''Canadian National Tug no. 6'' was a diesel-powered

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

owned and operated by the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

(CNR) company on

Okanagan Lake Okanagan Lake ( oka, kɬúsx̌nítkw) is a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is long, between wide, and has a surface area of 348 km2 (135 sq. mi.). Hydrography Okanagan Lake is called a fjord lake as i ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It was launched in 1948 and transferred railway barges between Penticton and

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''ki� ...

. It was retired in 1973, becoming the last of many tugboats to operate on Okanagan Lake. Tug 6 was moved to Penticton in 2007 to rest alongside the SS ''Naramata'' and SS ''Sicamous'', two

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

(CPR) steamboats, as part of the S.S. Sicamous Inland Marine Museum. The ships are currently being restored by the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society.

Canadian National Railway in the Okanagan

After a long delay due to World War I,Turner, Robert D. ''The Sicamous and the Naramata''. Victoria: Sono Nis Press, 1947. the CNR finally reached Kelowna from

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, w ...

in September, 1925. This would prove to be one of the most important factors for the end of lake travel in the Okanagan,Cox, Doug. ''S.S. Sicamous: Queen of Okanagan Lake''. Penticton: Skookum Publications, 1995. as more fruit shipments would go through the railway in Kelowna than through the slower steamer route at

Okanagan Landing Okanagan Landing was an unincorporated settlement and steamboat port at the north end of Okanagan Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Located southwest of the city of Vernon, it was the terminus station for the Shuswap and Okanaga ...

. Passenger service began February 1926 and service on the lake began with the launching of the propeller-driven motor vessel MV ''Pentowna'' in June. CNR had transfer slips in Peachland, Westbank, Penticton, and Kelowna, and shared with Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) in Summerland and

Naramata Naramata is an unincorporated community in the Okanagan region of south central British Columbia. On the eastern shore of southern Lake Okanagan, the locality is by road about north of Penticton. Name origin In November 1906, John Moore Robinso ...

. The ''Pentowna'' transported passengers between Penticton and Kelowna, hence the name. She competed with ''Sicamous'', but was converted to haul freight in 1937 due to her ungainly appearance and problems with vibrations.Affleck, Edward L. ''Steamboating on the Columbia River System in British Columbia''. Vancouver: Alexander Nicolls Press. 2002. CNR ended its barge service in 1973 due to the new highways and other modes of transportation.

Construction

''CN Tug no. 6'' joined CNR's fleet in 1948. While it appears to have been built to meet service demands, some speculate that ''Tug 6'' was launched because CPR, CNR's competitor, had launched the the previous year. It was built in 1948 by Yarrows Shipbuilders, Esquimalt, BC and registered in

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de ...

, B.C.Turner, Robert D. ''Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs''. Victoria: Sono Nis Press, 1947. ''Tug 6'' was all-steel, including the hull, with an eight-cylinder, turbo-charged diesel engine. It had a single blade rudder and a nominal horsepower of 575. It was 88 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 10 feet, 6 inches deep with a gross tonnage of 158 tons. There were three double cabins and a storage room on board.

Service

Like the tugboat ''Naramata'', ''Tug 6'' transported fruit, mail, and other freight. ."S.S. ''Sicamous'' Restoration Society"
''The Story of Lake Boats in the Okanagan''
. August 2014. It was used to push and pull barges loaded with railcars full of fruit from

Osoyoos Osoyoos (, ) is the southernmost town in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia between Penticton and Omak. The town is north of the United States border with Washington state and is adjacent to the Osoyoos Indian reserve. The origin of the na ...

, Penticton, Naramata, Summerland, Peachland, Gellatly's Point, and Westbank to the rail yard at Kelowna, where they were then loaded onto the trains to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

to be shipped across Canada. Although not as glorious as the passenger sternwheelers such as ''Sicamous'', tugboats were essential in the development of the Okanagan, as they developed the fruit industry and economy of the region.

Crew

The last crew of ''Tug 6'' is as follows: Skipper: Ron Giggey Chief engineer: Ben Bounds Second engineer: Dick Sieward Cook: Harry Heyworth Mates: Ike Klassen, Harry Bailey, Inar Bozarth, Ken Marshall, Frank Hawkey

Retirement and restoration

CPR stopped its barge service in 1972, and CNR retired its two remaining vessels, ''Pentowna'' and ''Tug 6'', the following year due to the new highways and other forms of transportation. Thus, ''Tug 6'' was the last tugboat to operate on Okanagan Lake. It was sold to Fintry Estates in 1973, along with ''Okanagan'', while ''Pentowna'' was moved to the Peachland waterfront. Thirteen years later, the city of Kelowna bought ''Tug 6'' from its owner at the time, Angela Percy, for CAD$35 000."City buys lake tugboat as floating museum piece". ''Capital News''. p. A10. 31 March 1993. The city was intending to make it a museum, but decided to transfer the ship to the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society in 2007 to restore it and to expand and promote the ''Sicamous'' Inland Marine Heritage Park. ''Tug 6'' was moved to Penticton on June 16, 2007, to rest alongside ''Sicamous'' and ''Naramata'', becoming the only ship at Heritage Park to have been fueled by diesel instead of coal. Restoration began with the construction of a bridge from the park to the floating tug. Cleaning and painting followed. Current plans include the installation of a permanent bridge and further painting, and the Society hopes to open ''Tug 6'' for tours in the summer of 2015."S.S. Sicamous Heritage Park Summer Newsletter". August 2014

References

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