RUSSEL BROTHERS Ltd. Steelcraft winch boat and warping tug builders from Owen Sound, Ontario.

Russel Brothers Limited OWEN SOUND, ONTARIO Steelcraft Boat Builders

Obabika / Noreen II
Foster

Transport Canada List 2003: Owned by Rick Wilson, Joyceville, Ontario. Canadian List of Shipping 1945: Obabika [C.154961] registered at Port Arthur. Built at Fort Frances in 1929. Owned by Marathon Paper Mills, Port Arthur. Canadian List of Shipping 1997: Steel tug/other Noreen II [C.154961] Ex - Obabika. Registered at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Built at Fort Frances in 1929. 11 m; 13 g.t.; 7 n.t. Owned by Colin Reid, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. GAO Notes: Renamed Foster. See Russel clipping file for photocopied pic courtesy of Buck Longhurst.

Obabika, Pic River, 1944. Photo courtesy Marathon Museum and Rob Farrow.

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Obabika in the mid-1940's. Mouth of the Pic River. Photos courtesy Mary & Pete Stopyra's Negatives

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Obabika working in the Marathon mill. The Marathon Pulp Mill operated 1946-2009. From an album that was done for Marathon Paper Mills by Stone & Webster Engineering, who were Consulting Engineers that were in charge of Marathon Mill construction. Circa 1947.

Full size B&W Full size Colorized More images of the Mill from the same album:

For more on the Marathon logging operations see Marathon ON Logging using Russel Tugs
Rob Marchand comments: Here is a shot that captures one of the situations where Orville was out of action. Late 1983 or 1984, near the end of summer, but before Labour Day as #4 button shack had been replaced. Cancel and Obabika are tied up (it was lunchtime). This is in Marathon, overlooking Jellicoe Cove and Skin Island. Taken from the top of #4 stacker.
Gord Campbell comments: Looks more like 1984. Or maybe first week of October 1983. It can't be lunch because if you look at the pond, and the sorting table, the guys and girls would leave their poles and picaroons by their work stations. Also the Hog is empty and the work trucks are parked. That does look like Obabika. The orange dozer boat is Cancel. See the Boom pattern its catching a south wind. Number 4 button Shack is still there. In fact the picture taker is on a full number four softwood pile. There is a Saturday crew. Probably putting up a stacker section. They did that on Saturdays at this time of year. This has to be the end of the season because the outer booms have been pulled between Skin Island and Cummings Beach off to the far right. That isn't much wood. Maybe two three days tops.
Rob Marchand comments: I found the Orville in this photo (middle, taken the same day), up on the shore near #2. Bottom photo is a crop from the middle photo.

Gord Campbell comments (Dec. 2018): The Obabika had a 750 Caterpillar motor, three times the size of the engine in Cancel. When both Cancel and Orville went out of commission once, I operated big powerful Obabika. The skill of a dozer boat operator is to understand how to use the hull and the advantages around you to move the floating wood to the long pole men standing on their Bridge. I also used, when Obabika was not available, two river punts normally used on the River drive to doze wood to the bridge.

Obabika working in Marathon, Ontario c. 1983. Photo by Rob Marchand.

Marathon Woodyard and Pulp Mill c. 1983. Photo collage by Rob Marchand.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/cuss/46974893241/in/album-72157704868439235/

Photo posted by Fernand Chiasson Dec. 17, 2013: �tienne Hachey, Adeodat Chiasson and Disma Chiasson atop Obabika, c. early 50s. Dunc M comments: The Obabika was a noisy little tug. They used it at the Mouth of the Pic. Looks like the photo was taken at the Ont Paper Townsite just below the flume bridge where that big steel barrier still exists. Adeodat Chiasson confirms that it was a Marathon Pulp tug and they came to Heron Bay to bring something.