The Daniel McAllister was built in 1905-1906, at Collingwood shipyard, and launched in 1907 under the name Helena. The new oceangoing tugboat measured 32,5' in lenght and 7' across at the midship beam.She began her career on the Atlantic coast. The daniel mc allister was placed here after the locks were re built. The boat is sitting on a concrete cradle (visible when the intermediate pool is drained) kinda funny the boat is a sieve, when they drain the canal you see water comming out for hours!!

The tugboat was renamed Daniel McAllister when it was purchased by McAllister Towing Ltd. In 1967, she could often be seen towing Canadian Pacific's large passenger liners - the Empress of Canada and the Empress of England - into the port of Montreal where she ended her career in the 1980s.

The Daniel McAllister is the oldest and largest tugboat to be preserved in Canada and the second oldest oceangoing tug to be preserved in the world.