Theodore Too floats again after partial sinking in Ontario port

Theodore Too, the beloved life-sized replica of Theodore Tugboat, has been 'safely righted and refloated' after its partial sinking in Ontario, its owner says.

Theodore Too, the beloved life-sized replica of Theodore Tugboat, has been “safely righted and refloated,” its owner says.

The 20-metre vessel, which moved to the Port of Hamilton from Halifax Harbour in June 2021, partially sank Tuesday night after somehow taking on water while at the Ontario Shipyard in Port Weller.

Its owner, Blair McKeil, CEO of Breakwater Financial, said in a statement Wednesday that a team of professionals was devising a plan to refloat the tugboat.

Late Thursday, Breakwater said in a statement that those professionals were able to save the 24-year-old tugboat.

“We are happy to announce that at approximately 3 p.m. today, Theodore Too was safely righted and refloated,” it said.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but with that being said, we want to thank Olous Boag and his team from Ontario Shipyards for their immediate assistance and expertise with the salvage and refloat operations.”

The company went on to also thank subcontractor ASI Group for its dive team work, as well as the Canadian Coast Guard’s urgent response team for its help.

It’s still unclear how Theodore Too, which has long been an iconic figure to many Canadians, took on water.