Canton Towing Adds To ‘Sir’ Boat Fleet

Canton (Mo.) Marine Towing Inc. recently added another boat to its fleet of harbor vessels, all of which have names beginning with the moniker “Sir.” In July, the company purchased the mv. Gladiator from American River Transportation Company and renamed it the mv. Sir Cody J.

“The ‘Sir’ began as a joke,” said Larry J. Caldwell, president, who explained that the nickname started on a fishing trip in Canada when, for some unknown reason, his fishing buddies began referring to him as “your highness.” He said the name “Sir” stuck and that after they named a boat the mv. Sir Larry J, subsequent vessels were all similarly branded.

“The Sir Cody J is named in honor of my nephew’s daughter,” Caldwell said. He added that he bought it because, not only was it a good opportunity, but its horsepower is such that it can be used to do short haul work, in addition to harbor and fleeting. The boat has 1,800 hp. from twin Cummins KTA38-M diesels that were installed in 1998. Built in 1975 by SteelShip and rebuilt in 1989 after burning, it measures 70 by 26 feet.