DeWitt Clinton was built in the 1920s, delivered before the crash. She came out of a shipyard in East Boothbay, I’m told, but I can find no record of this. Here she was in Lockport in early October 2014.
Here is a view from the wheelhouse, and
another from a slightly different vantage point. That’s tug Urger (1901) on the wall up ahead.
Fast forward to this year, here’s one of the latest additions to the Canal tug fleet, and
here’s the view from the wheelhouse. And yes . . . again, that’s tug Urger on the wall ahead. this time in Fonda NY, where she may or may not be today.
How about some more pics of Dewitt Clinton, all from October 2014.
Here she rounds a bend on the western Canal.
And since we’ve seen Urger from Dewitt, how about ending with Dewitt as seen from Urger.
Photos 4 and 5 by Jake van Reenen; the others by Will Van Dorp.
7 comments
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July 23, 2018 at 11:07 am
William Hyman
Was this tug designed after a children’s book, or vice versa?
July 23, 2018 at 11:14 am
tugster
you mean DeWitt Clinton? it no longer looks like it did in 1927.
July 23, 2018 at 11:42 am
LCK
Looks like DEWITT CLINTON was built in 1926 at the Rice Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine. The listings I found for her in MVUS indicate East Boothbay as where she was built, and a check on Shipbuilding History.com shows the yard.
http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/yachtsmall/riceme.htm
July 23, 2018 at 12:13 pm
Lee Rust
We were traveling through Fonda this past Sunday afternoon, and Urger was still there, along with the barge pictured here.
July 23, 2018 at 4:53 pm
lock52hs
What has been shameful is the complete lack of transparency in this reefing process and the almost total lack of media attention, despite repeated attempts to engage them. Spend millions on signs along the Thruway and people lose their nuts. Spend millions to sink a bunch of old canal boats, who cares? The village and town mayors and supervisors are too scared to speak up at this loss of history as it might affect their grants, or perhaps the tree cutting has them all scared. The entire process has been almost criminal. I would bet many boats would be given great homes as displays if someone was to offer, and then someday in the future, when better minds are in charge, they might be returned to some type of use.
Mike Riley
July 24, 2018 at 5:39 am
bklynphil
Pictures of the tug’s namesake at Green-Wood cemetery in Brooklyn NY
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=DeWitt+Clinton+memorial+in+Green-Wood+cemetery&t=ffab&atb=v113-1_y&iax=images&ia=images
Phil, Bklyn
July 24, 2018 at 5:58 am
tugster
Brklynphil– I’ve never been to Greenwood. You’ve convinced me to go. Thx.