Click on the image below and you’ll see how I posted it just over five years ago. So what do the big blue tug Powhatan below, Ellen McAllister, USCG Katherine Walker, ATB Brandywine, ATB Dublin Sea. and the Staten Island Ferry Spirit of America (as well as ferries Molinari and Marchi) all have in common?
For starters, the Menominee River in Wisconsin. And from that, given corporate acquisitions, an “in-law” relationship exists with Fincantieri vessels including Costa Concordia as well as the caissons that’ll try to re-float her.
But closer to home, the list above was built at the same Wisconsin shipyard as seven fleet ocean tugs, four of which are active in Military Sealift Command today. Click here for the 2012 MSC vessels poster, one fifth of which is reproduced below. MSC operates over 100 vessels today using 5500 civilian mariners. Civil servant mariners!!
The DonJon Marine Powhatan above has since 2008 become Inebolu A-590 of the Turkish Navy.
The Powhatan-class T-ATFs hare huge, by New York tugboat stands: 226′ loa x 42′ x 15.’
And they do long, large tows. Here about a year ago, Apache begins to tow a decommissioned USS Nassau to join the reserve fleet in Texas. Click here for more context on the foto, taken from USNS Grapple, another MSC vessel that may appear on this blog soon.
Thanks to Birk Thomas, I have a few more fotos of Apache in New London. Note the towline . . . attached to a sub in this 2010 foto, and . . .
light in 2011. Here’s a question I do NOT know the answer to: Apache visited NYC before 2001, but I don’t know when. Does anyone recall this? Have a foto of this?
In the next post, we look inside Apache. Next question . . . does this marlinespike seamanship have a name? Would this have been original to this 1981 vessel? By the way, Apache’s 31st b’day (technically d’day . . . D for delivery) is late July.
Only the first and last fotos are by Will Van Dorp. The second and third from last are thanks to Birk Thomas. All the others come from Military Sealift Command. Many thanks to Susan Melow, MSC Public Affairs Officer, for setting up a visit and to Apache Second Officer Michael R. Rankin for guiding the tour.
Click here to see Apache towing USS Forrestal. Here she is in St. Petersburg. Finally, here she deals with Atlantic Ocean pirates.
Finally, once again, does anyone remember when Apache visited NYC? Is there an archive online for vessels visiting during Fleet Weeks going back to 1982?
tugster: a waterblog 
14 comments
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July 7, 2012 at 11:20 am
walt
I’ve seen the T-ARS-51 Grasp behind building 92 at
the Brooklyn Navy Yard, This ship was pressed into
service raising the CSA’s Hunley Submarine!
July 7, 2012 at 11:28 am
walt
And the Grasp T-ARS-51 was built in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin @ PBI
Peterson Builders in the 1980’s
July 7, 2012 at 11:46 am
Allen Baker
Will,
Some day soon, I will scan and send along some images of when I sailed in “Powhatan” back in the mid 80’s.
Although these tugs were large, it was my opionion they were very much underpowered (7200hp…2×20 cylinder EMD’s) when compared to the European deep sea, salvage tugs that packed 20,000 to 26,000 horsepower in almost the same dimensions.
We did a lot of towing with “Powhatan”…my first trip was a tandem tow of 2 tankers from Setubal, Portugal to Norfolk, VA. Almost 50 days crossing the Atlantic, routed south because of tropical storms and at least 2 VERTREPs for fuel and stores.
Cheers
AB
June 8, 2013 at 8:27 am
Anonymous
I was on there the Powhatan 1985-86 as RMC Mildet
July 7, 2012 at 12:05 pm
JED
It would appear to be either normal coxcombing that he’s been slid into a twirl or (and more likely) a St Mary’s Coxcomb (http://www.frayedknotarts.com/tutorials/coxcombing/smary.html)
July 7, 2012 at 1:43 pm
KG2V
Could also be a “Chinese Staircase” style sinnet, But year, a lot like the St Mary’s too. Also a “Grapevine Sinnet” (ABOK 3349).
