Bear with me here. Let’s go back to 1999. Nicole Leigh Reinauer was built in Alabama Shipyard to push a 135,000 brl barge. Look at the lines of this 118′ x 40 tug working with 7200 hp.
Ruth M. Reinauer is Senesco hull # 202, 112′ x 35′ and 4000 hp. She is the first of the “facet tugs.” As you can read in the link in the previous sentence, the design change was driven by easing the construction process of both tugs and double-skin barges. If the shape of the reminder of tugboats in this post seem odd to you, read this interesting article by Casey Conley with a title that alludes to the (now retired) F-117 fighter.
Laurie Ann Reinauer followed, same dimensions and power and hull # 203.
Reinauer Twins came out in September 2011, same basic dimensions by greater horsepower . . 4720.
I’m not sure what happened with hull#205, but #206 is B. Franklin Reinauer, 110′ x 33′ and 4000 hp.
By the way, there’s a LOT going on in the background of this photo, including what appears to be dredge Atchafalaya in dry dock.
Curtis is hull# 207, same numbers.
Haggerty Girls is hull# 208, same numbers.
Dean Reinauer is hull# 210, 112.2′ x 35′ and 4720 hp.
And that brings us up to date with respect to Reinauer facet tugs . .. it’s Dylan Cooper, operating less than a full year now, with the same numbers as Dean Reinauer.
Note that it was exactly five years ago that we were following the trials and tribulations of loading the previous Curtis and Dean Reinauer onto the heavy lift ship for West African waters. I’d love to see photos of those tugs five years on and working out of Nigeria. Does anyone out there have access to such?
For extensive documentation of many of these facet tugs during the building process, click here for the bulging albums created by Rod Smith at Narragansett Bay Shipping.
All photos of the handsome set of workhorses by Will Van Dorp.
tugster: a waterblog 
4 comments
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June 4, 2016 at 12:54 pm
billhegerichsr
Incredible history from an incredible man. Sail on!
June 4, 2016 at 1:05 pm
glen
You know, there is something entirely fascinating about ugly. And those are really ugly boats. I guess their redeeming value is functionality!!!
June 5, 2016 at 1:55 am
sfdi1947
Don’t like the design of the ‘Facet’ tugs, the design is planned to mate more perfectly with the barge notch, this will vastly improve maneuvering, especially in close quarters, and will to a slight extent, limit the vertical play in calm seas.
In my experience with military barges, both in the notch and pushing a square, at sea and on western rivers, any kind of a sea condition above 2 produced dangerous vertical play, this caused me to put the barge on a wire.
I cannot see how any of the Reinauer TV’s shown except Nicole L. could do that, and their top hamper would be a huge liability in normal towing operations.
I pray for their crews on the Gold Coast and points south where safe anchorages are few and far between.
June 5, 2016 at 9:47 am
Tony A
It’s been my experience that on ATBs the plan is to never come out of the notch. Maybe your missing the huge hydraulic pins that engage the barge? This makes the vessels very seaworthy. I have been in 20 foot seas on an ATB and the unit handled it without having to come out of the notch.
The new designs have to incorporate some new things the tugs do and leaves out some things it doesn’t do, like the aforementioned towing in a wire. They have to have a large interior because the tankermen live on the tug now. That’s why you do not see gunwhales all the way around. These boats also do not tow alongside or do any assist work, so the lower pilot house is obsolete.
The overwhelming factor on facet tugs is that the talent that used to bend steel at shipyards is now long gone. So yards can save lots of money with a facet design because it doesn’t require the bending of tugs of the past. It consists of flat sections of plate welded together at angles.