Russel Brothers Limited OWEN SOUND, ONTARIO Steelcraft Boat Builders
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| Churchill River / Mister Joe
Ex Churchill River, Transport Canada List List of Ships 2003: Owned by Beaver Marine Ltd., Halifax, N. S. Churchill River - Canadian List of Shipping 1970: Steel tug Churchill River [C.322521] registered at Winnipeg. Built at Owen Sound in 1964. 65’; 71 g.t. Canadian List of Ships 1997: Churchill River [C.322521] Steel tug/other. Registered at Winnipeg. Built at Owen Sound in 1964. Length 18 meters [65 feet]; 70 g.t.; 27 r.t. Owned by Churchill River Tug Ltd., Villa Nova Road, Manuels, Nfld. A1W 1M6. GAO Notes: Sold in 1998 to Beaver Marine Inc., Halifax. Renamed b] Mister Joe. Hull 1222.
This tug was built in 1964 by Russel Brothers as the Churchill River for the Hudson’s Bay Company. After around 30 years on Hudson Bay, the Churchill River was sold to the Churchill River Tug Company of Manuels, NF in the 1990s. In 1997 she was sold to Beaver Marine of Halifax, NS, which was acquired by McNally International of Hamilton, ON the following year. In 1999 she was renamed Mister Joe. She was repowered during a refit in 2002.
Mister Joe is based in Halifax, but can be found around eastern Canada working on various dredging and construction jobs for McNally as one of the fleet’s larger tugs.
Type: Twin Screw Tugboat
Year Built: 1964
Builder: Russel Bros. Ltd., Owen Sound, ON
Hull No.: 1222
Engines: 2 GM
Horsepower: 750 bhp
Length: 61' 00?
Breadth: 19' 00?
Depth: 7' 02?
Port of Registry: Halifax, NS.
Built by the esteemed tug builders Russel Brothers, in Owen Sound, ON in 1964. It was delivered to its owners, Rupertsland Trading Co (Hudson's Bay Co) for service in Moosonee, ON as Churchill River. It worked all around Hudson's Bay for close to thirty years and was fitted with a sort of turtle back cowl over its foredeck to protect against seas and icing.
When the Hibernia offshore development began, a construction facility for the gravity base was established at Bull Arm, NL and the tug was acquired by Churchill River Tug Ltd of Manuel's, NL and without change of name worked around the construction site until 1997.
Ownership was transferred to Beaver Marine Ltd in 1997 and when McNally took control in 2001 the tug was renamed Mister Joe after the company founder.
Its original pair of 342bhp Cummins engines lasted until 2002. [Russel Bros had the eastern Canada license to sell and service Cummins engines, through their company Russel-Hipwell Engines Ltd].
A pair of new GM engines giving 750 bhp were installed at Brenton Gray's boatyard in Sambro [now CME.]
Then in 2014, the tug was taken to McNally's repair yard in Ontario and had its wheelhouse replaced with a new structure, built to the original drawings from 1964, but with improved windows and fittings. At the same time its accommodation was also refitted. |
OSMRM Collection - from Russel Two Page Ad 1964
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1964 photo at the Russel slip, by Howard Donovan, courtesy Jim Donovan.
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1964 photo at the Russel slip, by Howard Donovan, courtesy Jim Donovan.
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Moosonee 1966 Postcard featuring tug Churchill River (left). 
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GAO notes: Mister Joe July 29, 1998 in Halifax.
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GAO notes: Mister Joe Oct. 10, 2000 in Halifax.
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Mac Mackay notes: Mister Joe with movie sub for K-19. Halifax, 2 June 2001.
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GAO notes: Mister Joe Mar. 20, 2002 in Sambro.
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GAO notes: Mister Joe Mar. 20, 2002 in Sambro.
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GAO notes: Mister Joe Mar. 20, 2002 in Sambro.
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Montreal, Aug. 6, 2002. Rene Beauchamp photo. 
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GAO notes: Mister Joe May 29, 2002 in Toronto.
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Toronto c. early 2000's from Roger Read's photo album.
Beaver Marine's tug MISTER JOE alongside Pier 9, Halifax, Nova Scotia on May 27th, 2009. Photo by Ken Watson.
