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In fall 2010, deepening dredging was happening in the sixth boro to prepare for the ULCVs now so commonplace here, after Panama Canal enlargement and Bayonne Bridge raising. These operations afforded me the chance to see a cutterhead close up. The crewman wielding the hammer was trying to loosen a worn tooth. By the way, those teeth weigh 35 pounds each. Teeth . . . dentist?
Then as now, Layla Renee was in the dredge support trade. Right now she’s in Charleston. She was only two years old at the time of the photo.
It looks that way, but W. O. Decker is NOT a dredge tender in this photo. Here five people on Decker are catching the stare of the one dredge worker in work vest.
The entire K-Sea fleet has disappeared. As of 2020, Falcon has become Carol and I’ve not yet seen her latest livery. Houma was scrapped in 2017 in Baltimore.
Here are two of the McAllister tugs involved in easing MSC’s USNS Sisler (T-AKR 311)into Bayonne drydock as then-John P. Brown manages the door. For many more photos of the event, check out “floating the door,” where you also see Allied’s Sea Raven, unlabelled.
I caught Growler at Mystic Seaport that fall. Rumor has it that Growler has returned to the sixth boro under a new name and sans teeth, but is under wraps.
Also in Mystic at that time, 1885 steam/sail vessel Amazon (has nothing to do with Bezos), the 2000 Amistad, and the 1908 steamer Sabino. Does anyone know the whereabouts of Amazon today?
My reason to be in Mystic that October was to work on Pegasus, seen here with Araminta and Cangarda. What works of beauty all three are!
Deborah Quinn here is docked near where Jakobson Shipyard used to be located. I believe that’s her location as of this writing.
Under the old Bayonne bridge, Maurania III assumes position to ease the 1997 Maersk Kokura around Bergen Point. Maurania III is currently in Wilmington NC.
Back a decade ago, Day Peckinpaugh had some good paint on her, and Frances was like a cocoon in Turecamo livery. There’s scuttlebutt of a new lease on life for Day Peckinpaugh.
Let’s end with dredging, as we began. Terrapin Island was one of the regulars in the navigation dredging effort. Terrapin Island is currently in Norfolk.
All photos, October 2010, by WVD.
Big announcement soon.
Call this “thanks to Steve Munoz 20: the 9th Annual North River Tugboat Race September 2, 2001.” As Steve writes, “The tug race on 9/2/2001 was nine days before 9/11/2001. I was on board the tug Janet M McAllister for the race. My son was on board a Seabulk oil tanker docked in Bayonne and he could see the Twin Towers from his cabin porthole. As the tug headed up the Upper Bay I was going to take a picture of the Twin Towers and decided not to since I had so many already. Little did I, or anyone else, know that they would not exist nine days later. I wish I had taken a picture.
[Participating] include tugs McAllister Bros, Janet M McAllister, Empire State, J George Betz, Mary L McAllister, Irish Sea, Dory Barker, Powhatan, Dace Reinauer, Beaufort Sea, Resolute, Growler, Z-TWO, Janice Ann Reinauer, Katherine, Amy C McAllister, James Turecamo, Kathleen Turecamo, Emil P Johannsen; also, includes fireboats John D McKean, John J Harvey.
I’ll not identify all the boats here. As you know, some of these boats, like Dace Reinauer, look quite different now. Also, many boats here, like Janet D. McAllister and Powhatan, are no longer in the sixth boro,
Z-Two is now Erin McAllister, and in Providence RI.
Emil P. Johannsen is laid up, I believe,
in Verplanck NY.
Beaufort Sea has been scrapped.
There were tugboats to port and
tugboats PLUS a fireboat to starboard. Two things here: I love the water thrusters deployed from Z-Two. And Powhatan is now a commissioned Turkish naval vessel known as TCG Inebolu; as such it was involved a month ago in the tow of a Bangladeshi corvette, BNS Bijoy, which had been damaged in the explosion in Beirut harbor.
