I encountered the word “Choptank” some years back in James Michener’s novel Chesapeake.  Although no doubt a poor approximation of the native Nanticoke name of the river, in English it’s delightfully evocative.  I’m wondering what fun by way of creative word derivation people learning this name have had.  Anyhow, I was thrilled last summer to see the name of this tug, figuring out that this whole class of tug is named for rivers in the Chesapeake watershed.

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Above Choptank heads south in the Arthur Kill, and below, it’s southbound past West Point about two months ago.

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Here a light Choptank steams past heavy traffic at Howland Hook, and

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last shot Choptank eastbound in KVK moves a light barge on the hip.

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More Patapsco class vessels soon.  Vane Brothers have 15 of this class already, which makes me wonder how many more named streams flow into the Chesapeake?

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