CCGS Tupper

CCGS "Tupper" was a Canadian Coast Guard Ice-strengthened Navigation aids vessel that served from 1959-1998.

The vessel was commissioned into the Department of Transport's Marine Service as CGS "Tupper" in 1959 at Marine Industries, Sorel using the prefix "Canadian Government Ship". In 1962 the Marine Service fleet was merged into the newly formed Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and the CGS "Tupper" was renamed CCGS "Tupper".

CCGS Tupper was based at CCG Dartmouth Base (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia), throughout most of her active days . Her sistership Simon Fraser was in the later part of her career also stationed in Dartmouth.Tupper was active in servicing the navigation aids of Atlantic Canada as well as operating in heavy ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence River, and also acted as a harbour cleanup vessel. She occasionally traveled to the north. Earlier in her career she was stationed in Charlottetown, PEI.

"Caruso", ex-"Tupper", is currently visible from the Dartmouth Cove trail. I walk down every few days and I've gotten a few photos. Externally she looks bad but from the interior condition survey (2003) she looks good. www.bjpownall.com/files/CarusoConditionSurvey20031.pdf

Decommissioning

She was decommissioned from active service in 1998 and renamed "1998-05". The naming scheme indicates that she was the fifth government vessel decommissioned in 1998. She was used as a training ship at CCG Dartmouth Base until 2000 when she was sold and renamed MV "Caruso". She has been laid up in Halifax Harbour in at least three locations since, including Karlsens Wharf - Halifax, Woodside Atlantic Wharf - Dartmouth, and is currently laid up at the old Dartmouth Marine Slips wharf, as of May 1st 2008. Apparently she is for sale, and may not be traveling to Italy for conversion to a mega-yacht, the fate of her sistership "Simon Fraser", decommissioned 2001.