Joseph & Clara Smallwood

Marine Atlantic, its predecessor CN Marine, and pre-confederation Newfoundland coastal boats have a strong and proud history serving the people of Atlantic Canada through ferry terminals, passenger vessels and rail service.

In this blog we highlight the Joseph and Clara Smallwood which serviced the Port aux Basques-North Sydney and Argentia-North Sydney crossings between 1990 and 2011.

Named in honour of Joseph R. Smallwood (the first Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador and a Father of Confederation and his wife Clara, the vessel was the sister ship to the Caribou that entered service four years previous. Weighing over 27,000  tons and measuring over 180 metres in length, the vessel could carry hundreds of passengers, automobiles and commercial trailers each crossing. Similar to its sister ship, the vessel was respected for the tremendous service it provided in transporting the thousands of passengers and vehicles between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia during its 21 years of operation.