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Back in 2008, I had a chance to see a VS-driven tug for the first time here and here. Since that time, this tug has become Matthew McAllister, a Narragansett Bay-based tug which is McAllister’s only VS tug. A local set of boats with VS props is operated by the Staten Island ferry. Here’s a post that shows the ferries’ VS system out of the water.
But I digress. The question in this post is . . . where do these props come from? How big and heavy are they?
There are two in this park in Portsmouth VA, and
on both, on the “hub,” there’s info. I’ve seen this before on tug Pegasus here.
Diameter . . . 28′ and almost 40 tons each! They’re from one of these oilers.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who has left for sea and will be in the signal-free zone for a few weeks. The robot will put up a few more posts, but don’t expect any answers to questions, as I might not have a signal until early February, when I hope also to have some new tales to tell.
As was true yesterday, all photos today were taken in the first 12 hours of 2016. For Chatham, the last tug I saw in 2015, the year end/start distinction was likely irrelevant. No doubt the same holiday treats were out in the galley in the wee hours of 2016 as were a few hours before in 2015.
From a different angle as last night, here are Michael J,
Camie,
and the “weather tugs.” I’m happy the precipitation of December 31 has ceased.
Although some people movers waited in reserve,
another was cross-crissing the Elizabeth. By the way, is this the same James C. Echols? Is it still LNG powered? Does anyone know where the new ferries are being built and delivery dates?
The quick side ramp system impressed me. It was in fact similar to a system on “water bus” I saw near Rotterdam a while back.
Surrie heads back to base, passing BB-64 USS Wisconsin.
Recognize this vessel, which spent a little time in the sixth boro a bit over a year ago?
It’s HMS Justice, slinging Bryant Sea now in the curvaceous Elizabeth River and
passing Mahan, Stout, and
Oscar Austin, far right.
Closing out today . . what can you do with $12 million and a 1962 North Sea trawler? Check here for this story on explorer yacht Discovery. Here’s another story with much better photos. Docked astern of Discovery is Shearwater, which was doing a project in the sixth boro back in sumer 2013.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
Technically the first vessel I saw–before dawn– in 2016 was Hudson River-built Jean Turecamo and then Surrie Moran, as they headed south to assist this outbound tanker, Kingcraft, which seems to be barely off the ways.
And once I spotted such a bright clean LNG vessel headed my way, my noirish self dissipates; call me Marinus de Blauw. Tugboat Jean Turecamo is off the starboard bow, whereas Surrie is invisible at the stern. Parading behind are USCGC WPB 87361 Sea Horse and Vane’s Chatham.
As it turned out, Kingcraft still had its USCG escort as it continued out the Thimble Shoals Channel of the CBBT, Morocco bound.
From Island 1, to the north I could see a tug and barge headed southbound through the Chesapeake Channel between Island 3 and 4.
It turned out to be Sea Robin towing . . .
Sugar Express . . . Florida bound, I presume. Here’s more info on Sea Robin.
And I include this next set as a jog-memory for myself: at the Route 13 scenic area pull-off in southern Kiptopeke, a look past the weirs I got a glimpse of a future destination . . .
the concrete ships of the breakwater.
I have to allow enough time to see them closer next time.
More on the first twelve hours of 2016 tomorrow.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
Marginally related . . . concrete barges also languish on the Erie Canal.
Directly related . . . some previous posts featuring the Hampton Roads area are here, here, here, and here.
Differently marginally related: Kingcraft–whatta name!!–is a new vessel; Horizon Trader, seen in this sixth boro post from less than two years ago, is about to beach for the scrappers in India.
One of my (formerly) secret heroes is Guy Noir, secret because I may be revealing too much about myself in admitting that. But life’s too short to care about drivel like that. Noir has an office on the 20th floor of the Acme Building in a “city that knows how to keep its secrets,” yet each week a different mysterious woman seems to find him in quest of a favor. So imagine this as a view from Noir’s Portsmouth VA office around 1600 hrs . . . on the last night of the year. It’s rainy but warm and all the creeks feeding into the estuary course in, with color and warmth of some old coffee . . . I was last here, though on the river then, about six weeks ago here. And notice the hammerhead crane to the right. Here’s
the deal. But I’ll come back to this history stuff later.
For now, this is a record of the last night of the year, what my parents used to call “old years night.”
In the fading light, there’s Michael J. McAllister, another McA (Nancy??) behind it, Camie, and a trio of Robbins Maritime minis called Thunder, Lightning, and Squall. AND if you look carefully beyond the McAllister tugs, you’ll see Dann Ocean’s Neptune and the Colonna Shipyard, where a Staten Island ferry is being overhauled. Click here for previous posts referring to Colonna.
In the driving rain as the last hours of the year ebb away, Vane tug Chatham heads south; the oil must move . . . . even when the postal stream sleeps.
Shadows . . . on a rainy night paint the river. And under the “tent” inside
And so ended 2015 for me . . . not a low-flying aircraft but a high flying window perch.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, private and public eye.
Let’s go farther south–i.e., up the Elizabeth. Covered barge . . .
pushed by Gram-Me. Coal?
Capt. Woody and Alexis of w3marine have the best logo. See it better here. Fleetmate Ocean Endeavor was in yesterday’s post.
Lorette is one of two Norfolk tugs that used to be Moran boats.
As you can see by the livery, Ellie J is also a Norfolk tug, but although
similar, Stevens Towing’s Island Express is not.
Here’s a small portion of McAllister Virginia‘s fleet: Nancy and Eileen. The last time I saw Eileen she was returning a Staten Island ferry post rehab.
