The Tugboat 'Rival'

Long before the arrival of 'Theodore the Tugboat Too', a replica tug on its way from Halifax to Hamilton, Kingston harbour was home to actual working tugboats. 

Portsmouth Harbour, in its previous life prior to rejuvenation as the 1976 Olympics sailing venue, also contributed lay-up space. Sincennes-McNaughton (Sin-Mac) was originally a tugboat line based in Montreal and Sorel, QC. When Sin-Mac was part of Mohawk Navigation Ltd., several of its ships wintered here. The Red fleet like Redwood, Redcloud and Redriver were repowered tug-barges built for Red Barge Lines Ltd., later part of Sin-Mac, and wintered at Portsmouth for many years. 

Tugboats like Rival (top photo) and identical sister Felicia (above - OhioLINK Digital Resource Commons photo) were coal-burning steam tugs. Rival was on station at Portsmouth Harbour for 25 years, usually with her master of 17 years, Captain Lewis Orr.

The tug Frontenac, another familiar sight working eastern Lake Ontario for 30 years, was built by the Calvin Co. of Garden Island in 1901. Sunk in 1929 during her first year of ownership by Sin-Mac, she is now a diveable local wreck. Sin-Mac was acquired by McAllister Towing & Salvage in 1959.

Built in 1923, by Sorel Mechanical of Sorel, Quebec as the Rival for Sincennes-McNaughton of Montreal, Quebec. Interestingly, Rival was converted to oil but sank in the Welland Canal in 1931 as a result of an explosion, recovered and converted back to coal! The 85-foot tug was under the service of Lloyd Tankers in the 1930's. Rival was still in service in Montreal in the 1970's.

Lots o' links:

• Tug Rival with overturned Bruce Hudson, barge in Toronto Harbour, 1935.
• Tub Rival on the bottom, Shotline Diving image.