Here’s a new look in ship-assist boats. Can you tell what else is unconventional?
More on the design later in the post.
This is a classic design in freshwater tugs. And this particular boat you’ve seen in a number of posts on this blog in 2016, if you’re a faithful reader. It’s in these.
I’ve never seen Grouper‘s hull out of the water–and I hope to some day–but I’m imagining it’s fairly similar.
It’s GL tug Nebraska, 1929 launched, still working in Toledo, and in the yard only for preventative maintenance. Over in the distance, that’s Maine, nearing the century mark and likely to be scrapped soon. Here’s an entire page with links devoted to GL tugs ….
You’ve seen this design before: Cheraw is a YTB of the vintage of tugs like the sixth boro’s Ellen McAllister, but in the livery of the USACE. I don’t know if USACE operates any other ex-YTBs among their very large fleet.
And in closing this post, here’s Seahound, 1941 built in the US and since 1957 working in Canada. Since these shots show her at a dock in Windsor and pushing a barge marked . . .
ferry service, I’m left wondering if Seahound shuttles vehicles between here and Detroit. Anyone help? And I know better than to take any names literally, but given her location, she might better be called Straithound?
So to get back to the top two photos . . . that’s Cleveland, the prototype for a new series of harbor assist tugs built in Cleveland using a Damen design. And what you may have noticed is the absence of a stack. Engines exhaust through the stern. Much more in this article from Professional Mariner here. Here’s more from the Damen site. Here are other links showing the environment where GL tugs operate while assisting cargo vessels in Cleveland.
All photos, sentiments, and any inadvertent errors by Will Van Dorp, who’s grateful to Great Lakes Shipyard for the tour.
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August 22, 2017 at 11:12 am
John van der Doe
Will,
The “Seahound is most of the time in Hamilton or Port Colborne.
In the picture, the boat probably took the place of the “Stormont:” who could have been out of service for maintenance.
Regards
John
August 22, 2017 at 2:19 pm
tugboathunter
USACE operates two other ex-YTBs on the Great Lakes, the Demolen out of Detroit and the D.L. Billmaier out of Duluth.
August 22, 2017 at 5:37 pm
Les Sonnenmark
I can’t believe NEBRASKA originally had a steerable nozzle for a rudder. Was that added when she was repowered in 1980? Is this a common feature for the GL tugs?
August 23, 2017 at 11:01 am
William Lafferty
The Seahound is powering the barge Lac St-Jean that operates in a truck shuttle service between Windsor and Detroit for McKeil Marine of Hamilton. Stormount is the barge’s usual tug, as noted.
The Grouper, originally the Gary, was one of six “Type 1″ City-class tugs built by GLTCo at Cleveland in 1912. The Nebraska was a Type 2, built in 1929. Both types adhered to the general hull model that Great Lakes Towing adapted from the very successful wooden tug T. T. Morford, built for Chicago harbor work in 1884 when the firm began building its own steel tugs in 1906, so would be similar, but the Type 1 tugs were 1.5 feet less in depth, 3 feet less in beam, and over 2 feet shorter in length.
The Nebraska got its nozzle in 1980 when it received its third power plant, an EMD 12-645 E6 with a Falk clutch. Its original plant was a non-condensing single cylinder steam engine, 26″ x 28,” built by GLTCo. Its second was an EMD 12-278A, installed in 1955.
August 23, 2017 at 7:48 pm
tugster
William–As always, i appreciate the info.