Three kings parades happened today in some parts of the world . . . including East Harlem, where camels walk through Manhattan streets. This blog has had a fair number of posts about queens, so here are some kings, though not Gaspar, Melchior or Belthasar.
But here’s Ocean King, a foto I took back in June 2010. I believe she’s built in 1950, and this was the only time I saw her in the sixth boro.
I caught this shot of King Douglas in the KVK in spring 2009; tonight she’s crossing the Andaman Sea.
And finally . . . a stretch, I got this “below the keel” shot of Pe king back in January 2007, a whole seven years ago. Click here to see fotos of Peking‘s first ever arrival in the sixth boro, almost 40 years ago, when there was great optimism about her future.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
tugster: a waterblog 
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January 6, 2014 at 8:38 pm
Allen Baker
re: Ocean King
Ocean King is the last survivor of the Baker-Whiteley Towing Co. of Baltimore. She was built as the “Resolute” by RTC Shipbuilding of Camden, NJ in 1950 for the then Baker-Whiteley Coal Co. She had a sister built in 1955, the “Holland”, that ended her working life as the “Barbara McAllister”.
Originally powered by an 1800hp Fairbanks Morse Opposed Piston diesel engine and re-powered in the early to mid 1990’s with a 12 cylinder EMD.
Growing up on the Baltimore waterfront in Fells Point, I had a very personal relationship with this tugboat. I spent much of my youth riding the tugs of the Baker-Whiteley fleet, learning how to deck and steer on them in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Years later, I was to skipper her on the Delaware River when she was assigned to the Philadelphia fleet.
She was one fast tugboat and one that I loved to handle. I can still hear her old Fairbanks Morse engine thumping away as I write this.
A real classic.