You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2020.
Franklin crossed over the KVK to
assist Haggerty Girls and RTC 107 out of IMTT.
Patrice just finished assisting a box ship, and then turned around to help a government ship out of port.
Ernest Campbell with no lion yet on its stack.
Kings Points eases Double Skin 307 out of IMTT.
Marjorie B. is about to do a power turn and assist that box ship.
Meredith C. is heading offshore with RTC 135.
And let’s end with a throwback to yesterday’s “golden hour,”
Lincoln Sea and a stealthy Sarah D westbound light just after my first coffee hour. I have more of these recent golden hour photos…
Here’s a better shot of Sarah D beside a stealthy USS Slater in Albany earlier this month.
All photos, WVD, who is now ready for the big 300. If you want to assist with a photo of a tugboat, especially one never before seen on this blog –or never before seen in its current or previous iteration, send one along. I’ll take a few days.
It’s been a while since I’ve acknowledged this my favorite time of day. Golden hour at 80+ degrees is quite different than it at 40- degrees. But here are my shots; I took them and then headed for the shade.
Larry J Hebert lies alongside the dredge and Mister Jim is happening by, westbound. Actually, i took this about 15 minutes after sunrise on a muggy morning. The haze makes it appear everything and everyone in the boros is asleep, except those on the sixth boro.
Laura Maersk, in a haze of very cantaloupe colors, waits to sail and carry cargo again.
Mister Jim, continues, a few minutes later.
By the time Wolf River passes, carrying crews to and from the dredging operation, the morning atmosphere has changed to orange.
I move farther west, and looking back to where I’d been, a cluster of traffic heads toward me.
Ernest Campbell and barge have a Maersk ship following them.
When Andrea passes, the ridge begins to look like a featureless mass, a tear of greenish blueberry.
All photos, WVD.
In July 2010, the 1968 Black Hawk was one of two sister tugs operated by Sound Freight Lines. Since then, the sister Seminole has been sold foreign, and Black Hawk has been sold to Sause Brothers Ocean Towing. Sause refurbished her and for an account of Black Hawk towing a barge from San Francisco to Vancouver, click here. Details on Black Hawk are 112′ x 34′ and 3700 hp.
Chief, 1999, is/was one of Crowley’s Harbor class tugs. She’s 97′ x 36′ and 4800 hp.
James T. Quigg is no doubt now wearing Centerline Logistics colors. She dates from 1971 and measures in at 98′ x 30′ and 3000 hp. Since launch, she’s worked the US East Coast, once called Fournier Boys, and Hawaii, as well as the West Coast.
Alaska Titan came off the ways in 2008. She’s one of a half dozen “titans” operated by Western Towboat.
Currently following the waterway through the islands of the Alaska panhandle, she measures in at 112′ x 35′ and 5000 hp.
Westrac, 1987, is another Western Towboat vessel, measuring in at 63′ x 28′ and 2500 hp.
This Triton, launched 1965, now goes by Wycliffe. She’s 115′ x 31′ and 2500 hp. She’s currently in Ensenada MX.
Dixie, 1951, has a history in towing log rafts on the Columbia River hundreds of miles above Portland OR. She’s 46′ x 15′ and 575 hp.
Pacific Star, launched 2008, now goes by Signet Courageous. She’s 92′ x 40′ and 6610 hp. She’s currently in the Gulf of Mexico off Corpus Christi.
On Lake Washington, Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain were out sailing. The two vessels are now outside the Puget Sound in Gray’s Harbor, and Hawaiian Chieftain, as I understand it, has been “laid up.” The two replica vessels have a waterline length of 72’and 62′, respectively.
Island Packer puzzles me a bit. It seems not be cost effective to operate the 1943 converted landing craft between here and the Aleutians, where Chernofsky is located. I suppose it was in Seattle that day for service. I don’t know.
Katie Ann, launched in Baltimore in 1969, almost 300′ loa and powered by 8000 hp, is one of six processing/packing/freezing vessels operated by American Seafoods. She operates with a crew of 75. As of this writing, according to AIS, she’s in exactly the same location I photographed her in July 2010, but only because she’s between seasons.
Viking has the lines of a converted oiler, like these. She could be the 120′ crabber/trawler built for crabbing/fishing by Marco in 1975.
All photos, WVD, in July 2010.
I recently received this image and note. Maybe someone can identify this moment [many years ago] in an evolutionary process.
“I was born on Staten Island and have had this untitled, undated, and uncredited photo for years. I believe it’s taken from the water on the Arthur Kill of an unconverted Moran steam tug. wondering if you might be able to shed some light on who she might be. At first I thought it might be the Ned Moran, but it seems Ned lost her stack rather than wheel house?
