CGS Graham Bell

CGS Graham Bell[lower-alpha 1] was a Canadian government tugboat that was wrecked, and beached, while operating out of Churchill, Manitoba. Entering service in 1929, Graham Bell was brought to Churchill specifically to aid in the construction of port facilities. Operating out of Churchill, Graham Bell left only during the Second World War after being loaned by the government to assist in towing duties along the East Coast of Canada. Following the war, the tugboat returned to Churchill.

For other uses, see Graham Bell.

Graham Bell next to the freighter Pennyworth, the first freighter to visit Churchill's new port facilities, in 1933
Canada
Name: Graham Bell
Namesake: Alexander Graham Bell
Yard number: 504
Launched: 11 June 1929
General characteristics
Type: Tugboat
Tonnage: 250 GRT

Description

Graham Bell was tugboat with a tonnage of 250 gross register tons (GRT).[1]

Service history

Constructed by Davie Shipbuilding with the yard number 504, the tugboat was launched at Levis, Quebec on 11 June 1929.[1] Graham Bell was then towed to Churchill, Manitoba by another tug, Ocean Eagle, in 1929, to assist in the construction of new port facilities.[2][3]

Graham Bell was the tug that first brought a local pilot to Pennyworth, the first freighter to visit Churchill's newly completed port facilities, in 1933.[4] During the Second World War Graham Bell left Churchill, when the vessel was pressed into service on the East Coast of Canada for towing duties.[5] The tugboat returned to Churchill following the war. where she was grounded.[4]

Notes
  1. CGS stands for Canadian Government Ship

References
  1. Miramar Ship Index
  2. "Conditions at Churchill". The Engineering Journal. 16: 160. 1933. During the winter of 1928–29 an additional tug, now called the Graham Bell, was built in Levis, for use in dredging operations and, being of small bunker capacity, had to be towed by the tug Ocean Eagle.
  3. "Saint-Class Tugs Under the Canadian Flag". Steamboat Bill: Journal of the Steamship Historical Society of America. Steamship Historical Society of America (201–204): 32. 1992. Retrieved 11 January 2017. July 19, 1929 saw OCEANEAGLE leave Quebec carrying 325 tons of cargo and towing the new tug GRAHAM BELL
  4. "Canada's Prairie Port". Shipping Wonders of the World. Amalgamated Press. 14 July 1936. pp. 724–730. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018. At the entrance to the Churchill River, the pilot came aboard from the Canadian Government's tug, the Graham Bell. The tug is a vessel of 250 tons gross, registered at Quebec, and has a length of 100 feet and a beam of 26 feet.
  5. Pritchard, James (2011). A Bridge of Ships: Canadian Shipbuilding During the Second World War. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 107. ISBN 9780773538245. Retrieved 11 January 2017.

Sources
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