Russel Brothers Limited OWEN SOUND, ONTARIO Steelcraft Boat Builders
| Plainsville
Particulars Of Canadian War Vessels Building & Projected by Naval Service Headquarters (D. N. C. Dept.) 1943 - 1945: Plainville [CN881]. Janes Fighting Ships 1990 - 1991: Plainsville [YTL 587]. Built by Russel Bros. Launched November 23, 1944. GAO Notes: See clipping file for pic coutesy of Mac Mackay, who states “still operating in Halifax but not for the navy.”
Engine 1-150bhp diesel engine (1944). Pendant #YTL.587.
In 1944 she was built for the Royal Canadian Navy. She was employed as a harbour tug at Sydney NS. She was a CNAV/CFAV serving 1946-1991. She was used for reserve training at HMCS Star.
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Plainsville in Lake Ontario. http://hamiltonnaval.ca/plainsville/
Plainsville & Listerville were two of the 38 Ville class tugs built by Russel Brothers in Owen Sound in 1944. They were 40 foot long overall with a 10’6" beam and a draught of 5'. They were powered by a 150 hp Cummins 6 cylinder diesel. Plainsville was used for training at HMCS STAR from about 1962 and was joined by Listerville (renamed Cavalier in 1974) from 1982 till 1991 when both were disposed off. Originally they would winter at STAR and later would make the transit to and from Kingston each fall and spring to spend the winter there. They were used for diesel mechanic and basic seamanship training and served as safety boats for sailing regattas, powerboat races, air shows, etc.
Hamilton 1987, Plainsville (587) and Listerville (578). George Lee Collection. 
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Plainsville in Halifax, NS, Sept. 25th, 1999.
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Plainsville in Halifax, NS, Oct. 20, 2003.
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Photos by Roger Read.
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From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels JULY 18, 2010
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2010/07/plainsville-rebuilding.html
Typical of the small "pup" tugs built for the Canadian Navy in World War II, Plainsville has had a varied career since coming out of Russel Bros shipyard in Owen Sound, ON in November 1944.
Following naval service in Sydney, NS, she served the Department of Transport/Coast Guard for a time, but she seems to have escaped much notice.
She turned up in Halifax in 1997 working for LeGrow's Marine. They used her extensively for towing work barges and service scows, but sold her off a couple of years ago. Since then she has lain in Sambro, NS. This year she got some hull work and a coat of paint, but her house is in need of attention.
It appears that someone has decided she is worth the work to keep her going.
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From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2011
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2011/03/plainsville-hauled-out.html
The Ville class pup tug Plainsville is hauled out at Sambro Head, ready for some shipyard work. Since I haven't been out to Sambro all winter, it might have been hauled out in the fall. However it doesn't appear that much has been done to her since my last posting:
http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/07/plainsville-rebuilding.html
Built by Russel Brothers in Owen Sound, ON for the Royal Canadian Navy in World War II, she still shows her original hull form, but her house was rebuilt from the original.
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Plainsville in Nova Scotia, c. 2010. Un-credited image taken from an internet quiz: Which Canadian Province Best Fits Your Personality? By: Tori Highley.
Photo from Shipspotting.com (downloaded May 2017)
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1358910#
The former Plainsville YTL-587 moored near Sambro, Nova Scotia on July 24, 2011. The “Ville” Class “pup” tug was built by Russel Bros. in Owen Sound, Ontario for the Royal Canadian Navy. She was launched November 23, 1944.
Photo by gerrard. |
From Mac Mackay's excellent TUGFAX blog about Halifax vessels MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2013
source: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2013/10/plainsville-more-lives-than-cat.html
Plainsville - more lives than a cat. The last time I saw the little tug Plainsville at Sambro it looked forlorn and neglected. On the weekend I was pleased to see her festooned with tires and obviously back in busines as a working tug. She was moored off the CME boatyard in Sambro, and is apparently used to assist boats on and off their marine railway cradle and perhaps for other chores around the harbour. Another classic, she was built in 1944 by Russel Brothers of Owen Sound, ON for the Canadian navy as a Ville class dockyard pup tug. She later worked for the Department of Transport and was the predecessor of Gulf Spray (see previous post) for LeGrow's in Halifax. She has doubtless had other lives that I am not aware of.
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Plainsville.... Sambro, Nova Scotia.
May 6,2017. Photo by Pete Spencer.
In 2018, Trident Marine acquired the Plainsville - a Ville class harbour tugboat built in Owen Sound by the Russel Brothers in 1944. Trident Marine's plan was to fully restore the Plainsville and return this piece of Canadian history to service on Nova Scotia's Southeast Shore. https://tridentmarinelti.com/
The Plainsville has new owners. May 9, 2019. Photo courtesy Pete Spencer.
May 23, 2019:
Marc (Chiasson?) in Nova Scotia bought Plainsville recently. He said it had been sitting at least a year at Canadian Marine Engineers in Sambro NS. They apparently did not have anyone that could run it. Marc says it is in pretty rough shape, he's patching the holes in the hull, but it will need an extensive restoration. He would like to do a full restoration and is looking for a Russel wheel to put into it.
June 1, 2019. Photo courtesy Pete Spencer. Plainsville and the tug Kenneth A. recovering the sailboat Esprit de Corps IV that ran aground off Lunenburg early Wednesday morning. Looters ransacked the boat, stripping even ropes and shackles from the damaged vessel. See the CBC report.
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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