Again, many thanks to Steve Munoz for taking us back to September 2, 2001 with these photos.
A different series of tugboat races happened decades earlier, as attested here. An indicator of how different the world then was is the fact that back then, a rowing contest was included, and crews of ships in port took part. Those days of break-bulk cargo had ships in port for much longer periods of time, and “port” included places along the Hudson.
Like lots of things, the Great North River Tugboat Race is, as ws said in a comment yesterday, “alas . . . cancelled this year.” So here’s some consolation, ws. . . If you need a dose of racing, you can click here and get all the way back to tugster post 2006, or for a sampling from 2006 until 2011, follow along. In 2006, I followed from W. O. Decker and had this view. I’ll let you try to identify these; if the group-source gets stuck, I’ll help out.
In 2007 . . . of these, only Lucy Reinauer is still around here.
HMS Liberty is still around.
In 2008 . . . throttling up releases some smoke . . .
In 2009, two of these are still running around the sixth boro staying busy. The third was involved in a scandalous grouding and has been scrapped.
Meagan Ann has unique safety headgear, inspired by an ancient design.
In 2010 . . . this was a motley armada, ranging from Atlantic Salvor to The Bronx.
Catherine C. Miller and Mary H were hurrying to the starting line here.
That year saw lots of pushing match-ups.
Vulcan III could be matched up with Viking later.
In 2011, THIS could be called the heat . . . actually, it was a misting from one of the fire boats.
Pushing around happened all over the field for spectators on deck and photographers up high.
As always, getting a line on a bollard . . . just another event in the sixth boro games.
USMMA’s Growler is closing on the bollard as a crewman demonstrates a rodeo-influenced style.
More to come . . . all photos, WVD. And if the last four photos above suggest a muddy Hudson, remember that 2011 had just seen Hurricane Irene flood the valley creeks feeding into the Hudson.
This title goes back more than 10 years. But I got some congested photos recently, so I dredge up an old title. Count the boats of all sizes here. Of course, foreshortening makes them seem much closer to each other than they really are. I count at least 12 vessels on the photo below, including some I had not noticed when I took it.
There are five here, and maybe two miles of separation between the two container ships.
Three operations were happening simultaneously in this stretch of the channel, and all were either stemming or moving very slowly.
Again, there’s lots of foreshortening here.
It may be exhilarating to get this close to a large ship, but if your engine stalls . . . stuff’ll happen really fast.
Here’s a different sort of “traffic” photo from august 31, 2008 . . . exactly 12 years ago. And it gives me an idea for a post. By the way, left to right, can you name at least half of the 12 boats at least partly visible here?
All photos, WVD.
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August can be hazy, and it appears that some August days in 2010 were, as below when Colleen McAllister towed dredge spoils scow GL 501 out and Brendan Turecamo (?) moved Bouchard barge B.No. 260 westbound in the Kills. Colleen has now traveled from sun to ice out to the Great Lakes, where the 1967 4300 hp tug is currently laid up. Brendan is alive and well and working in the sixth boro.
Kimberly Poling, then in a slightly different livery than now, pushed Noelle Cutler in the same direction. Both still work the waters in and out of the sixth boro.
These days I just don’t spend much time near the sixth boro at dusk, but here Aegean Sea pushes a barge northbound in the Upper Bay. Aegean now works the Massachusetts coast, and I recall she’s made at least one trip back to the Hudson since 2013.
On a jaunt on the lower Delaware, I caught Madeline easing the bow of Delta Ocean into a dock. The 2008 4200 hp Gladding Hearn tug is still working in the Wilmington DE area. Delta Ocean, a 2010 crude carrier at 157444 dwt, almost qualifies as a VLCC. She’s currently in Singapore.
Madeline is assisted here by Lindsey, the 60′ 1989 Gladding Hearn z-drive boat rated at 2760 hp.
Duty towed a barge downstream near Wilmington.
