Ville-class tug
# Ville-class tug

The Ville-class harbour tugboats are a class of tugboats employed by the Royal Canadian Navy.

Canada operated a fleet of 17-ton tugs, built during the Second World War which were also called the Ville class. The current vessels are named after those vessels. 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.

## 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. 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).

### 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).

### 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.

## Ships

Ville-class tugboats :

| Name | Pennant number | Commissioned | Builder | Stationed |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Lawrenceville | YTL 590 | 1974 | Vito Steel & Barge Co. | CFB Esquimalt |
| Parksville | YTL 591 | 1974 | Vito Steel & Bargo Co. | CFB Esquimalt |
| Listerville | YTL 592 | 1974 | Georgetown Shipyard, P.E.I. | CFB Halifax |
| Merrickville | YTL 593 | 1974 | Georgetown Shipyard, P.E.I. | CFB Halifax |
| Granville | YTL 594 | 1974 | Georgetown Shipyard, P.E.I. | CFB Halifax |

## 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. 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. The new tugs will be staffed by civilian crews and be restricted to the naval base/yard only.