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=911006
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From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels JANUARY 12, 2010
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2010/01/mister-joe.html
Although based in Halifax, the tug Mister Joe may be absent for long periods of time. Operated by Beaver Marine Ltd of Halifax (a division of McNally Construction of Hamilton, ON) the tug is used for marine construction projects all over eastern Canada. This has taken her to the Great Lakes, the coast of Labrador, all over Nova Scotia and New Brunswick- even up the Saint John River as far as Gagetown. She has also done some contract towing and other odd jobs.
Built in 1964 by Russel-Hipwell in Owen Sound, ON, she originally went to work as the Churchill River for Rupert's Land Trading Co Ltd (Hudson's Bay Company.) She worked in Churchill Manitoba and Mossonee, Ontario and other ports on Hudson's Bay and James Bay handling supply barges for the parent company.
In the late 1990s she was sold to the Churchill River Tug Co Ltd of Manuels, Newfoundland and was involved in the flurry of activity surrounding the Hibernia Project.
In June of 1997 she arrived in Halifax for the first time, for Beaver Marine Ltd. Since then she has often wintered in Halifax or refitted at Brenton Gray's shipyard in Sambro.
When McNally took over Beaver Marine in 2001, the tug was renamed Mister Joe and repainted in McNally colours. In May and June of that year she assisted in filming of the submarine movie K-19 The Widowmaker, but she never appeared on film. Instead she moved the former Russian submarine and did other chores during the filming.
In 2002 they gave her a major refit at Sambro, installing two new GM engines, totalling 750 bhp, to drive her twin screws.
Her most recent arrival in Halifax was January 5 towing the construction scow Beaver Kay. They offloaded construction equipment at the Halterm container pier for a pier extension.
She then left port to fetch the construciton barge William B. Dilly, arriving back in Halifax about January 12 and leaving January 13 towing it to Yarmouth. |
From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels NOVEMBER 7, 2010
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2010/11/mister-joe-also-on-move.html
Mister Joe, also on the move
The pilot boat returns to base as Mister Joe tows Harold M inbound, with Gulf Spray attending (it delivered a deck crew to the scow) November 3.
Mister Joe tucked in at pier 9 with Beaver Delta II alongside. November 6.
Mister Joe, still with Beaver Marine insignia (file photo)
McNally Construction's Mister Joe is hustling to move marine equipment to Halifax. The powerful small tug has been in and out of Halifax several times in the past few weeks and sailed again this morning. Her latest arrival was November 3 with the dredge/scow Harold M. from Yarmouth.
She is now bound for Sorel to pick up a scow for Halifax and will apparently make one more trip to Halifax before the Canso Canal closes on December 1. The tug spent the summer working on a major pier extension in Belledune, NB, but will be in Halifax this winter to work on the Halterm extension project and the pier 9 piling project.
Built by Russel-Hipwell in Owen Sound in 1964 as Churchill River for Rupertsland Trading Co (Hudson's Bay Co), she worked in James Bay and Hudson's Bay until the mid-1990s. She was then sold to Churchill River Tug Co of Manuel's, NL, and worked on the Hibernia gravity base project (including construction of the building dock and harbour, at Bay Bulls.) She arrived in Halifax for the first time on June 7, 1997 when she was purchased by Beaver Marine. Beaver was a McNally subsdiary, but all vessels were integrated into McNally ownership in 2009. The tug was renamed Mister Joe in 2001 after the late founder of the company. A twin screw tug, she was built with 685 bhp Cummins engines and in 2002 she was re-engined with GMs totalling 750 bhp.
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From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2011/11/mister-joe-beaver-kay-and-whitby-oldies.html
Mister Joe gets underway from pier 9 towing the barge Beaver Kay.
This morning the tug Mister Joe sailed form Halifax towing the Beaver Kay with Whitby on deck. Yesterday a crane was offloaded from the Beaver Kay and positioned on the new pier C extension at Halterm where it will continue the work from the land side. Whitby was also working steadily on the pier C project, but will not be needed now.
These vessels all belong to McNally Construction Inc, which, since July is a wholly owned subsidiary of Weeks Marine, Inc of Cranford, New Jersey.
Mister Joe started life as the Churchill River in 1964 at Russel-Hipwell Engines in Owen Sound ON. Built for the Hudson Bay Company it worked for them in the far north until sold to work on the Hibernia project. It moved to Beaver Marine in 1997 and was renamed when Beaver was integrated into McNally. It is a twin screw tug of 750 bhp.
