Welcome back Mister Joe

 There was another visit from a McNally Construction tug today. This time it was the Mister Joe, a 1964 vintage tug, often seen in Halifax over the years. Built as the Churchill River by Russel Brothers in Owen Sound, ON it operated in Hudson Bay until coming south to Newfoundland in the 1990s. It was then bought by Beaver Marine in 1998. When Beaver was acquired by McNally Construction Ltd of Hamilton, ON, they renamed the tug after their founder in 2001.

The Mister Joe has been in and out of Halifax frequently ever since, and is generally based in Point Tupper, NS but has also worked on the Great Lakes. It underwent a major refit in 2013-2014 when its wheelhouse was rebuilt to the orginal plans, but with modern glazing. McNally carried out the work in house at their Point Anne, ON base.

Today's visit was very brief, just long enough to tether its tow to the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO) pier and head back to sea.  The tow appears to be the Beaver Neptune a semi-submersible barge used to build concrete cribs. The cribs are slip-formed concrete caissons, which are floated off the barge then sunk in place and ballasted full with gravel.

 McNally has the contract to remove the old timber pile pier and build a new pier at the BIO. Fleet mate and near sister tug Sandra Mary was featured here August 24, 2023 when it towed in other plant for the project, including the Derrick No.4 and scow with small tug D.D.Kaufman. It was here again September 9 with the crane scow Idus Atwell. It then departed for Point Tupper directly.

The Sandra Mary did not hang around Point Tupper very long, for it was reported earlier this week departing Sorel, QC for McNally's main yard in Point Anne, ON, near Belleville, towing the tug Bagotville. Reports indicate that the Bagotville, built in 1964, and laid up for a few years, will be scrapped, but that remains to be seen. McNally has done some significant rebuilds over the years.

Bagotville in Halifax in 2013.

I reported Bagotville's history here on May 11, 2013. It has spent very little of its life in salt water, and aside from the last couple of years in layup it has been well maintained. Bulwarks take a beating in its kind of work, but they can be replaced. 

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Sandra Mary - veteran tug

 In preparation for a wharf replacement project at the Bedford Institute, McNally Construction Inc is bringing in the required equipment. The new Jetty L will be built using concrete caissons and will replace the existing timber crib pier. New floats will also be installed. Dredging will be required for removal and bottom prep. The dredge spoil will be moved elsewhere (likely to the Pier 36 area - but that is only a guess.)

First in port was the small tug D.D.Kaufman, new to McNally, which arrived August 16 from New Jersey, the long way round - via the New York State canals and the Great Lakes. It tied up at an inside berth at the Bedford Institute Jetty L and is thus "immune" from photography. More on this tug when I can get a picture.

Today, August 24, it was the familiar veteran tug Sandra Mary arriving from Port Hawksbury with the crane barge Derrick No.4 and a dump scow (as yet unidentified).

Well outside the port limits the scow was handed off to the Dominion Enforcer which towed it in to the Bedford Institute.

Built in 2021 by Damen Gorinchem, Netherlands the 600 hp Dominion Enforcer has not seen as much use as its twin sister Dominion Rumbler. The latter handles the waste barge for cruise ships and is kept quite busy [as it was today with the Zuiderdam.] Both tugs measure 14.99 gross tons and have been re-registered by number, with their names now unofficial. Vessels under 15 gross tons can be registered in this way as small craft. The tug displays its registration number C30756NS above a wheelhouse window.

The tug Sandra Mary measures 96.82 gross tons and is thus registered by name. When it was built by Russel-Hipwell (formerly Russel Brothers) in Owen Sound, ON in 1962 it was named Flo Cooper by the C.A.Pitts Construction Co Ltd. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions it passed into the hands of McNally in 2000 and took its present name. (Near sister tug Churchill River of 1964 became McNally's Mister Joe in 2001).

Sandra Mary is a 75 footer, rated at 650 bhp through a single screw. [Some sources say 1320 bhp - two engines, single screw.] Its trip actually began in May in Ontario, and it was reported downbound in the St.Lawrence Seaway June 2 towing the crane barge William P. Dilly and the small tug Lac Vancouver. It was then recorded in Montreal and Trois-Rivières June 4 and arrived in Port Hawksbury. It was next reported leaving Port Hawksbury July 14 and in Sydney July 16 to 17. It was not recorded on AIS again until yesterday (August 23) when it sailed from McNally's base in Port Hawksbury for Halifax.

Despite their size McNally's tugs range widely, all over eastern Canada - often at towing speed (about 4.5 knots on this last trip).

