Canadian List of Shipping 1956: Trent [C.179030] registered at Ottawa; built at Owen Sound in 1948. 42'7 x 12’5 x 6'; 25 g.t.; 17 n.t.; 135 hp. Owned by the Minister of Transport, Ottawa. Canadian List of Shipping 1970: Steel tug Trent [C.179030] registered at Ottawa. Built at Owen Sound in 1948. 43'; 25 g.t.. Owned by the Minister of Transport, Ottawa. Canadian List of Shipping 1997: Owned by the Minister of Transport, Ottawa. Transport Canada List 2000: Steel tug Trent [C.179030] registered at Ottawa. Built by Russel Brothers Ltd., Owen Sound, Ontario in l948. Dimensions: 13m x 3.8m x 1.8m; 24.82 g.t.; 16.88 n.t. ; 25 g.t. Owned by the Minister of Transport, Ottawa. Transport Canada List 2002: Built by Russel-Hipwell Engine Co., Owen Sound, Ont. Owned by the Minister of Transport, Ottawa. Transport Canada List 2003: Owned by the Minister of Transport, Ottawa. The Kingston Whig-Standard, Friday, January 19, 1951, p 6: Photo & Culine. Tug Trent in Bobcaygeon Lock will ply 260 miles between Trenton and Georgian Bay on maintenance work.
NB: This tug was originally designed for tropical use and international export.
Russel Bros. made 10 of this design for the French Government of Indo China (now known as Vietnam). Delivery of this order to Saigon began in Aug. 1947. The tugs could pull a barge up to 300 tons, and could run 95 hours on a full 700 gallon tank. A very full kit of spare engine parts was included with each tug. Three more of these tugs were supplied to French Equatorial Africa (Cameroon), later in 1947. One example of this design is the Trent, built in 1948 and still used (2018) on the Rideau Canal in Ontario. Another example of this design still in Ontario is the Long Sault.
Oct. 2000. Photo courtesy of Gerry Ouderkirk, taken by Adam Zhelka.
Jul 23, 2010. After undergoing a $250,000 renovation, the tug Trent will now travel the Trent-Severn Waterway acting as a living history exhibit to help promote the history of the canal and Parks Canada. Captain Bryen, who was born and raised in Australia, spent many years travelling the world as a deep sea diver. But in 1980 he and his Canada born wife landed in the Peterborough area and along with many other duties he became the Captain the tug Trent, a position he held for the next 25 years. He has many stories about his adventures behind the wheel, including navigating her down to Rochester, New York where she competed in the World Canals Conference in 2000. "This old girl represented all of the canals in Canada," he says.
Purchased in 1948, the Trent was originally used as a working vessel on the Trent-Severn Waterway for towing heavy in-water machinery and materials. It was also used as a platform for hard hat diving and in-water work. She was retired from service in 1970 and has since been travelling the Waterway and beyond as an interpretive stage and promotional tool.
https://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/3719877--along-for-the-ride-/
Keith Watson Photography - July 16, 2011.
The Tug Trent was purchased in 1948 as a working vessel, used primarily for towing heavy in-water machinery and materials and also as a platform for hard-hat diving and in-water work. The workboat was retired from service in the 1970s. It was used as an interpretive stage and promotional tool in the 1980s and travelled the TSW from 2000-2004 hosted by the Friends of the Trent-Severn Waterway. The re-launch of this vessel represents a proud history in service to Canadians and a step toward providing many more unique and authentic experiences for visitors. Click to enlarge to 3387 pixels wide.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/keith_watson/6120539922
Artist Paul Ingram (lives in Kyiv, Ukraine) sends these (Jan. 2019): Trent (Parks Canada - Trent Severn Waterway) - coloured pencil.
Created about 6-8 months ago. The original was given to high school friend who works for Parks Canada. Based on attached photo. Feel free to use. I'm not sure who the original photographer is and have forgotten my source from a couple of years ago.
Bill Badzo - Taken circa 2014
Peterborough Ontario ~ Canada ~ Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site of Canada ~ Trent Tour Boat. The Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site of Canada is located on the Otonabee River section of the Trent Canal in the City of Peterborough, Ontario. It is a large concrete structure along the Trent-Severn Waterway designed to lift boats 19.8 metres. The lock operates on a balance system, whereby water is let into the upper chamber, a connecting valve is opened and the heavier chamber Peterborough is known as the gateway to the Kawarthas, "cottage country", a large recreational region of the province. It is named in honour of Peter Robinson, an early Canadian politician who oversaw the first major immigration to the area. The city is the seat of Peterborough County.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/onasill/29339055006/
Rick Stout comments (April 19, 2017):
Flooding the Trent Severn Waterway section above the Kirkfield Lock #36 today. Four vessels were dry docked in the section over the winter and were also launched for the 2017 season when the section was flooded. The 43 ft tug "Trent" is owned by Parks Canada and was built by Russel Brothers in Owen Sound in 1948. It's used for maintenance throughout the Trent Severn waterway from Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario.
Orillia's Island Princess is 65 foot and was built in Port Dover Ont. in 1989. Captain Tom Gostick and his crew operate daily cruises from Orillia throughout the summer starting on May 20th. The 95 foot Kawartha Voyageur is based in Peterbrough Ont but operates five day overnight cruises between Big Chute and Lake Ontario on the Trent Severn Waterway as well as Lake Ontario to Ottawa on the Rideau Canal System. She was originally built in 1983 by McConnell Marine in Parry Sound Ontario and lengthened to maximum lock length in 1994. She is owned by Ontario Waterway Cruises in Orillia and is Skippered by Mark and John Ackert who's parents started Ontario Water Way cruises with the then smaller Trent Voyageur (Now the Serendipity Princess of Midland). The Kawartha Voyageur will start her first cruise in Rosedale on May 14th. The forth vessel in the section was a Parks Canada buoy tender powered barge also used throughout the system for Trent Severn Waterway maintenance.
Click to enlarge to 2048 pixels wide. All photos by Rick Stout Apr. 19, 2017.
Parcs Canada: une mascotte castor à 1,2 M$
Boris Proulx Agence QMI | Publié le 15 janvier 2018
Parks Canada still does not know if its mascot has been successful in attracting young visitors, although it has spent nearly $ 1.2 million on its creation, the making of its 68 costumes and its promotion. http://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2018/01/15/parcs-canada-une-mascotte-castor-a-12-m
The photo above is misleading. Rick Stout comments (June 4, 2019): "I don't know where she spent the winter this year because she wasn't in the Kirkfield ditch where she usually is and she hadn't run in years. Every year they would walk her out of the Kirkfield ditch where she wintered and walk her into the maintenance slip at Kirkfield. The cover would never come off her exhaust all year, then in the fall they would walk her back into the ditch with the Karwartha Voyageur cruise boat and drain the water."
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
http://marinerail.com
