Random Tugs 119

First . . . this foto by Bob Dahringer of Katherine (1979 in Louisiana).  As of this writing, Bob is back upriver playing with Hudson River ice cubes.

Next . . . this foto from Key West, thanks to my sister, who’s gotten a camera upgrade.  Yay!  A few years ago, I was snorkeling–sans camera–off a Key West beach and came up to notice two tugboats that looked a lot like these.  My first thought then was–wow!  K-Sea tugs in the Conch Republic.  My second thought was . . . I have no camera and therefore no one will ever believe me.  I’m now pretty sure I saw Titan (1974 in Long Beach, CA) and Ocean Atlas (1964 in San Diego, California).

Brian DeForest took this foto of Marjorie B. McAllister (1974 in Louisiana) last week of a very icy sixth boro.

And recently . . . in a springy waterboro of NYC, Brendan Turecamo (1975 in Louisiana) assisted a tanker on its way out to sea,

Doris Moran (1982 in Louisiana) assisted a chemical tanker into port, and

Miss Niz  (2003 from Alabama) moved some dredging equipment around.  Note the survey boat–Michele Jeanne–reading the bottom contours over on the Bayonne side.

Thanks much to Bob, Maraki, and Brian for use of their fotos.

ACL 3

Here was 1 and 2.  Twelve minutes elapses in the set of fotos.  In the distance beyond the pipelines, Siteam Explorer (more on her later) and ACL Atlantic Compass pass.  The green vessel center right is Atchafalaya, foto at the end of this post.

Tailing Atlantic Compass around Bergen Point is the vessel currently known as Elizabeth McAllister.  Click here for her long history, including a quite serious mishap almost exactly 25 years ago when she was called Elizabeth Moran.

Atlantic Compass–like some of her fleetmates–is 29 years old, built at Kockums in Malmo, Sweden–right across the water from Copenhagen.  Click here for some great archival fotos of this generation of ACL ROROs.

Atlantic Compass‘ green-faster-bigger replacement will come from near Shanghai, China . . .

That’s McAllister Responder now tailing portside.

Note the folded-down mast.

Unrelated:  Here’s a closer up of Atchafalaya.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Channels 2

Over six years ago, here was the last time I used this title.  At 09:23 this morning, E. R. Denver was at Howland Hook as an outbound tanker eased by.   E. R. seems to have been created by erasure from MaERsk.

. . . nine seconds later, it’s

Mount Everest.

This is serious, precision navigating,

with even less tolerance of errors because of the channel work, and

surrounding traffic, like Kristy Ann Reinauer and Paul Andrew and dredge units.

This short stretch of Arthur Kill, where serious dredging is enlarging the channel, were featured here and here (a blast!!) back last October.   I’m not given to playing video games or using simulators, but if such a thing were available, I can imagine spending time playing “games” imitating professionals piloting different types of vessels through ports of the world in every sort of conditions.  Hats off to the professionals.

All fotos today by Will Van Dorp.

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Sixth Boro Maintenance

Like a galley or head or deck, the harbor itself needs maintenance of the routine as well as the extraordinary sort.  Given the amount of oil that’s found its way into the sixth boro the past two months, the latter sort is going on.  The bird sanctuary mentioned in the first sentence of this link is Shooters Island .  . whose history I spoke of here about a year ago.

A routine removal of silt from shipping channels is performed by the vessel below–Atchafalaya–as well as Padre Island, which I got closeups of here two and a half years ago.

Here’s shipspotting info on Atchafalaya (1980, Minnesota Twin cities along the river built!!) which I’ve yet to catch close enough for many details.   Here’s still another link on Atchafalaya.

Back to a different set of  post-Sandy extraordinary cleanups involve this vessel, with the appropriate name Driftmaster . . . not that it drifts around the sixth boro.  Rather, it collects and either removes or secures large floating materials drifting in the harbor.

These fotos come compliments of bowsprite.  What I believe is going on here is Driftmaster securing floating docks that in the highest of the surge floated right up off the pilings.  I’m not sure where this Driftmaster was built . . .  It may date from 1947.

Ditto here.  This floating dock needs to be locked back into the pilings.  The crane barge here is moved around by 1965 tug Harry McNeal.  In the bottom foto, notice the square holes through which the cylindrical pilings must fit.

All but the first two fotos (mine) were taken by bowsprite, whom I thank.

