According to the family history here, they started with schooners and currently, besides oil, they push water and do more.  Monday I caught Susquehanna standing by along the KVK as container vessel Zim Shenzhen hurried for its assignation in Port Elizabeth.

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The following four pics come from Jim Demske, who’s worked for Vane for over twenty years as Captain and is now Port Captain in charge of “New Tug Construction.”   Elk River entered service mid-summer 2009, just a little over six months after Sassafras did.

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Seabart sends along a link to the 23 August issue of Tugs Towing & Offshore Newsletter with a short piece about the Charles Burton launch:  see page 4/12 of this link.  Charles Burton is sibling to Elk River and Sassafras.

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Compare wheelhouse of a Sassafras class with

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that of Vane Brothers largest class–Brandywine.  Click on boatnerd’s site here for pics of Brandywine’s first splash in early 2006 at Marinette Marine in cold  Wisconsin.  These folks also built the Molinari class Staten Island ferries.

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More Brandywine and its mate Double Skin 141 here, loa 480′ and capacity of 145,000 barrels, also built in Wisconsin.

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Jeff Anzevino took the next two fotos, Potomac of the Patapsco class, operating in the icy

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Hudson north of Poughkeepsie.

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Like the lead foto, I took this one.  In this case,  Patapsco thrusts forward and divides Hudson water in the Great North River race in 2007.  Beyond Patapsco are Lucy Reinauer and Nathan E. Stewart.  The two cruise ships mostly visible are Norwegian Spirit and Norwegian Dawn.

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Again, special thanks to Jim and Jeff for use of these pictures.