Proud of our History - the MV Trepassey

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.

A member of the nicknamed “Splinter fleet” or “Clarenville Boats”, the MV Trepassey was one of ten small, wooden, diesel-powered vessels constructed at the Clarenville shipyard during the mid-1940s. Named after the southern Avalon Peninsula community of the same name, it measured 135 feet in length and weighed 322 tonnes. While the vessel was primarily known for trading salt cod with Caribbean nations, returning with unique products such as Jamaican rum, and delivering freight to coastal communities, the vessel also travelled to the Antarctic (while under external charter) during the 1960s.

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 next week’s blog posting, we highlight Portland, Maine which served as a secondary Nova Scotia-United States route from 1976-1982.