DARTMOUTH, Nova Scotia, Oct. 31, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) is proud to announce today that it is sponsoring the transportation by rail of the last known Centurion tank in Canada to be on the front lines during the Korean War. The Centurion was loaded onto a rail car at the CN Yard in Dartmouth, NS on Oct. 30 and is scheduled to arrive in British Columbia in the coming weeks. This particular tank had been on display at Cornwallis Park and would have served under the Commonwealth efforts in the Korean conflict and was likely transferred to Canada in 1954.

The tank’s journey from Nova Scotia to British Columbia will be via a multimodal supply chain partnership. A.W. Liel, John Hunter Trucking Co., Total Transport & Rigging, as well as Quiring Towing and Recovery, will help complete the coast-to-coast transfer of this piece of Canadian military history.

“We have a proud and strong history of moving Canadian military equipment and soldiers,” said Keith Reardon, senior vice-president, consumer product supply chain. “During this month of commemoration for the sacrifices made by our veterans and our Armed Forces, we wanted to contribute by doing what we do best. This also serves as a reminder of CN’s role in the supply chain that has shaped our society for over 100 years.”

“Canada fielded Centurions as our main battle tank well into the 1970s," added Ken Hynes, Maj. (Ret’d), curator of the Army Museum Halifax Citadel, “In Korea, Canadians fought from 1950 to 1953 their service and sacrifice is an honoured chapter of our country's military heritage and must never be forgotten.” 

Following an inquiry last month from the Western Museum of Armed Forces regarding the tank, Township of Langley Councillor Bob Long brought the matter to CN’s attention. Through close collaboration between the Organization of Military Museums of Canada and the Cornwallis Military Museum Association, the Centurion tank was made available and cleared for transfer.

Langley is home to many people of Korean descent, and the town regularly incorporates aspects of the Korean war into commemorations at Legions and during Remembrance Day events. The conflict saw more than 26,000 Canadians serve on land, at sea and in the air and cost 516 Canadians their lives. 

CN is a true backbone of the economy transporting more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries – serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America.