Recently she has sold to South Puerto Rico Towing and Boat Services, where the 3000 hp tug is now called Nydia P. I’d love to see her in SPRT mustard and red colors.
I traveled from the sixth boro to Philadelphia as crew on 1901 three-masted barkentine Gazela. In upper Delaware Bay, we were overtaken by US EPA Bold and Brandywine pushing barge Double Skin 141. Gazela, like other mostly volunteer-maintained vessels, is quiet now due to covid, but check out their FB page at Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild. US EPA Bold, now flying the flag of Vanuatu and called Bold Explorer, is southwest of Victoria BC on the Salish Sea. She was built in 1989 as USNS Bold. Brandywine, a 2006 6000 hp product of Marinette WI, has today just departed Savanna GA.
Getting this photo of the barkentine, and myself if you enlarge it, was a feat of coincidence and almost-instant networking, the story I’ll not tell here.
On a trip inland, I caught Tender #1 pushing an ancient barge through lock E-28B. I believe Tender #1 is still in service.
From a beach in Coney Island one morning, I caught Edith Thornton towing a barge into Jamaica Bay on very short gatelines. Edith is a 104′ x 26 1951-built Reading RR tug that passed through many hands. currently it’s Chassidy, working out of Trinidad and Tobago.
Here’s another version I shot that morning. For even more, click here.
The mighty Brangus assisted dredge Florida. Back in those days, the channels of the sixth boro were being deepened to allow today’s ULCVs–like CMA CGM T.Jefferson— to serve the sixth boro. If I’m not mistaken, Brangus has been a GLDD tug since it was built in 1965. Currently she’s in the Elizabeth River in VA.
Here she tends the shear leg portion of a GLDD dredging job. See the cutterhead to the left of the helmeted crew?
On another hazy day, a light Heron heads for the Kills. The 1968-built 106′ x 30′ tug rated at 3200 hp was sold to Nigerian interests in 2012. I’d love to see her in her current livery and context.
Java Sea resurfaced in Seattle as part of the Boyer fleet and now called Kinani H, seen here on tugster just a month ago. The 110′ x 32′ tug was launched in 1981 as Patriot.
And finally . . . probably the only time I saw her, crewboat Alert. She appears to be a Reinauer vessel.
All photos, WVD, from August 2010. If you want to see an unusual tugster post from that month, click here.
For some unusual August 2010 posts, click here.
Garth Foss, launched in 1993, is huge: 138′ x 46′ with 8000 hp and 80 tonnes of bollard pull. Robert Allan says of Garth and sister Lindsey, ““They were really the first true purpose-designed tanker escort tugs in the world.”
Pacific Pride, launched in 1976 and measuring 84′ x 28′ and 2500 hp, is now Panama-registered D Dog. She’s currently anchored off Callao Peru.
Next to her is Sirius, launched in 1974, 126′ x 38′ and 5750 hp, and currently laid up in Hawaii.
Guardian was launched in 1970, measuring 136′ x 37′ and 5750 hp, and is laid up. Gladiator dates from 1975, measures in at 129′ x 37′ and 7200 hp. She’s now Vanuatu-registered Resolve Gladiator, currently in the Irish Sea.
Over in Bremerton, I saw YTB 828 aka Catahecassa 101′ x 31′. She was launched in 1974 in Marinette WI. One source says that In 2013, she was sold to Basic Towing and renamed Gina. Basic does own YTB 827 Chetek now known as Nickelena. Of course, all of this could be out of date.
Western Ranger was launched in 1968 as Oio, a Hawaiian Pineapple, then Dole tugboat. In 1992 she came to Western Tugboat. She’s 101′ x 31′ and rated at 3420 hp. As of now, she’s on a run from Nome to Dutch Harbor.
Flyer was built in 1981. She’s all of 37′ x 16′ and 400 hp. Hornet was built in 1966 and the tape says 42′ x 14′ and 360 hp.
