I had a chance to see Orange Blossom depart the sixth boro this morning, but since our current January light is so monochromatic, I thought to take on the tugboat/towboat question. Having said that, I’ve always considered Buchanan 12 (last one here) and Glen Cove (seventh foto here) as river tugboats or pushboats. Odin, depicted at the end of this post and possibly still in the Kirby yard in Houston, also has some towboat characteristics.
Olga G. Stone, big pushknees and little if any sheer . . . .
without a winch or H-bit . . . definitely a towboat.
Barbara E. Bouchard and in the lift Edwin N. Bisso . . . as definitely tugboats
Admiral Jackson . . . tugboat.
J. W. Herron . . . towboat, and I’d love to see her high and dry hull lines.
Ned Ferry . . . tug. Here’s Ned Ferry with Sanko Venture, recently somewhat curiously rendered by bowsprite.
This unidentified Florida Marine vessel with tow is a towboat . . . . Note how the length of the tow
seems quite lengthened when you get a profile. Also notice the dance as the ferry Louis B. Porterie sashays between the two tows.
John Williams . . . towboat.
Ditto Alley Cat, Stone Power,
and Jerry Aragon.
This one I don’t see enough of to identify.
For nostalgia’s sake . . . a foto of Odin in the KVK . . . circa 2007.
All fotos above by Will Van Dorp. For some great towboat fotos check Boat Photo Museum and Ohio River Blog, recently added to my blogroll. Also, an excellent site is Dick’s Towboat Gallery. For more on the difference between tugs and towboats from TES, click here.
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January 12, 2013 at 5:27 pm
sleepboot
Will,
It is very easy. A tugboat is or was build for towing or assisting ships, barges etc.
A towboat has a square fore-end with push knees and built to push barges with a square stern.
When built new, they consider the use of the boat, so the difference in the hull construction.
Many a tugboat is also equipped to push, but is usually mated with the barge, but still keeps her towing capability.
In Western Europe, like The Netherlands and Belgium, many a tugboat is converted as a towboat and can not tow anymore because of the winches needed for being attached to the barge, stern anchor etc. They still keep the tugboat hull but have push knee’s to do the work.
Love your pictures.
Kind Regards,
Jan.
January 12, 2013 at 7:35 pm
Anonymous
Simply Awsome !
February 18, 2013 at 9:20 pm
No, I can’t go with him. Ever. Please stop asking. | Enchanted Seashells…Confessions of a Tugboat Captain's Wife
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