Over six years ago, I did another asphalt post here. Yesterday I was thrilled to get the following photos below from Jonathan Steinman of this unusual vessel on the middle portion of the East River.
Asphalt Sailor–a great name–turns out to have a set of siblings ranging from a lot more capacious to somewhat less so. On names alone, I’d love to see Black Shark. Given the cargo, I wonder if the deck feels warm.
That’s James Turecamo overtaking on the west side. Here’s a hydrodynamics problem . . . is the greater amount of froth churned up by James due only to its greater speed, or is hull shape a factor?
For outatowners, that’s the 59th Street Bridge, and Asphalt Sailor is headed “south,” actually west.
Unrelated: Here’s an East River ship photo I posted six years ago. The conclusion then was that it was “doctored.” Anyone new thinking on it?
Thanks again to Jonathan for these unusual photos.
tugster: a waterblog 
5 comments
Comments feed for this article
April 15, 2015 at 8:36 am
tugpower
The photo of the tug JAMES TURECAMO overtaking the ASPHALT SAILOR indicates that she is at “Full Ahead’, and at hull or displacement speed. She can’t go any faster, and she has dug herself a hole amidships between the bow and stern. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull_speed
April 15, 2015 at 10:29 am
eastriver
Not doctored, I think… Mystic Seaport’s Joseph Conrad, ex- Georg Stag; a very small ship, small enough that she would fit under the BB. Alan Villiers’ old ride.
April 15, 2015 at 12:32 pm
glen
Seems like hull shape plus the bow pudding and all those fenders dragging through the water.
April 15, 2015 at 3:21 pm
sfdi1947
Both and because that part of the 6th Borough is estuarial, not a true river, it also has a much higher salt and hydro-photo fluorescence, like sea water. Vessels actually float deeper by an inch or so on the Hudson because of its higher fresh water content.
April 16, 2015 at 4:26 am
Aaron
Not an expert on tall ships or towing, but I don’t see anything wrong with the bow wave (actually the tug’s prop wash + bow wave), or with the towing bridle, which appears to go all the way to the mainmast chain plates. Without knowing local bridge clearances, air draft of what appears to be a very modest sailing vessel and local tides at that time, can’t really address whether she could pass beneath the bridges.