End of the Year, End of the Line

 As the year 2022 comes to an end so do the careers of several ships from the region. At least four ships  are soon to be no more as the scrappers torches may already be at work.

Two ships from Newfoundland are included, both known in Halifax at one time in their careers.

 Number 1

The tug now known as the Matterhorn was built in 1956 for the Royal Canadian navy as the St.Charles ATA 533 and was based at HMC Dockyard in Halifax. Although intended to tow large navy vessels up to and including aircraft carriers it was frequently relegated to towing gunnery targets (some of which were old ships.) In 1994 it was sold to Secunda Marine Service and renamed Chebucto Sea, and saw varied duties, including a disastrous bareboat charter that resulted in a lengthy legal proceeding. A Newfoundland company became the owners in 2009. In 2014 while lying in Mount Carmel, NL, and with the name of Matterhorn, the tug sank at its berth.

With a gunnery target on the hip, the tug was returning to port in this photo.

There have been several accounts, and many photos of this tug and its two sister tugs in my Tugfax blog:

June 18, 2012 and February 18, 2015

After several years of trying to make the owners responsible for removing pollutants from the hulk, the Canadian Coast Guard took over cleanup efforts recently and removed a 256,7000 liters of oil / water. It appears that they had to raise the wreck to do so, and  it is likely that it will now have to be cut up in place as it is well beyond any poteantial salvage.

Number 2

 Also in Newfoundland, but in the port of Grand Bank, the Canadian Coast Guard removed 292,537 liters of oily waste from the abandoned fishing vessel Atlantic Pursuit. It was damaged in a storm in the year 2006 and was towed into port then moved to different ports under different owners who never seemed to be able to get the ship back into operating condition. It was even sold off for scrap but never broken up.

Built in 1976 as an offshore supplier / pipe carrier it was converted in 1988 to an offshore clam dredger. I have recounted its history here March 10, 2016.

The ship has now been towed by the McKeil Marine tug Beverly M 1 to Sydport, NS, arriving December 12, where it will be broken up by Marine Recycling Corp.

Two more ships will be broken up in Nova Scotia.

 Number 3

The tug Irving Beech is soon to arrive in Wood Island, PE to take away the burned out ferry Holiday Island. An engine room fire on July 22, 2022 resulted in irreparable damage to the ship. Fortunately all passengers and crew were rescued. 

Built in 1971 to operate seasonally between Cape Tormentine, NB and Borden PE, with sister ship Vacationland, it was moved to the Caribou, NS to Wood Islands PE crossing when the Confederation Bridge was completed in 1997.

Now the Antigonish, NS based company R.J.MacIsaac Construction Ltd has been contracted for $1.6 mn to scrap the ship. It will be towed to Sheet Harbour, NS where the work of removing hazardous materials and cutting it up is to be completed by Febrary 28, 2024.
 

Number 4

The same  R.J.MacIsaac Company has also been sontracted to break up the CCGS Hudson (see my post of November 30, 2022. ) However cutting up will not begin immediately. First the ship will be moved from its berth at the Bedford Institute to another location in Halifax Harbour where initial work will be carried out. It will eventually be towed to Sheet Harbour for scrapping. 

Even when showing obvious signs of deterioration, the Hudson's graceful lines could not be concealed.

 .