Sandra Mary did not stay in Halifax long, but sailed later in the morning for Port Hawksbury - possibly for more equipment. (Its free running speed as a light tug is 9.5 knots.)

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Sandra Mary - a narrow escape

 The tug Sandra Mary had a narrow escape today August 1, 2021 when it began taking water off Charlottetown, PE. Thanks to a quick response from the CCG and private boat owners a pump was delivered and a CCG mechanic assisted in securing the tug. It was towing the dump scow Pitts No.12 which was also secured and both were brought in and berthed in Charlottetown.

Sandra Mary was built by Russel Bros in Owen Sound, ON in 1962 as Flo Cooper and its complete history is available on the excellent Russel Bros web site: http://www.russelbrothers.ca/xflocooper.html

The tug had only recently arrived in Point Tupper after a long trip from the Great Lakes.

CCG vessels nearby responding included M.Perley, Samuel Risley (en route from the Great Lakes for refit in Pictou), CCG RHIB, two inshore fishing vessels and two pleasure craft.

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New Tugs in Town

With construction of the southend container pier extension moving into the second phase, McNally International Inc has mobilized additional plant for the work.

Phase 1 dredging started in January and was completed by May 22. The crane barge Derrick No.4 conducted the dredging using the dump scows S.11 and S.12. The tug Mister Joe was on hand for the start of the work, and the smaller tugs Oshawa and J.F. Whelan carried through.

There is now the rock mattress to place, using the dump scows to transfer the material from pier 9C to pier 42.

The second phase is to build concrete caissons that will form the base of the new pier. McNally has brought in two more barges, the Idus Atwell, equipped with a crane and the semi-submersible barge Beaver Neptune as a construction platform for the caissons. There have also been numerous sectional scow components of the Argonyn class. McNally has ten of these 50 ft x 9 ft truckable units that can be linked together in various configurations to form a single floating platform.

The barge Idus Atwell had to be towed from Point Anne, ON (near Belleville) to Halifax, a ten day trip assigned to to  the veteran tug Sandra Mary. Built in 1962 as hull number 1205 by Russel Brothers in Owen Sound, ON, its original name was Flo Cooper when it was built for C.A.Pitts Construction. McNally acquired and renamed the 900 bhp tug in 2000. In 1993 its registration was transferred to Charlottetown, PE when it was working on the Confederation Bridge project.

Russel Brother's "Steelcraft" trade name appears on the original builder's plate still in place aboard Sandra Mary

It is similar in design to another McNally tug, Mister Joe built in 1964. The latter was re-assigned from Phase 1 work earlier this spring and is no longer in Halifax. In fact AIS signals say that it is in Lake Champlain. This I find hard to believe, so will await other reports.

After arriving in Halifax May 18, Sandra Mary sailed on May 25 for Point Tupper, presumably towing Oshawa and returned with the Beaver Neptune and the tug Whitby. Built in 1978 at the port of the same name by original owners McNamara Construction, it is rated at 475 bhp.

Sandra Mary and Whitby tied up at pier 9 between assignments.

All of these tugs have worked in Halifax on many projects over the years, and it is always interesting to see them again.

Idus Atwell set up just off the end of pier 42 for placement of the rock mattress.

 (McNally built the extension in 2013.)

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Sandra Mary - short tow line

Sandra Mary returned to Halifax last week from Digby, but had to wait several days for high winds to die down before setting out again with the spud scow VMS 087. (It is shown as VM/S 87 in the register, but is painted as VMS 087 on the hull.)

On April 2 the scow was retrieved from its winter resting spot, in the shadow of the MacKay bridge on the Dartmouth side - in the background of this photo, an area known as Turple's Cove. It took a bit of pulling in the high wind to get it over to the Halifax side to prepare it for sea.

On April 7, it was much calmer, and with the spuds guyed in place and pegged, they headed for sea. The pair reached Liverpool that evening where they will shelter from more high winds.
The scow's unusual name is derived from its first owners the St.Lawrence Seaway Corp (in French La Voie Maritime St-Laurent.) It was built in 1958 in Collingwood, ON as S.L.S.87 for use by the then new St. Lawrence Seaway system in maintenance work.

Sandra Mary - update

Sandra Mary got underway late this afternoon with the derrick barge Canadian Argosy. (see previous post.) The delay in returning to sea may have been to repair some damage incurred during the prior attempt. - see previous posting.

Yesterday one spud was lowered and men were working on the other.

