownership a few years later changing the name to Jerry Newberry. It kept that name when McNally Construction bought the tug in 1995. Current owners, Sealand Shipping Services Ltd of Baie Verte, NL bought and renamed the tug in 2013.

During Pitts ownership it was equipped with a towing winch but still runs its big 8 cylinder Fairbanks Morse main engine. On this trip to Halifax it arrived towing the 432 gt barge Kaliguk owned by the Labrador Development Corp of Goose Bay-Happy Valley, NL. It is unloading construction equipment at the Waterworks Construction (Dexter / Municipal Group) dock in Woodside.

Not surprisingly, for its age, the tug is looking a big rugged, but it is built of stern stuff and there is no indication that its career will be ending any time soon.

I have posted many photos of the tug over the years. Enter 'Point Victor" in the search panel on the left for more.

Here is a sample:

 In the colourful C.A.Pitts paint scheme, Kay Cole leaves Halifax towing a barge.

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R.J.Ballott at the old dock

 R.J.Ballott taking stores early this morning.

A surprise visitor to the Svitzer Canada dock (formerly Ectug, formerly MIL Tug, formerly Foundation Maritime) early this morning is the R.J.Ballott. Mention has been made of this durable tug in these pages before, most recently when it received its current name:
 http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/search/label/Jerry%20Newberry

Built in 1956 for Foundation Maritime as Foundation Victor it served Ectug as Point Victor, Pitts International as Kay Cole, McKeil as Kay Cole and Jerry Newberry and McNally as Jerry Newberry until purchased by Sealand Shipping Services Ltd of Baie Verte, NL last year. It is now named for the late father of the owner, a long time tug master for Foundation and Ectug.

A large tug for its era, with a dependable Fairbanks Morse engine (now upped to 1800 bhp) it is still a useful tug and the new owner has found a variety of work for it. Carrying rock from Wallace, NS to Caribou, PE, hauling the scrap barge for removal of the wrecked Miner at Scatarie Island and now headed for the Bay of Fundy to work on a power project, are among the many chores it is well suited for. Not just a harbour tug, it handled beautifully on its trip down to Halifax from Cape Breton last night, despite some lumpy seas and a tail wind.

Looking quite smart at the south side of the dock this afternoon.

It was storing up this morning on the north side of the Svitzer dock, and had moved around to the south side this afternoon to make room for the pilot boat. This is very familiar territory for the tug - it was based at the same dock during its Foundation and Ectug years.

 With Point Viking, Point Vim and Point Spencer in 1976 at the same dock.

Generally the outer ends of the Ectug dock were used by the duty tugs, and the inner berths by the tugs that would be on call if needed or in maintenance. 

Interestingly the only tugs to tie up at the Svitzer Canada dock in the past year have been former Ectugs, and both formerly from Sept-Iles. R.J.Ballott and Océan Basques. The latter tug supplanting Point Victor as Pointe aux Basques when it was built in 1973. Point Victor then came to Halifax where it worked sporadically. It was not as agile as the smaller 1200 bhp tugs, and was only used as a spare most of the time. When the twin screw Point Vibert came back from Baie-Comeau in 1977, on delivery of the Pointe-Comeau, Point Victor was declared surplus.

Little changed except for fendering and paint scheme, Point Victor was and is an imposing sight.

As a harbour tug, Point Victor had only a patent quick release towing hook , but was fitted with a towing winch when in McKeil ownership. Its boat has been replaced by a raft and the twin davit cranes removed. It s also now registered in St.John's.

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New Names: Océan Basque, Océan Sept-Iles, R.J.Ballott and christenings

This week three former Ectugs changed names, and another tug entered service making 2013 a banner year for changes in the tug scene of eastern Canada.

On Friday December 20, the sale of Svitzer Canada's Pointe aux Basques and Pointe Sept-Iles became official when Location Océan Inc of Quebec City, re-registered the two tugs as Océan Basque and Océan Sept-Iles respectively. The surprise sale of these tugs to Groupe Océan after they had been displaced from Sept-Iles by Groupe Océan had been rumoured for some time, but Groupe Océan apparently did not want it to be known, but it is now official.

There is no outward sign of Océan ownership yet, but I can't imagine them letting the tugs sit idle for too long. As reported before, Pointe aux Basques has been inactive in Halifax since October and Pointe Sept-Iles was recently working in Point Tupper.

Meanwhile, also in the Strait of Casnso area, the new name for Jerry Newberry, ex Kay Cole ex Point Victor ex Foundation Victor  has now been revealed. New owners Sealand Shipping Service Inc of Baie Verte, NL have renamed the tug R.J.Ballott, and it appeared this week on the Transport Canada List of Shipping web site.

In the photo, taken in 2011, Jerry Newberry sits alongside the tug Kaliutik (built in 1998, 550 bhp, 2screw) which also is for sale. Behind them are Gulf Dianne and Atlantic Elm.

Meanwhile in Quebec City, the official naming ceremony for Océan Tundra took place one week ago on December 13. The tug was built in the company's own yard in Ile-aux-Coudres, with the superstructure and bow built at their ship repair facility in Quebec City and barged to Ile-aux-Coudres for installation after the hull was launched. The super tug has already entered service. For video of the ship's construction, up to and including some (brrrr) icy spins off Quebec City, see a 6+ minute Youtube item:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QRK61ZE5MM

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