14 | March | 2023 | tugster: a waterblog

One enjoyable thing about this tugster “business” is that you all send me photos, some of which I’ve shared 108 times before this post.

First, from a Mississippi River vantage point that I only recently left, some photos from Lew, who previously contributed these photos.

I’ll consult tugboatinformation.com for the low down on this vessel.

Thanks, Lew, and I’d left New Orleans just the day before; sorry to have missed you. I did, however, serendipitously cross paths with Bjoern of New York Media Boat while I was there. That’s another story.

Tony A sent along these photos of George Holland, ex-Sassafras!

How about this photo from May 1946, sent along by William Lafferty.

William writes: “St. Louis Shipbuilding & Steel Company was very proud of its post-war towboats, and with good reason. Merlin Banta was christened Havana Zephyr at St. Louis on 15 May 1946 by Mrs. Kenneth Baker, wife of a co-owner of Streett Towing Company of St. Louis. Streett had it built to tow petroleum barges from Baton Rouge to Bettendorf, Iowa, where Socony Vacuum Oil Company had a large refinery. Originally with twin Superior turbo-charged 80-MX-6 Diesels, 1980-bhp total, replaced in 1973 by twin EMD 12-567Es, 2800-bhp when it ran as H. F. Leonard for Huffman Towing Company, St. Louis. It now has 3200-bhp EMDs since 2010. Streett had SLSB&SCo build a couple more, but nothing that looked like this. “C C” on it today stands for Chemical Carriers, Inc., of Plaquemine.” Gone are the days of “streamlined” tugboats, which in 1936 led to a streamlined tugboat called David here, which is still around although with a changed appearance.