For anyone who is interested in knotwork, “The Ashley Book of Knots” (ABOK) is the standard book.
I sent Will an email earlier this week. I’ve been getting into Marlinespike work, but could really use a tutor/learning companion. I know a bunch of the basic knots, and do a splice in 4 ply round braid, but have a problem with 3 ply twist, and for some reason just can’t figure out a turkshead
If anyone can help – email me – I’m out in Bayside
July 7, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Harold E. Tartell
USNS APACHE T-ATF-172 made two visits to the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, N.Y. One in the late 80’s, & one on July 16. 2000 for a Tugboat Festival held there. http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000716/NEWS/307169988, http://www.msc.navy.mil/annualreport/2000/organization.htm. She is probably one of the larger or largest vessels to enter Rondout Creek (off of the Hudson River) and tie up at the museum’s dock. I was fortunate to go aboard her on both occasions. She was a nice vessel, but I will agree with Capt. Allen Baker, very “underpowered”. The Crowley “INVADER” class tugs at the time were packing 9,000 horsepower, and as Capt. Baker had mentioned the large European Salvage Tugs owned by Smit were packing over 20,000 horsepower. At present, most of the newer ATB’s start at 6,000 horsepower, up to Crowley’s new “750 Class” which pack 16,320 horsepower. http://www.crowley.com/What-We-Do/Petroleum-and-Chemical-Transportation/Vessel/750-Class-Articulated-Tug-Barges-ATBs. The new Crowley “OCEAN Class” tugs, which will be slowly replacing the “INVADER” class tugs pack 10,880 horsepower. http://www.crowley.com/News-and-Media/Press-Releases/Crowley-Announces-the-Launch-of-the-First-Ocean-Class-Tugboat-Ocean-Wave, http://www.tugboatinformation.com/tug.cfm?id=1110, http://www.tugboatinformation.com/tug.cfm?id=1111, http://www.tugboatinformation.com/tug.cfm?id=1112, http://www.tugboatinformation.com/tug.cfm?id=1113
July 7, 2012 at 4:41 pm
tugster
thanks much, harold . . . and anyone . . . are there fotos floating around in albums of apache in the 100 miles of hudson between kingston and the sea? i’d love to put them on tugster . . .
July 7, 2012 at 5:54 pm
JED
While Ashley’s MAY be the standard book – it is POORLY illustrated. If yer looking fer some good instruction I recommend Hervey Garrett Smith’s _A Marlinespike Sailor_. Neat projects and excellent illustration.
http://www.amazon.com/Marlinspike-Sailor-Hervey-Garrett-Smith/dp/0877424128
July 7, 2012 at 6:43 pm
KG2V
Yes, have that, and decorative fusion knots. Like I said, on and off been into ropework, but for some reason, I always, and I mean always mess up the turkshead, no idea why.
July 8, 2012 at 4:13 pm
JED
BEST diagram for a 5-bight, IMO: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xpE1FpQmWuk/S6aICtw2CRI/AAAAAAAAB3c/Ba2PoI6GLAQ/s320/5+strand+turks+head+knot.jpg
July 8, 2012 at 5:26 pm
KG2V
Yeah, I’ve seen lots of diagrams, and videos, but I ALWAYS mess something up, usually on the 2nd turn as far as I can tell. It is one of those things where I’m SURE that if I just get it right ONCE/have someone show me, I’ll be good to go. Makes me NUTS
July 8, 2012 at 8:05 pm
KG2V
So, I actually GOT my first turkshead done!! Per
http://www.troop54.com/knots/TurksHeadKnot/TurksHeadKnot.htm
The question is, I see these used as neckerchef slides – how do they hold tgether when you slip them off their slide/form? It came totally apart – looked GOOD while it was on what I made it on (a pill bottle), but when I took it off…
July 9, 2012 at 12:35 pm
Marlinespike Seamanship | Cumberland Soundings
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