Pathfinder was launched in 1970, 136′ x 37′ and 5750 hp. Now she goes by Island Explorer and is off BC on a run from Seattle to Anchorage.
Valor was launched in 2007 and chartered to Crowley. She’s 93′ x 40′ and 6772 hp. Currently she’s in San Francisco Bay.
Andrew Foss was launched in 1982 as Andrew Foss, measuring in at 107′ x 38′ and 4290 hp.
The trip to the Seattle area in July 2010 produced lots of photos I posted here. Maybe I should get updates on more of the boats I saw there. I was invited to be there in August 2020 for a wedding, but like so many things . . . that’s not happening.
All photos, WVD.
I hope you all enjoy looking at these retro posts as much as I do putting them together. I’m seeing that 2010 was the year I started to gallivant extensively, so the division for July 2010 retrospective is part a is for local, and part b will be for away.
Count the boats in the photo below! Greenland Sea is prominent, but in the distance, find a Staten Island ferry, QM2, Susan (?) Miller, a dredge operation where I see Rae, and a Reinauer tug (Ruth?) beyond that! Greenland Sea is now on the hard in Houma LA, the SI ferries run regularly but with fewer passengers due to the covid catastophes, QM2 is in Southampton, the Miller boats are still busy, Rae is kept in reserve for special projects designed for a 46′ tug, navigation dredging is over for now, and the Reinauer tugs have proliferated and keep busy.
Navigation dredging has created deeper channels, and the Bayonne Bridge has been raised. Miss Gill is now in Jacksonville FL, and GL 55, the dumper scow, is wherever work may require her.
The formerly-yellow submarine is located at the entrance to Coney Island Creek, a place I’ve not been to in almost a decade.
I never did identify the wrecks at the mouth of said Creek, which seemed then to have an abundance of blue-clawed crabs.
Jane A. Bouchard languishes along with the rest of the fleet, and Cape Cod, with one of the intra-port SSS barges here, has moved to Philly, last I knew.
Barbara McAllister pushes B. No. 262 with an assist from Ron G. Barbara has not been in the sixth boro in quite a while, the 262 is laid up, and Ron G has been sold south.
Cape Race arrives here in Atlantic Basin, with a much-changed lower Manhattan skyline. The former fishing trawler/now expedition yacht is currently on the Elbe, south of Hamburg.
Margot still “keeps on pushing,” although I’ve not seen her down in the sixth boro of late.
And here, Patty Nolan passes a wreck–I’ve not yet identified it . . . maybe you have–inside Sommerville Basin in coastal Queens. Patty Nolan has been on the hard a few years.
And here’s a photo taken exactly a decade ago today . . . an unnamed houseboat being towed from Peekskill to Queens, not a view you see every day. It’s Patty Nolan towing with gatelines. Here and here she tows other houseboats.
All photos, WVD, who wishes everyone health and patience in this difficult time. Also, these “retro sixth boro” posts take us back only one decade. It’d be great to locate more photos of identifiable locations going back 50 or so years, the fifth dimension of time photos.
Nothing says the Delaware River up around Philadelphia and Camden more distinctly than a group of Hays tugs, here Big Daddy, High Roller, and Purple Hays. That’s the stern of Grape Ape to the left. No company, I gather, has had more fun naming their boats than the Hays Tug and Launch folks. I hope Ed Roth got photos of these boats.
And I’ve never had so much fun on the Delaware River area than I did the day my friend John Curdy took me on a tour there.
Timothy McAllister was docked nearby. She’s almost a twin of the sixth boro’s Ellen McAllister.
Amberjack (1981) was still in gray. She’s now the latest Thomas Dann, but I’ve not seen her yet.
Jack Holland was pushing a scow. Today’s Jack‘s in Norfolk.
I’m not sure where the 1967 Jakobson-built Grace Moran is,
but Helen D is now Sarah D, and is regularly seen on the Hudson.