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From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2012
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2012/04/mcnally-tugs-at-port-hawksbury.html
McNally tugs at Port Hawksbury
A rare assembly of McNally Construction tugs greeted me in Port Hawksbury on April 20.
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.
Sandra Mary with a fresh coat 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.
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From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels MAY 1, 2012
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2012/05/
On May 1 McNally Construction Inc took over the site and Mister Joe arrived with the tug Whitby and pile driving scow Derrick No.3 Ever on the move, Mister Joe returned almost immediately to Port Hawksbury, leaving Whitby here. McNallly's Carl M. has been here all winter and idle at pier 9 with other plant that was working on the pier c contract.
Mister Joe arrives on May 1 with Derrick No.3 on the hip. Whitby is hidden behind the scow.
Mister Joe departs light tug for Port Hawksbury.
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From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels SEPTEMBER 9, 2017
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2017/09/mister-joe-on-move.html
Mister Joe on the move
McNally Construction's hard working tug Mister Joe made a brief visit to Halifax today. First job was to move the crane barge Canadian Argosy (951 grt, built 1978 Collingwood), from its anchorage near the MacKay bridge, in an inlet that I call Turple's Cove, to Pier 9 C with the assistance of the tug Oshawa.
From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels Jan. 21, 2018
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2018/01/winter-tow-for-mister-joe.html
Winter tow for Mister Joe
Winter towing is fraught with issues, not the least of which is freezing spray. Even if temperatures moderate, weather is still the major issue, particularly with small tugs on coastal voyages.
McNally Construction's Mister Joe arrived in Halifax on Friday on the first leg of a tow from Port Hawksbury, NS to Saint John, NB. There are very few ports to put into along Nova Scotia's eastern and southern shores, and Halifax was the first port aslong the route to provide shelter from predicted high winds and seas.
Mister Joe resumed the tow today, but once outside the shelter of the harbour, they found there was too much strain on the towing gear and so they put back in this afternoon.
April 4, 2018. Dean Lloyd sends these photos of Mister Joe. Built 1964, Length 65', Beam 19', Depth 8'9".
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Click photos to enlarge.
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Sept. 2, 2012, Build in 1964 Russel Brother Twin screw 7.5 GT,16 559 KW McNally Construction. Photo by Michel Tremblay, shipspotting.com
source: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1638550 |
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Sept. 17, 2017, Saint John NB, CANADA. Photo by andrecas, shipspotting.com
source: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2739146 |
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Sept. 17, 2017, Saint John NB, CANADA. Tug outbound.
Next to tug is dredger Canadian Argosy, a construction barge/dredger operated by McNally Construction Inc. Photo by andrecas, shipspotting.com
source: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2739144 |
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Dec. 7, 2017, Port St-Francois, QC, CANADA. Photo by Jacques Gauthier, shipspotting.com
source: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2779418 |
Mister Joe was built by the esteemed tug builders Russel Brothers, in Owen Sound, ON in 1964. It was delivered to its owners, Rupertsland Trading Co (Hudson's Bay Co) for service in Moosonee, ON as Churchill River. It worked all around Hudson's Bay for close to thirty years and was fitted with a sort of turtle back cowl over its foredeck to protect against seas and icing.
When the Hibernia offshore development began, a construction facility for the gravity base was established at Bull Arm, NL and the tug was acquired by Churchill River Tug Ltd of Manuel's, NL and without change of name worked around the construction site until 1997.
Ownership was transferred to Beaver Marine Ltd in 1997 and when McNally took control in 2001 the tug was renamed Mister Joe after the company founder.
Its original pair of 342bhp Cummins engines lasted until 2002. [Russel Bros had the eastern Canada license to sell and service Cummins engines, through their company Russel-Hipwell Engines Ltd].
A pair of new GM engines giving 750 bhp were installed at Brenton Gray's boatyard in Sambro [now CME.]
Then in 2014, the tug was taken to McNally's repair yard in Ontario and had its wheelhouse replaced with a new structure, built to the original drawings from 1964, but with improved windows and fittings. At the same time its accommodation was also refitted.
http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/01/mister-joe.html
For more Russel exhibits visit Owen Sound Marine & Rail Museum 1165 1st Ave West, Owen Sound, ON N4K 4K8
(519) 371-3333  http://marinerail.com |
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