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ATLANTIC TOWING


The Myalls family have worked in the Marine Industry for six generations,


spanning over 100 years, and have been with Atlantic T


owing for at least half of that time.


Their time on the world’s oceans, rivers and seaways is a common, impermeable bond


collectively


that runs amongst them. They have seen the world from the ships they have crewed and, , they have waged war (and at times


lost) to unrelenting vessel fires, and have been trapped in storms raging 65+ feet waves for days. They have experienced the highs and lows common to a mariner’s life, including


completing challenging contracts, and making lifelong friends of colleagues. They have also been absent for the joys and sorrows experienced by their family back home. They


have weathered the ebbs and flows of crewing vessels while missing home life as best as they could, and while the challenges can sometimes seem insurmountable, they remain happy


willing and eager to return to their ships and their fellow crew that sail them.


,


Joey Myalls, Captain of the Atlantic Bear in Saint John, NB, is part of the third generation of Myalls mariners. He succeeds his father, grand and great grandfather, and is considered ‘the family historian.’


Joey’s great grandfather, Albert Myalls, was a fisherman and was lost at sea at the young age of 45, when he and another fisherman left the schooner in a dory to retrieve fishing gear and never returned.


Walter Myalls, Joey’s grandfather, spent his career working with the Navy, Foundation Maritime, the Department of Fisheries & Oceans and finally with Atlantic Towing. His adventures of his life at sea were featured in Farley Mowat’s books, The Grey Seas Under and The Serpent’s Coil.


Considered a master of his trade, Albert Myalls was a legend with Atlantic Towing. He is best described by the people that knew him as the dean of deep sea salvage Captains. He was known as a gentle man, who was always one step ahead of the tasks ahead of him. He was a mentor to many, and someone who never got too excited about anything.


In 1953, Albert had the opportunity to participate in the largest salvage mission on the Eastern Atlantic Seaboard. The English warship, the H.M.S. Pelican, where Queen Victoria was once a passenger, had sunk in the Sydney, Nova Scotia’s harbour. Albert kept a written journal of the effort to salvage the vessel, and described with great detail their use of pumps, a heavy-lifting floating crane and divers with wooden plugs that plugged the many holes in the vessel’s hull.


In later years, Albert was Master on the Shelburne fisheries vessel, the Robertson III. Misfortune struck the vessel when it caught fire, engulfing it in flames. Albert ordered 11 crew members to flee the fire and seek safety elsewhere on the ship, while he and five of his men battled the flames. Sadly, their heroic efforts proved futile, and the entire crew were forced to abandon the vessel. The company later built a scallop dragger, and named it ‘Myalls’ in honour of Albert.


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