If you have any thoughts or leads to her name/history I would be very appreciative.”
In response to my suggestion that the letter might be a D, he wrote “My thoughts on it being a M stack marker was based on the top and bottom serifs but you are correct that these could also be a D. But on the right side of stack the mid section of the letter seems to be unattached or detached rather than a continuous piece of steel connected to the foreground part of the letter.” Since then, I’m convinced it’s indeed an M.
Some of the photos I’ve taken in this location can be found here. The documentary Gary Kane and I filmed there nine years ago now is referred to in this post.
Many thanks to Chris for sending along this question and photo, which I’ll call unidentified of a vessel that’s unsalvageable.
Garth Foss, launched in 1993, is huge: 138′ x 46′ with 8000 hp and 80 tonnes of bollard pull. Robert Allan says of Garth and sister Lindsey, ““They were really the first true purpose-designed tanker escort tugs in the world.”
Pacific Pride, launched in 1976 and measuring 84′ x 28′ and 2500 hp, is now Panama-registered D Dog. She’s currently anchored off Callao Peru.
Next to her is Sirius, launched in 1974, 126′ x 38′ and 5750 hp, and currently laid up in Hawaii.
Guardian was launched in 1970, measuring 136′ x 37′ and 5750 hp, and is laid up. Gladiator dates from 1975, measures in at 129′ x 37′ and 7200 hp. She’s now Vanuatu-registered Resolve Gladiator, currently in the Irish Sea.
Over in Bremerton, I saw YTB 828 aka Catahecassa 101′ x 31′. She was launched in 1974 in Marinette WI. One source says that In 2013, she was sold to Basic Towing and renamed Gina. Basic does own YTB 827 Chetek now known as Nickelena. Of course, all of this could be out of date.
Western Ranger was launched in 1968 as Oio, a Hawaiian Pineapple, then Dole tugboat. In 1992 she came to Western Tugboat. She’s 101′ x 31′ and rated at 3420 hp. As of now, she’s on a run from Nome to Dutch Harbor.
Flyer was built in 1981. She’s all of 37′ x 16′ and 400 hp. Hornet was built in 1966 and the tape says 42′ x 14′ and 360 hp.
Pathfinder was launched in 1970, 136′ x 37′ and 5750 hp. Now she goes by Island Explorer and is off BC on a run from Seattle to Anchorage.
Valor was launched in 2007 and chartered to Crowley. She’s 93′ x 40′ and 6772 hp. Currently she’s in San Francisco Bay.
Andrew Foss was launched in 1982 as Andrew Foss, measuring in at 107′ x 38′ and 4290 hp.
The trip to the Seattle area in July 2010 produced lots of photos I posted here. Maybe I should get updates on more of the boats I saw there. I was invited to be there in August 2020 for a wedding, but like so many things . . . that’s not happening.
All photos, WVD.
Yes . . . I’ve been off wifi and away from the sixth boro, sometimes admiring images like the one below. I’m back now and have more photos from July 2010 to revisit the Piscataqua, and a watershed where I canoed, kayaked, and just generally roamed from 1986 until 2000, along with some hiatuses out of the country.
A fixture in Portsmouth NH is the Moran fleet on Ceres Street.
L to R back in July 2010 are Mary M Coppedge, Carly A. Turecamo, and Eugenia Moran. Mary M Coppedge, 1975 and 95′ x 30′ and 3200 hp is still in service. Eugenia Moran 1966 and 102′ x 28′ and single screw 2875 hp and built at Jakobson is “laid up.” Carly A. Turecamo, 1966 and 98′ x 30′ and single screw at 2200 hp is now Marjorie Winsow.
Sakonnet . . . based in Gosport . . . is a mystery to me. This photo was taken in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Navy Yard (PSNY) in the Picataqua has been active since 1800, the presidency of John Adams, making it the oldest continuously operated USN shipyard. YTB 771 aka Keokuk, 109′ x 31′ was commissioned in 1964. Some other YTBs that have been featured on this blog can be found here. The sixth boro’s staple ex-YTB is Ellen McAllister.
YTL 602 aka Cocheco was commissioned in 1945.
Nose-to nose with YTL 602 is a tug I can’t identify. It’s much newer and has lots of fendering below the waterline, an adaptation for working with submarines, which is PNSH’s specialty.
By this article, the mystery tug and the one below are both LT-65 tugs, although that seems impossible to me.
Sir William Pepperell appears to be a launch named for a Colonial merchant from Kittery ME, right across the Piscataqua. Click here to read a 1924 published book about Pepperell and two friends written by John Francis Sprague.
