Royal Canadian Navy tugboat
 Ville-class tugboat CFAV Merrickville
|
| Class overview |
|---|
| Name | Ville class |
| Builders | |
| Operators |  Royal Canadian Navy |
| Built | 1974–1975 |
| In commission | 1975–present |
| Completed | 5 |
| Active | 5 |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Type | Tugboat |
| Displacement | 45 long tons (46 t) |
| Length | 19.5 m (64 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 4.72 m (15 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 2.74 m (9 ft 0 in) |
| Installed power |
- East coast Villes - 1 × Caterpillar 3406 diesel at 365 hp (272 kW)
- West coast Villes - 1 × Caterpillar D343 rated at 365 hp (272 kW)
|
| Propulsion | 1 × steerable kort nozzle |
| Speed | 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
| Notes | Bollard pull: 7.5 tons |
The Ville-class harbour tugboats are a class of tugboats employed by the Royal Canadian Navy.[2][3]
Canada operated a fleet of 17-ton tugs, built during the Second World War which were also called the Ville class.[3] The current vessels are named after those vessels.[4] There is confusion that the current Ville-class design was based on the British Pup-class tugs. The original 17-ton version was based on that design, however the new Villes are an independent design.[3]
Design
The Ville class were designed by the Canadian naval architecture company Robert Allan Ltd as harbour tugs. They have a low-slung shape that is ideal for tight maneuvering and nudging exercises on larger ships. Their kort-nozzle allows for a greater bollard pull however it loses its pull at anything over 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and loses speed in turns.[3] The Ville class are 13.71 m (45 ft 0 in) long with a beam of 4.72 m (15 ft 6 in) and a draught of 2.74 m (9 ft 0 in).[5]
Propulsion
Members of the class built on the east coast were given one Caterpillar 3406 diesel engine that provides 365 horsepower (272 kW) and Ville-class tugs built on the west coast were supplied with one Caterpillar D343 diesel engine rated at 365 hp (272 kW). This power is directed towards a steerable kort nozzle which gives the class a speed of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph).[5]
Towing
The Ville class has a max bollard pull of 7.5 tons, denoting them as small tugboats. The bollard pull measures the amount of pulling or pushing power a ship has.[3]
Other auxiliary ships
The Royal Canadian Navy operates five other, larger tugboats, the 140-ton CFAV Tillicum, and five 250-ton Glen-class tugs, and one 140-ton Fire-class fireboats.[3][6][7] The larger tugs are also split between both coasts.
On 29 April 2019 the Government of Canada announced Ocean Industries of Isle-aux-Coudres, Quebec was awarded the contract to build four tow-tug/rescue vessels to replace both the Fire-class fireboats and Glen-class tugs with delivery expected from 2021 to 2023.[8] The new tugs will be staffed by civilian crews and be restricted to the naval base/yard only.[citation needed]
