Proud of our History - The MV Joseph and 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.

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 MV Caribou that entered service four years previous. Weighing over 27 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.

As always, we welcome your photos for posting in a future blog. Please email your photos to [email protected] including any facts such as the date and location.

In our next blog posting we highlight the SS Glenco, a Newfoundland coastal boat that served from 1900-1959.