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A decade ago, Capt. Log delivered vital juices to boats around the sixth boro. On this particular February morning, we traveled the North River to feed to Classic Harbor Line fleet, here Manhattan.
Then, we crossed over to Brooklyn to top off the iconic Water Taxi fleet. Capt Log then and Chandra B now, this fueling happens, rain or shine, sweltering or
glazed. This vessel’s namesake was city royalty. Water conveyance using the sixth boro to link the other boros has grown in the past decade.
Stephen Reinauer pushed RTC 80 northbound.
Later, just south of the Bear Mountain Bridge, Stephen Scott headed down through the Highlands with RTC 42.
Line crunched her way up to the Newburgh dock and then
eased out out and
made its way up to Saugerties, while Doris returned light from a mission. That’s the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.
Farther upstate at lock E-20, Governor Roosevelt and a bevy of NYS Canal tenders hibernated, some frozen in
and other just drained and frozen. Tender #7 was later reefed. Tender #4 was electrified, used for several seasons, but will be moved (has been?) permanently ashore in Amsterdam NY. I’m not sure we ever figured out what the third tender was.
All photos and any errors, 10 years ago this month, WVD.
Related, Fred Tug44 recorded E-20 here, and I did by water here and by bicycle here.
Happy dawn of a new year. I’m out seeing the sights of 01012024. A decade ago, Capt Log still ranged, filling tanks wherever beckoned. Now extinct.
Stephanie Dann and Sarah Dann tag teamed these dump barges out into wider water, where
Sarah began her solo tow south.
SS United States already languished then, holding on for a savior.
Elizabeth McAllister, now recycled, passed the anchored Mattea. Mattea became Runner, then Oil Runner, and is now likely recycled as well.
Mary Gellatly became Mackenzie Rose, and will soon arrive in the sixth boro with an interesting tow.
Tuckahoe is currently in Norfolk.
Specialist was looking good but unaware of a sad fate.
McAllister Girls has been scrapped, and Sassafras lives on as George Holland.
Twins works on, and looks as new as the day she launched. January a decade ago was a cold month.
Chesapeake is the new Kristin Poling.
And the big crane first arrived in the boro on January 30, 2014.
I got to my regularly scheduled job late that day because Lauren Foss arrived from SF Bay with the Left Coast Lifter later than expected, and I was not going to miss it. The crane instrumental in the replacement of the bridge at Tappan Zee is still towering over the harbor although finished with her projects. Lauren is at the outer edge of the Salish Sea as of today.
All photos, any errors, WVD. May your year be the best.
Decker‘s still around as Decker, but over beyond her and the covered workbarge is Peking, now living well way up the the Elbe.
The 2002 Joyce D Brown is now Geri T and operating for Seward Marine. I’ve not seen her back in the boro since she left in 2022.
B. Franklin was a year old when I took this; she’s still active in the Reinauer livery.
The nearer boat, 2004 Patapsco, has gone through name changes, but is currently working out of the boro as Poling-Cutler’s Marilyn George. Following Patapsco is Brooklyn, a 2000 tugboat that has seen a long list of names, currently Charlotte V. Here was possibly her first appearance on this blog as Inland Sea.
I believe Susan E. Witte was scrapped in 2016, after a short 12-year life. Anyone know the story?
APT’s Diane B was fairly new in the boro when I took this photo on a cold December 2013 day. She’s still busy, particularly in the heating months.
Pushing RTC 27, Zachery Reinauer is a 1971 Matton product. I’ve not seen her working in about five years now.
Miriam Moran worked then, and she works now, all the time, or so it seems to me. She’s worked the boro for almost a half century now and almost seems timeless . . . . of course those are my personal impressions.
Resolute still works for McAllister but mostly in ports on the Sound. I’m not sure she still has the lush fibrous fending she sports here. APL Pearl, carrying boxes and more than one military vehicle, was scrapped in 2016.
And finally, Bluefin was technically already a Kirby boat in late 2013, but was still sporting Penn Maritime livery. I’m not sure where she’s working at the moment.
All photos, any errors, WVD, who’s back in the boro for a few days. It seems we had a lot of snowy days back in December 2013.
I really enjoy putting together this monthly feature, opening the archives from a decade back to see what I did and saw. I just happened to walk past South Street Seaport that morning and caught Lettie G. Howard returning from repairs in Maine. See more from the set here. She turned 130 in the Great Lakes this year.
The 1977 McAllister Sisters continues to carry that only name she’s ever had. Two changes, though, are she’s lost the upper wheelhouse and she’s moved to Baltimore.