Vulcan construction has its logo on a number of tugs here, including Arapaho,
Aries,
Capt. Ron L, and
VMC Chattanooga.
Alexander Duff is a Vane tug.
Kodiak, here I think leaving the soybean depot– used to be Vane’s Capt. Russi.
Kodiak has been in the sixth boro on a few occasions. Here’s more of her current fleet: Maverick, ?Southern Star?, and Challenger.
Hoss, like the boats immediately above is also an Intracoastal Marine boat. Hoss is a close relative via Wiley Manufacturing of the sixth boro’s Patricia. Sun Merchant, which I saw here in Savannah, is a Vane boat.
Corman Marine’s Captain Mac is yet another tugboat in the Elizabeth owned by a construction company.
Camie and Cajun look alike but may be owned by Robbins Maritime and Bay Transportation, respectively.
Three Sisters seems to be owned by a family-oriented company called Smith Brothers.
Elizabeth Ann, operated by Atlantic Gulf Towing, used to be known as El Hippo Grande, a truly satisfactory name for a workboat.
And finally, we seem to have two Skanska-owned boats, Ranger and
Cap’n Ed.
All photos here by Will Van Dorp, who imagined there’d be only about 10 photos in this post about a short section of the waterway in the Norfolk/Portsmouth VA area. For the entirely delightful travel through the area, I am very grateful to the USMMA Sailing Foundation.
A request, though. Over by the Norfolk Dredging yard, I saw their small tug Palmyra through the trees and could not get a good shot. Has anyone taken one over the years? If so, could you share it on this blog? Send me an email, please.
Finally, some of you got an earlier version of this last night when I pushed the wrong button. Sorry about that. I could give other reasons for that error, but it was a slip and I had not intended you to think I had started using placeholder gibberish as captions.
Cheers.
It’s still November 2015, so for me, it’s day 22 of this focus.
Let’s head south again from Hampton Roads, where a lineup of MSC vessels includes a supply vessel called Supply.
I guess this would be a small Navy yard tug. Click here (and scroll) to see a variant with roll bars. Here it closes the security gate after a Moran tug has come inside.
More security is provided by WPB-87329 Cochito.
In order from near to far on this foggy day are LSD-46 Tortuga, DDG-103 Truxton, and USNS T-AH-20 Comfort.
Emily Anne McAllister (2003) waits at the Norfolk International Terminals.
And there’s a long list of commercial tugboats, more than I want to squeeze into this post. So let’s start with Ocean Endeavor (1966),
Night Hawk (1981),
Dauntless II (1953),
Choptank (2006),
Payton Grace Moran (2015),
Goose Creek (1981), and finally for now
Steven McAllister (1963).
All foggy/rainy photos above by Will Van Dorp.
One of these days we’ll meander farther south on the Elizabeth River aka ICW. In the meantime, if you have photos of work vessels from any port huge or tiny, get in touch; there are still a few days of November left.
And since we’re a week or so from December, my idea for next month’s collaboration is “antique/classic” workboats, functioning or wrecked. Of course, a definition for that category is impossible. For example, NewYorkBoater says this: “The definition of an antique boat according to Antique and Classic Boating Society is a boat built between 1919 and 1942. A classic was built between 1943 and 1975 and the term contemporary, are boats built from 1976 and on.” Hmm . . . what do you call an old vessel built before 1919 . . . a restoration project? antediluvian?
If you take another transportation sector–automobiles, you get another definition: 25 years old or more. And for the great race, here were the rules for this year: “Vehicle entries must have been manufactured in 1972 or before.” Next year’s cut-off will likely be 1973.
So my flexible definition is . . . photo should have been taken in 1999 or before, by you or of you or a family member, and in the case of a wreck, probably identifiable. Exception . . . it could be a boat built before . . . say . . . 1965.
This is day 8 of the GHP&W series, so let me break pattern a bit. If you missed the beginning, GHP&W is not a law firm; it’s abbrev for “gunk holes, harbors, ports, and wharves.” I haven’t dusted off any wharves yet, but two-thirds of the months still lie ahead.
The story here is that TS Kings Pointer was out serving as a training platform and not at Kings Point, although there was a potential meeting somewhere south along our track to Portsmouth, VA.
Mile 1, 0738 Wednesday, heading for the Throg’s Neck Bridge.
0756. Passing SUNY Maritime and TS Empire State. Click here for photos from her summer sea term 2015.
0804, Robert Burton, a Norfolk boat.
0907, Mary Gellatly with a sand scow at the southern tip of Governors Island.
1010, passing the northern tip of Sandy Hook but looking back at Naval Weapons Station Earle, with USNS Medgar Evers at the wharf.
1017, Romer Shoal Light and Coney Island.
1517, Capt. Willie Landers northbound off Beach Haven, I think.
1612, FV Jonathan Ryan and tug Pops in the distance.
1618, entering a grid marked “numerous scientific buoys.”
1657 off Atlantic City, with unidentified tug and barge
1740 and about to switch watch.
Thursday, 0852, looking north into the Chesapeake after going wide around Fisherman Island.
0910 . . . it’s the current TS Kings Pointer, ex-Liberty Star. . .
. . . heading along Virginia Beach
before turning northward toward Long Island Sound. Her former sister ship–Freedom Star–was in the area but we did not see her.
Meanwhile, we head north into the Thimble Shoal Channel Tunnel and into port, which you can follow tomorrow. And that tug and crane barge in the distance . . . survey work for new infrastructure or maintenance dredging?
All photos by Will Van Dorp, with thanks to the USMMA Sailing Foundation for inviting me to crew in winter relocation for Tortuga. It was a smooth trip.
tugster: a waterblog 
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