Sixth Boro Random Delights 4

A laker (or ex-laker) in salt water . . . now that’s a thought that delights me, although I admit the foto is less than mediocre, but it’s Pioneer.  Quite a few salties ply the Great Lakes.  Note the characteristic self-unloading gear midships.  She looks to be a sibling of M/V Ambassador, which last appeared here about two years ago.  Since I took this foto, Pioneer has shuttled up to Halifax and is now southwest bound again, for Portsmouth, NH.

Eddie Carroll, one of the scow’s transporting spoils from the dredging at the north end of the Arthur Kill looks in need of some paint, although the scaly rust does give character.

Here’s the first of recent sights to behold:  Meagan Ann towing scow Witte 4001 all the way through the KVK.

Witte 4001 has the cubic yard capacity of at least 40 dump trailers.   Mary Alice .  . . near the Bayonne Bridge . . . moves a scow alongside.

Weddell Sea pushing 2004 Senesco-built DBL 83 (ex-The Patriot),

sternview of the classic 1967 YTB-793 known to most around the sixth boro as Ellen McAllister,

at least three tugs (I believe .  . . Margaret Moran, Laura K. Moran, and Ellen McAllister) and two container ships (Italy Express and MOL Endowment) entering port.  As I pot this, MOL Endowment is passing St Pierre et Miquelon, and Italy Express–also Europe-bound–is not that far behind.

another stern view, this one of 1980 USACE Gelberman, built in Arkansas,

Maria J moves a barge over toward the Gowanus, while Lucy Reinauer awaits departure for Baltimore,

The list could go on, but I’m out of time once again.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Click here for some not delightful at all statistics about losses in sixth boro ports as a result of Sandy.

Random Tugs 99

Joan Turecamo and Charles D. McAllister . . . .  neck and neck like a team of horses, a combined package of 6100 horses’ power.

Meagan Ann . . .  always with her 2250 hp at work, like so many others.

Doris Moran . . . 4610 hp.

Lynx . . .  1830 hp  powering past the entrance to the Morris Canal.

Kimberly Poling . . . 3000 hp

McAllister Sisters (4000 hp) escorting in Atlantic Concert (about 27,000 hp).  Pegasus  (1900 hp)  in the background against a barge.

Joan solo.

Pati R. Moran (5100) and Miriam Moran  (3000)  in the distance assisting Hoechst Express (almost 49000 hp) out to sea.

Freddie K Miller (1500, I think) moving a debris scow out of the KVK.

Weddell Sea (4500) heading for the anchorage.

Which brings us back to the tandem that started off this post.

And that’s a lot of horses.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Stormy Aftermath 4

I’ve headed into a different part of the sixth boro each of the past three days . . . today was the North River . . .  passenger terminal, since

three cruise ships came in around 0700 hrs . . . Gem and Brilliance, shown here, as well as Caribbean Princess, still outside the Narrows when this screenshot was taken. John J Marchi is a ferry, and I’ve not gotten confirmation it carried passengers.  Anyone ride a Staten Island ferry today?  And as of 1830 hrs, all have again departed.  Notice the icon for Glory Express in the screen grab below?  I believe this is the 2-million-barrel tanker referenced in this article. It’s been outside the Lower Bay for a few days now.

Cruise ship passengers debarking and others boarding in midTown . . . along with closed midTown streets closed because of this bent crane AND

disrupted LIRR and subways . . . made for lots of surly folks, if not a zombie apocalypse then at least an invasion of the cheeriness snatchers.  For outatowners, on a normal day, eachtown listed on this Long Island Railroad schedule board would have several departure times listed.

Jersey City and Hoboken, coastal NJ cities across the river from midTown, have experienced their share of disruption.  Here Catherine Miller delivers a crane barge northbound as a helicopter (National Guard?) flies to the south.

Vicki M moves another barge near the Hoboken ferry terminal, then

as Lynx moves a load of generators, loaders,  and other equipment (not sure what some of  it is),

Vicki M plays mobile thruster there before

moving southward to play same role with Jay Michael.

Overhead . . . might Janet Napolitano be in that chopper?

Many thanks to Tom Rinaldi for sending along this link of ferry Binghamton post-Sandy.  Thanks, Tom.  Check out Tom’s site here.

For an NYTimes-moderated debate on post-Sandy policy, click here.  One of the debaters–Philip Orton, research scientist at Stevens–does the SeaAndSkyNY blog.

Unrelated:  Kirby’s Siberian Sea in Halifax here.

Random Tugs 98

This is the 98th installment of this title.  If you’ve any ideas about what I might do with the 100th, let me know.  Of course, I could just let it pass by . . . randomly.