It’s the time of year for clamming in the sixth boro. I’ve not seen Dutch Girl yet this year, although I believe I spotted Eastern Welder . . . the nearer boat.
The 1997 Ever Decent was scrapped in Alang in 2020; the 2012 Evening Star has become Jordan Rose and continues to operate through the sixth boro.
This Mount Saline in Port Newark has been replenished several times, and its granules may have kept you safely on the road.
The 1963 Crow, high in the water here, would never again move on its own power and was scrapped in 2015.
These two Thornton boats–Gage Paul and Bros— are gone as well, one scrapped and one growing into undersea habitat deep in a Caribbean trench and will likely never be seen again.
The 1951 Twin Tube here squeezes in between the pier and Balder as Balder discharges more Chilean salt. More on the surprising contents of Balder‘s belly here. She may now be laid up as Ventura in West Africa. Check out the harbor supply boat on her mission that day here. Twin Tube continues to operate in the boro.
I don’t know what has become of the 1954 Ticonderoga; she may still be behind Prall’s Island.
I don’t have any updates on this government boat, said to date from 1929.
The 1966 Patrick Sky has long left the boro. Summit Europe is now Myra and is anchored near Istanbul. Indeed, the sixth boro is connected to the rest of the watery parts of the planet.
If you want to breeze back through the entire month, click here. And I do hope you enjoy these glances in the rearview as much as I do.
Happy December.
Since I’m currently riding the long rails, including this one, I’ve queued up a few posts. More on the rails soon.
But let’s go back a decade and a month in this case, and see some happenings in the sixth boro in 2013. Diane B was already around, and here she was taking advantage of the high tide to make her way with a light John Blanche downstream from the head of navigation on the Hutchinson River to the East River tidal strait.
Americas Spirit came in with assistance from Barbara McAllister and McAllister Sisters. Barbara is now Patsy K, and sisters is still Sisters. Spirit is still Spirit.
Marquette’s Miss Emily made a run through the KVK, likely in connection with some dredge work.
Vernon G was already Mary Gellatly then. Now she’s a very busy Mackenzie Rose.
Catherine Turecamo retrieves a docking pilot. Catherine is now on the Lakes as John Marshall.
Harry McNeal moves Clyde along by the hip. Work was just months away from the old version of the Bayonne bridge. Both boats I believe are still in the boro.
Lincoln Sea was the biggest regular in the boro, and still occasionally comes through.
Gramma Lee T. Moran still worked here, and I’d not yet met her namesake.
You know it, of course, this photo is about the Mini Cooper, not the RORO that delivered it here.
Mixed traffic worked here, as it still true.
A very rusty Horizon Trader- a 1973 cargo ship now long scrapped-–passed through the port with its 2325 teu capacity.
Back then an occasional tanker with this type of Cyrillic writing could be seen.
And around this time I started to use the tag “collaboration.” This photo comes from Capt. Fred Kosnac on an “excessively windy” day.
All photos here, as attributed. Thanks to Fred for the photo above.
This will be the last post for a few days . . . William F. Fallon Jr. at the Statue.
Thomas D. Witte, dredge Delaware, Durham, and some smaller boats in the Upper Bay.
Marjorie B. McAllister with NYNJR 200 on the Brooklyn side.
Jessica Ann and another RIB appear to be involved in diving ops. Brrr.
Schuylkill moves a tank barge across the boro.
James William tows a mooring into Erie Basin.
And finally, the ever busy Chandra B heads for the Kills.
All photos recently, WVD, who hopes to be back by week’s end.
As remnants of Hurricane Nicole pass through the sixth boro, we might have a look back to details of aftermath of Sandy exactly 10 years ago, like this undecked pier over on the NJ side of the Arthur Kill, across from Howland Hook.
USCGC Spencer came up for the cleanup, as did
then-USCGC Gallatin, now NNS Okpabana.
NASA’s Enterprise saw some damage as well, leading to installation of a more robust pavilion.
McAllister Sisters assisted ACL Atlantic Concert past the damage to the park shoreline just west of St. George while
National Guard units staged in the then parking lot area.
And I have to digress here to rant about a shoreside issue: hundreds of millions have been spent in preparing this area for the ill-fated “NY Wheel,” and in the process transformed what had been a simple but pleasant park into a wasteland behind an unsightly green wall and guarded chain link. Hey mister mayor and mister SI boro president, clean it up and reopen it for the public. The “wheeler-dealers” and the NYC EDC did more damage here–and allowed it to fester–than Sandy. Is the small wheel next?
