Hudson River Tugboat Race 1952 continued

I love it when followup appears, especially when I don’t expect it.  Like this . . . over three years ago, I did this post about the 1952 race.  Much later .  . a little over a month ago, this comment from Robert Sullivan registered on the blog:  “great article. my grandfather –R. Sullivan–was the captain of the Shamokin (Reading Company) and I have in my office the plaque he won that day. Shamokin is still working now in Norfolk but for a while was owned by Express Marine towing coal from Baltimore to Trenton.”   Two weeks later,  this response came to a question I’d asked:  “Yes … I have a picture of Shamokin at the dock from Sept. 1952 with the crew and names listed on the back of the photo. … When I found out that Express Marine was still running the boat out of Pennsauken NJ,  I called them and was connected to the president of the company. The first thing he said was “Do you know the Shamokin won the 1952 tugboat races!?”

Well, the races took place on August 27, 1952, which means that this is a victory photo.  For a full photo of the tug at the dock, click here and scroll to the bottom of page 1.

All these photos come from Robert Sullivan, who photographed both photo and info on the back, which I’ll transcribe here:

“Left to Right.  Ed Good, Shore Capt Reading Lines.  Ed Walters, Mrg of P Reading Term.  R Sullivan, Capt of Tug Shamokin.  G Mosenthine, Engineer.  A Ivanick, Steward.  G Milonakis, Steward.  F Pauleson, Engineer.  M Yurmason, Oiler.  B Wescott, Deckhand.  C Bloodgood, Deckhand.”  Any transcription errors are mine.

Here’s another shot, Shamokin with a scow on both hips.

And verso on this photo I read “O’Neil, Sorsa, Dad, Herpo, & Jim Rea.”

Here, from tugboat information.com, is a summary of Shamokin‘s working life, which goes on 63 years later.  All that’s missing is a photo of the tug today as Alfred Walker.  Can anyone send one along?

Click here and scroll for an Express Marine photo of the boat.  Shamokin was launched from RTC Shipbuilding in Camden a decade and some after John B. Caddell, and about the same time as Ocean King, Edith Thornton, and Big Daddy, pictured below in a photo I took near the Hays yard in June 2010.

 

Many thanks to Rob Sullivan for sharing these photos.

December is classic boat (more than a quarter century old) month on tugster.  Please contact me –see the left side navigation bar here–if you have photos and stories to contribute.