Timber tug Bertha

Original use: Canadian Lumber Tug in Newfoundland

Current use: Under restoration

Built: 1925 by Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co, Newcastle on Tyne (UK).

Dimensions: 80' x 18' x 5'6"

Displacement: 79 gross tons.

Construction: Riveted steel.

Speed: 10 knots

Original power: Oil-fired hot-head Gardiner Diesel engines.

Current power: Re-powered in 1951 with twin Caterpillar Diesels rated at 120 HP each. The "starter" motors for these diesels are small gasoline engines called "pony engines"

History: She and three sister boats were designed with winches and a flat bottom so she could move herself over land from one creek to the next in her work as a timber tug. She worked until 1980. Between 1980 and her rescue by her current owner, she served various functions, including a beached drinking club on Dear Lake. Abandoned for a time, her original wheelhouse was vandalized and ultimately replaced by her current modern house. Since 1999, her restoration has proceeded apace. Her gunwales and wheelhouse will be restored and additional framing added to strengthen her hull.

Status: Foreign hull not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places

Skipper: Darren Vigilant

Contact: 917 7017548