APL Cyprine, then flagged US and carrying USMC vehicles, has gone to Alang flying the flag of Comoros. Ditto ACL Atlantic Concert, shown up the column.
Patrick Sky was still working back then, and Happy Delta brought in one of the first loads of NYC sanitation cranes.
That year, by November 9–the date of this photo–we’d already had a dusting of cold, white stuff here.
Cashman’s TSHD Atchafalaya was in the boro. She’s still afloat in Florida.
On black Friday 2012, the high point of my day was seeing Atlantic Salvor return to the boro with Witte 1407 carrying segments of what is visible today as
the antenna atop WTC 1.
All photos, any opinions and all errors, WVD.
It’s hard settling back into the blog after being in steamy alligatorland for most of the month, and didn’t even expect to be suddenly back. So my solution, the ether in my air intake, so to speak, is to just somewhat randomly choose and post photos I took in Junes from 2012 through 2016.
Starting with June 2012, behold Sam M and
Buchanan 1. I recall learning that Sam M made its way to Alaska, and Buchanan 1 . . . to the Rondout. Would you consider Sam M to be a lugger tug?
June 2013 took me to Philly a few times, where I got photos of Madeline and Captain Harry in the distance and
Sentry pulling El Rey, San Juan bound. The two Wilmington Tug vessels still work the Delaware River, whereas Sentry–last I read–flies the Bolivian flag. I should get down to Philly again one of these days.
In 2014 it’s Navigator and
Sabine. Navigator is still based in the sixth boro and Sabine is in the GOM.
In 2015, it’s Stephen B–still in the sixth boro–and
Evening Star, along with Wavertree during her makeover. Stephen B still works out of the boro by that name although Evening Star now has started working out of the boro again as Jordan Rose.
And 2016, it’s Eric McAllister and
a newly arrived Jonathan C Moran. Jonathan is still here, but Eric is in Baltimore.
All photos in a series of Junes, WVD, who does Junes from 2017 through 2021 tomorrow.
I’m posting early today and can’t guarantee I’ll be able to move this on to FB the next few days because I’m traveling. So, sign up to get new posts straight to your email. Also check the note at the end of this post.
Here’s one that got away: the tug to the right is the 1975 Mary Emma, ex-Evening Light. I’d been waiting in St George hoping she’d move from Mariner’s Harbor eastbound. Finally I gave up and boarded the ferry. Partway to Whitehall, I noticed she was headed east, right past where I’d been. Once in Whitehall I boarded the next ferry south, hoping to get photos near the St George side. It’s not a great shot and it would have been if only I’d stayed put . . . but life is full of as many missed opportunities as fulfilled ones.
Sarah Dann (1983) recently made a big move of a crane from Wisconsin to Maine, a longer trip by water than by land. Two years ago, she made another long tow with components for a refinery.
Franklin Reinauer (1984) has been based in the boro and carried that name since she came out of the shipyard.
Osprey (1961) is a recent newcomer to the sixth boro.
Christian Reinauer (2001) is the most powerful of this batch, with 7200 hp moving her payload.
A year ago Eastern Dawn (1978) was still painted white.
Andrea (1999) came here without the upper wheelhouse.
Thomas D. Witte (1961) and James E. Brown (2015) pass each other in the Back Channel.
Diane B (1980) seemed to drift through this part of the channel the other day.
And finally, I believe, Morton S. Bouchard IV (2004) is the only remaining Bouchard tugboat over at the stack in Stapleton. When will her transformation to Jesse Rose begin?
All photos, WVD, who has left the boro for a while.
By the way, a few days ago I made up some 2022 calendars, of which 17 are left for sale. I used a subjective process for selection this time. More details later but if you’re interested, email me your interest and your address. Send no money at this time, please, but prices will likely be up a tad because, of course, politics.
Quick photo tribute to the variety of the sixth boro . . . with Kirby and Jonathan C. heading for an assist,
Diane B moving petroleum product to the creek terminals,
James E. pushing a mini scow,
Durham moving a scow named Wheezer,
Curtis returning fro the base to her barge,
Gregg assisting Lady Malou, now heading from the sixth boro to Panama,
B. Franklin returning to her barge,
another shot of Durham pushing Wheezer,
and here, finally my first close-up view of this Osprey.
All photos, last week, WVD, who found this story of a bizarre deal involving the Canadian CG buying a light icebreaker from Turkmenistan!!?
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