I’m jumping back to the second half of the first decade of the 21st century.  This day when USCGC Eagle was tying up at the old Pier 17, I had no idea why these two tugboats were so similar, no sense that once they were 1967 twins Exxon Empire State and Exxon Garden State.

I’d no inkling that one day I’d be deckhand on Urger.  Stephen Reinauer was also once a 1970 Exxon tug. 

There are tugboat races?. Remember, I’m trying to get back into my discoveries.  I’d not yet started a blog at this time, and that was more than 5500 posts ago.

Only later did I learn the background to “portraits of hope” on this tug and on all the taxis in NYC landboros.

And they scrap relics?  I thought tugboats never died.

All photos, all recollections, WVD, who’s currently on the rails toward Oklahoma.