The Iron Guppy is a tugboat, built in 2016, and owned and operated by Ports Toronto.[1][2] She replaced the William Rest, a tugboat that served in Ports Toronto, and its predecessor agencies, since 1961. The Iron Guppy has very similar operational characteristics as the William Rest, however, with modern electronics.[3]
The Iron Guppy is a single screw tug, capable of breaking ice up to 6 inches (15 cm) thick.[1][2][4]
Ports Toronto called upon elementary school students to help pick the vessel's name.[5]
The vessel was designed by Robert Allan Limited, ship architects, and built by Hike Metals of Wheatley, Ontario.
Fireboat William Lyon MacKenzie gave the Iron Guppy a ceremonial shower, to mark her commissioning, on July 23, 2016.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b
Casey Conley (2016-06-29). "Tugboat roundup". Professional Mariner. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
The single-screw icebreaking tugboat William Rest has operated from the Port of Toronto since the early 1960s, but its long tenure is coming to an end. Iron Guppy, a single-screw tug, will replace the venerable vessel in summer 2016.
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"Scraping the bottom of the channel". Jon Lamont. 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
The William Rest tugboat has been on the fritz. To continue dredging, PortsToronto had to contract out another tugboat. Come June, the contracting will end when the new Iron Guppy tug arrives, with a $3 million price tag, to replace the ailing William Rest.
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"Iron Guppy - a new Robert Allan Ltd. ice-breaking tug taking shape for Ports Toronto". Robert Allan Limited. 2016-02-18. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
The new tug carries over some of the old tug's characteristics such as size, power, and single fixed pitch propeller that the crew have become accustomed to.
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Joseph R. Fonesca (2016-02-24). "Ports Toronto Gives Shape to Robert Allan Tug". Marine Link. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
With a special ice breaking bow it will be able to break at least 6 inches of ice continuously and up to 10" ramming.
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"Waterfront Elementary Students Name PortsToronto's New Tugboat "Iron Guppy"". Ports Toronto. 2015-12-18. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
The judging panel that narrowed the list that would ultimately form the basis for the vote was comprised of Marilyn Bell, the first person to swim across Lake Ontario and for whom the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport ferry is named; Mike Filey, Toronto Sun columnist; and Angus Armstrong, Harbour Master and Chief of Security for PortsToronto.
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Mike Filey (2016-07-23). "Meet the 'Iron Guppy': The past and future of Toronto's waterfront tugs and fireboats". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
Ports Toronto's new tug "Iron Guppy" (or perhaps pronounced a more sophisticated "Eeron Goopay") is the most recent in a succession work boats that over the years did yeoman service in and around our harbour.
External links edit
Media related to Iron Guppy (tugboat, 2016) at Wikimedia Commons
