Many thanks to Paul Strubeck for this foto of a preserved “results report” he has . . . from a 60-year-old typewriter! A week from today Working Harbor Committee is sponsoring a great event they call the 20th annual North River Tugboat Race, but clearly there have been more than 19 prior races involving the machinery of the New York City towing industry. How many races have been held? Going in “order of completion,” I’ve managed to find fotos of #2 finisher Barbara Moran and #3 Socony 11 (later Dorothy Elizabeth, shown here racing again in 2007) from Birk and Harold’s site. Also, here’s a foto of a model of #1 Shamokin. And a foto from eBay of Wm. J. Tracy. Finally, here’s a quite forlorn foto of Dalzelleader late in her life. That leaves me without images of finishers 5, 6, and 7: Dauntless 14, Russell 17 and Turecamo Girls of that vintage.
Thanks to Charlie Gallo for sending this foto of Mister T (2001) from the east end of the East River, a section of the sixth boro that I’ve inadvertently ignored. I’ve no idea who the T is Mister T is. Behind the bridge is SUNY Maritime’s Empire State. Thanks, Charlie.
In fact, I’m always looking for new perspectives, like this one from a week ago over southwest Bayonne, showing McAllister Sisters and Ellen McAllister docking Golden Gate Bridge, with Bebedouro and Islander (I think) in the distance. Also, in the foreground, it’s drillboat Kraken.
One of the details of ships is their names, like this quite intriguing one.
From a similar aerial perspective, enjoy Turecamo Girls (1965).
How about an unexpected angle on a frequent subject of this blog, Gramma Lee T Moran, running here with an outbound Carnival Glory.
The T in Gramma Lee T is for Tregurtha. Gramma Lee has this other vessel named for her as well. She was the wife of Paul Tregurtha, a name that you might know from Ken or Isaac’s blog posts on Interlake Steamship Company vessels.
I spotted one such vessel from Badger earlier this week. Behold barge Pathfinder and tug Dorothy Ann.
Barge Pathfinder used to be a boat: J. L. Mauthe.
Boat-turned-barge Pathfinder now has a detachable engine called Dorothy Ann (1998).
As the person behind this blog, I want to step back a bit and thank you all for reading what I post, looking at the fotos, commenting, and sometimes correcting my errors. I’ve enjoyed doing the blog for almost six years and will continue.
More SS Badger soon.
tugster: a waterblog 
8 comments
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August 26, 2012 at 4:36 pm
tugster
in the first paragraph here, i worked on the class A tugboats. can anybody help with class B and C?
August 26, 2012 at 4:38 pm
tugboathunter
Will, I love your photos and stories. Enjoy your time on freshwater!
August 27, 2012 at 12:41 am
Ken
I love how intertwined some of this stuff is. Never in a million years would I expect to see a tug named after one of my favorite ships (indirectly).
August 27, 2012 at 10:17 am
tugboathunter
It is strange. I think Moran also has tugs named for Paul Tregurtha, James Barker and Kaye Barker.
August 27, 2012 at 10:31 am
starbuck5250
Very interesting social network infographic. I think you have a social network here, but perhaps it’s a more traditional sort of ‘social’ than the currently vogue ‘bunch of people.’ Here, we are drawn together by a love of the harbour, those marvelous tugboats and the wonderful words that bring them to life.
August 27, 2012 at 10:50 am
tugster
the researcher sent me another that i’ll include soon after i made pretty much the same observation you’re making here. i’m thrilled by this community . . . . its rewardingness is what keeps me going. thanks . . . all.
March 11, 2015 at 12:25 pm
tim maynard
The T in Mr. T stands for the family name Tylofsky. I was fortunate enough to meet the daughter of the man who designed and help construct her and she told me that she remembers when the tug was launched. Her mother christened Mr. T in honor of the father.
March 11, 2015 at 6:52 pm
tugster
Tim– Thanks for that info. I always had just assumed it was that big guy from the A-Team.