Sandra Mary - will try again

1. Engine humming at full speed, Sandra Mary pulls the Canadian Argosy past the Tall Ships Quay this morning.

Sandra Mary set out this morning for Digby towing the big derrick scow Canadian Argosy. However when they got outside conditions were too severe to make headway and they returned to port.
Owners McNally Construction, have been trying to get the rig to Digby for a week now, but conditions have just been too rough. High seas and headwinds would make progress nil, not to mention risking damage to the derrick and gear.
They may try again tomorrow.

2. Sandra Mary is a product of the famed Russel Bros shipyard in Owen Sound, ON, and is a proper little tug of traditional design.

3. The tug is fitted with a towing winch and has cutaway rails at the stern.

4. The tug/workboat Whitby is cradled on the deck and secured with braces for the sea trip.

5. The flotilla returns to pier 9 this afternoon.

Sandra Mary and pair of veteran scows

Sandra Mary put in to Halifax today en route to a dredging job in southwest Nova Scotia., towing a pair of veteran mud scows.  Due to restrictions against double tows in Halifax harbour, Dominion Diving's tug Roseway went out and took over the tow of one of the scows.
All four vessels are veterans in fact. Sandra Mary was built by Russel Hipwell in Owen Sound in 1962 as Flo Cooper, a name she carried until 2000, through a variety of owners, starting with C.A.Pitts Construction, She is rated at 1360bhp on a single screw.
Roseway is a twin screw tug of 300 bhp, built originally for the Department of Public Works, but has been running for Dominion Diving since 1989.

Roseway took control of scow S.12, built in 1962 by Ocean Steel and Construction in Saint John, NB. as DPW No. 152. It measures 214.47 gross tons. It was renamed "s" for "scow" in 1995 when DPW disposed of its dredging fleet.

Sandra Mary kept towing S.11, which was built in 1977 by McNamara Corp in Whitby, ON as DPW No.77 - a name she still carries on her flanks thanks to welded letters. It was acquired by Beaver Marine, which was later taken over by McNally Construction.
Both scows are bottom dumping type (as opposed to the more modern split hopper type).

Sister tug to Sandra Mary, is Mister Joe which is being rebuilt over the winter in Belleville, ON.

McNally tug on the move

McNally Marine's Sandra Mary sailed at dawn this morning with the barge Beaver Kay to carry out some cable work. The tug is a rare caller in Halifax, we usually see Mister Joe. Both tugs are built to the same design, but Sandra Mary is single screw and Mister Joe is twin screw. Both are products of the Russel yard in Owen Sound, ON.

Sandra Mary heads out through the sea smoke as the sun rises behind Macnab's Island this morning.

Following recent movements of the Mister Joe, I see that it was upbound in the St.Lawrence Seaway on November 22 with he dredge William P. Dilly and again on Nov 29 with the scow Derrick No.1.

See this blog of April 22 for photos of both tugs.

McNally tugs at Port Hawksbury

A rare assembly of McNally Construction tugs greeted me in Port Hawksbury on April 20.

1. Sandra Mary, Jerry Newberry and Mister Joe together.

Largest of the trio was the venerable Jerry Newberry, built in 1956 as Foundation Victor for seasonal service at Sept-Iles. In 1973 it became Point Victor for Eastern Canada Towing and in 1977 became Kay Cole for Pitts Construction. It passed to McKeil and acquired its current name in 1995. McNally acquired the tug from McKeil and it has been employed towing all over eastern Canada and into Hudson's Bay.

It is now reported to be for sale. It is a single screw tug with a 1280 bhp Fairbanks Morse.

Mister Joe, a 1964 product of Russel-Hipwell in Owen Sound, is a familiar sight in these parts and also ranges far and wide including Labrador. Its original name was Churchill River which it carried until 2001. It is a twin screw tug of 750 bhp.

2. Sandra Mary with a fresh copat of paint.

The pleasant surprise for me was Sandra Mary, also a Russel tug, built in 1962 as Flo Cooper (also for Pitts Construction) A slightly larger version of the Mister Joe, it has 1260 bhp. It usually works on the Lakes but also ranges as far as Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. In fact it just came down through the Seaway April 6 towing the barge Quensa. With fresh paint, it looks quite splendid.

3. Note the extra strong backs and cut down bulwark on the stern of the Jerry Newberry. Sandra Mary has an almost open stern.

McNally operates a large yard in Point Tupper, across the harbour from Port Hawksbury, and is currently refitting a number of scows and construction barges.