All these boats have some things in common, like  . ..  they passed through the sixth boro although in all types of weather/light in the past week or so.  I’l let you know what I’m thinking at the end of the post.

Miss Yvette, 1975 built in Houma, Louisiana (LA), here attending to Kraken.

Freddie K Miller, 1966 . . . Madisonville LA.

John P Brown 2002 Morgan City LA

Atlantic Salvor 1976  New Orleans.

James Turecamo 1969, Waterford NY.

Pegasus 2006  Tres Palacios TX

Pathfinder  1972 Houma LA

C. Angelo 1999 Lockport LA

Margaret Moran December 1979 Morgan City LA

Miriam Moran November 1979 Morgan City LA

And another thing they all have in common right now is that

they all work in trades other than directly pushing oil.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who’d love to hear ideas about the “Random Tugs 100″ post.

Unrelated:  I read this line yesterday about a withdrawn lawsuit between the NY Port Authority and a Canadian steel company:  “The deal means the lawsuit will be dropped and the steel for the [World Trade Center] tower antenna can set sail before Canadian shipping channels freeze over in winter.”  Here’s the rest of the article.  But it made me wonder . . .  by what vessel . . . barge or ship . . . will this steel arrive in the Upper Bay.  Anyone know?  Here’s info on the fabricator of the antenna.

And a Q . . . has anyone seen evidence of construction of the crane(s) to be involved in the Bayonne Bridge raising?  I’ve heard rumors, but not read or heard anything authoritative.

Back in the Sixth Boro 2

Here was the first post by this title.  I’ve been back for a few days, but it’s been hard to transition from my jaunt in Utah areas of wilderness back to the densely settled areas in and around the sixth boro of NYC.  I didn’t take the foto below of Binghamton, but her time is clearly running out.  If you notice human/mechanical demolition (as opposed to destruction by natural erosion . . . as in the desert) happening, please get in touch or  send me fotos? This was taken Friday during the rain by Allan and Sally, whose sweet vessel you’ll see later.   I did three posts early October 2011 about Binghamton, then ravaged by Hurricane Irene.

I caught this foto of Miller Boys yesterday when it seemed the winds were blowing more rain in.

Ellen McAllister was moving this “unmarked” McAllister tug (anyone recognize it?) around the yard. Info follows, thanks to Birk Thomas.  That’s Cashman’s Lynx in the background.

Also in Mariner’s Harbor, it’s Mark McAllister, not typically a sixth boro boat.

And slightly west, lined up from left to right are Barents Sea, Yankee, NaHoku, and Taurus.

Potomac stands off with Lower Manhattan in the background after an assist.

Over in North Cove, expedition yacht Copasetic costs more than twice any of the tugs appearing in this post; that bow is inspired by much larger ships.

And finally, my host vessel for a jaunt and great conversation . . .   the Lord Nelson Victory tug Sally W, operated by

Allan and Sally, who’ve kept this blog during their recent jaunt up to Ottawa.  By the way, has anyone seen Chase, the long distance padleboarder?

Binghamton fotos by Sally.  All others by Will Van Dorp.

In case you were not able (like me) to identify the tug alongside Ellen McAllister, it’s none other than Winslow C. Kelsey.

Crackin’ the Bottom 2

Ten weeks ago I did this post about Kraken–the best named vessel in the sixth boro.  That day, I sat on the west shore of Bayonne looking at Elizabeth.  But yesterday . . . with many thanks to Frank Belesimo, VP  of  Cashman Dredging, I got onto the water for a close-up tour of the Kraken and masterful description of how it works.   Here we approach the boat with our backs to Bayonne.  That’s St. Patrick’s Church to the right.  The red tug is Jay Michael (1980).

The orange /red tint to the water speaks of the red clay soil of the area as well as

the cords that conduct the blast signal into the charges placed below.

Three bore-platforms operate along a rail, drilling into the bottom and placing the charges.

In the background on the Elizabethport shore is the huge now-defunct Singer plant.

This is intense work.

Moving inside the house, notice Elizabeth Marine Terminal/Port Newark in the background, along with the peninsula of Bayonne and the cliffs of Manhattan beyond.   And on the line stretched betwen bore-platforms, those nodes at the end of each orange signal cord will

ultimately be clipped together so that when the time comes, a coordinated blast will occur down below, cracking up the

whatever hard bottom material needs to be taken away to reach the contracted depth.

More on this dredging project later.  All fotos by Will Van Dorp; getting the tour the same day the Shuttle flew over . . . I positive NASA wanted a close-up view of the project as well.