Two USCG cutters in the harbor that day were Reliance and
Campbell.
And of course . . . there were lobster boats galore.
I have not been back in since 2017, when I went to see the new Moran tug San Jose. It’s high time for a revisit. A memorable canoe trip I took there was . . . early 1990s on the Great Bay, starting in Newmarket and eventually losing the tide.
Here‘s a bit more.
All photos, WVD.
I’d never have guessed that the best thing I’d find at the “big orange” home fixups big box store was in the parking lot.
I recognized immediately what it was, and I knew the AMC owned the brand for a few years. Wiilys Overland became Kaiser Willys, which lost money and in 1970 was sold to AMC, which branded it as “Jeep Corporation.”
Anyhow, as I said, it was my first trip to this orange brand store since February. I’d postponed some fixups because it didn’t seem a safe place to go. I chose to go right after downing my daily cup of coffee . . . figuring I’d beat the crowds.
I took the photos because it seemed to be a good follow-up to the “Star Ster Crazy 5″ posts. This is what I’m doing now, only to realize that other than an AMC Jeep Commando . . . remember AMC at this time had names like Javelin and Gremlin . . . I didn’t know what year it is. If I’d looked at the registration sticker on the windshield, I’d have known. I don’t always anticipate what info I’ll need. So help me . . . given that grille, is it a 1972?
Jeep became a Chrysler product in 1986. Jeep has survived, but Chrysler has allied itself with a German company nd then an Italian company since then. And thanks to my itinerant sister, some snaps she took at
Willys America in Cazadero CA.
Other than the two photos from my sister, all snaps by WVD, who really wishes he had just glanced at the registration, but then I wouldn’t have had such fun figuring it out.
Also, I maybe should have called this “something different” 55. . . . or just “tugster distracted.”
Yesterday I mentioned two reasons for early morning photos: temperature and light.
Ava M looks different too, with its spots illuminating the curved hull.
As I post this, he’s already completely her east coast US run, and is racing eastward across the Atlantic, at 18+ kts.
Patrice tagged along until completing the turn at Bergen Point.
Again, once west of my vantage point, light washed her anew.
All photos, WVD.
Gunhilde appeared on this blog two months ago here.
I’m always excited to see something new, even if I almost miss it . . . like Wachapreague. I chased it here, but interminable stop lights, slow drivers . . . grr. But enough of me. Wachapreague was in the sixth boro the other day, of the newest class of Vane ATBs. She’s 110′ x 38′ and powered by two QSK-60M generating 4400hp.
Follow up on John Joseph . . . photo by Ben Moll, she’s almost completely made over.
These two photos of Paul Andrew and scow . . . demonstrate directionality of dawn light. This one was west of me at 0538, and this
east . . at 0541. Being out in the morning is not just about comfortable temperatures.
Harry McNeal is a sixth boro fixture in marine construction, but at 53′ x 18′,
she’s easy to miss, as demonstrated here alongside Linda Moran (116′ x 36′) and Houston.
Cape Canaveral, with its evocative name for anyone who came of age in the brief US space era, is another fairly new vessel in the sixth boro.
She comes in at 105′ x 36′ and 5000′.
Two Bouchard units waited in Grabesend the other day . . .
Denali bunkered intriguingly-named Eco California.
Another shot of Wachapreague eluding me . . . is a good place to end.
Many thanks to Ben for the John Joseph photo. All others by WVD.
When I started this blog, Evergreen presented itself in the sixth boro with their D class. Then they added size and capacity with their L class. Today for the first time,
I saw an F class, Ever Focus. I can imagine subsequent ships called Faith, Fruitful, Frugal, Friendly . . . really I’m just guessing. Below, it appears more structure has been added to prevent losing containers overboard.
The superstructure seems much more compact, yielding space for a payload.
I’ve read this vessel has entered service in 2020; we’ve seen quite a number of brand-spanking boats arrive here this year, such as the Hyundai and Seaspan boats.
Someone more knowledgeable than me might explain why it appeared only one engine is operating.
BOLO . . . the next F class Evergreen boat. The F class, though new, is by no means Evergreen’s largest. They’ve already completed several of the G class: Ever Golden, Ever Goods . . . These come in a 20,000 teu and 1312′ x 194′ . . . . There’s a lot of stuff being moved around the ocean, mostly in the direction of the “advanced” countries.
All photos, WVD.
How about a tale of the tape for the ones that have served NYC: D class boats are Panamax: 964′ x 105′ and 4711 teu. L class come in at 1099′ x 151′ and 8452 teu. This F boat is 1096′ x 157′ but somehow . . . 11850 teu.
tugster: a waterblog 
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