Whalen tug 'stable' after taking on water, listing in April, city says

A historic, City of Thunder Bay tug boat that was found to be taking on water last month has been stabilized, but will remain closed to the public for the time being.

The 115-year-old James Whalen tug, which has been moored at Kam River Heritage Park in Thunder Bay since the 1990s, was found listing after taking on water in April.

Cory Halvorsen, the city'smanager of parks and open spaces, said a "considerable" amount of water was pumped out, and an inspector brought on board to examine the Whalen for any serious damage.

"Once all of the water was pumped out, the boat rose up even further out of the water, which seems to have further reduced ... any leaks that are occurring," Halvorsen said. "It's in a very stable situation."

He said a bilge pump is being installed, which will remove any more water the Whalen takes on.

"Itcan actually take on some water, even from rainwater too because ... it's got a large surface area on the top," Halvorsen said. "A bilge pump can deal with that type of infiltration, and then if there were to be any other kind of leaks, then it would deal with that as well."

"We'll be monitoring that," he said. "It looks like we've been able to avoid having to do a major repair in relation to a leak."

The Whalen will remain closed to the public for the time being, Halvorsen said, and some items that were on board andwere damaged by the water will be removed while the city decides on a long-term plan for the vessel.