Active, a 1956 Blount product, has been sold south and is now Chandler B, operating out of Virginia.
Soon after I took this photo, Coral Sea was sold to a Nigerian company and, at last report, was operating off Nigeria as Uganwaafor 2. I suspect she’s currently inactive.
Texan here is mostly out of the notch of Ponciana. She’s currently near Beaumont TX on the Neches River.
And finally, it’s USS Arthur W. Radford (DD 968) getting prepped for reefing. About a year later that reefing happened about 30 miles offshore, which appears to be out of range for most fishermen.
All photos, June 2010, by WVD, who will be in and on the Delaware River later this week, way in in the wild part of the river in NYS, trying to commune with the wild. Don’t be concerned if no new posts appear for a spell after Wednesday.
If you’re new on this blog, for the past 27 months I’ve been posting photos from exactly 10 years before. These then are photos I took in June 2010. What’s been interesting about this for me is that this shows how much harbor activities have changed in 10 years.
Tarpon, the 1974 tug that once worked for Morania and below carries the Penn Maritime livery, is now a Kirby boat. Tarpon, which may be “laid up” or inactive, pushes Potomac toward the Gate.
North River waits over by GMD shipyard with Sea Hawk, and now also a Kirby vessel. Sea Hawk is a slightly younger twin, at least in externals and some internals, of Lincoln Sea.
Irish Sea, third in a row, was K-Sea but now is also a Kirby boat.
Huron Service went from Candies to Hornbeck to now Genesis Energy, and works as Genesis Victory.
Ocean King is the oldest in this post . . . built in 1950. She’s in Boston, but I don’t know how active she is.
Petersburg dates from 1954, and currently serves as a live aboard. Here’s she’s Block Island bound, passing what is now Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Kristin Poling was built in 1934 and worked the Great Lakes and the Eastern Seaboard via the Erie Canal.
To digress, William Lafferty took this photo on 15 May 1966 at Thorold, Ontario, in the Welland Canal, same boat 44 years later.
And finally, she who travels jobs up and down the East Coast, the 1970 Miss Gill. She’s currently working in the Charleston area.
All photos, WVD, who never thought a decade ago while taking these photos that I’d revisit them while in the midst of a pandemic. June 2010 was a great month for photos, so I’ll do a retro a and b.
May 2010 . . . I took my first trip to see the thrills of the southern Arthur Kill, thanks to Bonnie. Back then the hull of Astoria (1925-1967 on the East River Line) was still there. Since then, I believe it’s been removed . . . said to be an eyesore. !@#$?!! Here’s more from that paddling trip. Keansburg Steamboat Company operated it until it ended up here. If I read The Boats We Rode, Roberts & Gillespie, p.13) right, I’m wondering why it spent so many years before being broken up. And why isn’t it listed here?
ABC-1 was hauled out back that month. I know some of you are happy to see what she looks like below the waterline.
OSG Vision was new, and spent some time at the Bayonne shipyard. Here she’s nose-to-nose with Horizon Discovery.
I recall vividly this spectacular spring morning before work . . . Irish Sea went by pushing DBL 103, passing NYK Rigel at Howland Hook. Mornings like that tempted me to skip work.
I’m not sure where this boat is today, but I did manage to get close-ups out of the water here, three and a half years later.
Heather M II here passed NYK Rigel. I’ve never seen Heather M since, I believe, but she has classy lines and a great bow pudding.
Colleen was still in salt water back then. I’m not sure she ever thawed out after a late December transit to Lake Michigan six years later.
Janice Ann, here pushing RTC 28, was still around here. If you want to read about life aboard Janice Ann, I did a review of a book written by one of her captains here.
Niz C. Gisclair was an exotic in town, likely here working on a dredging job. She has a Marquette logo on her stack.
Sorry about the backlighting here, but it’s Allied’s Falcon in the Kills. She has since appeared on this blog as Carolina Coast.
And finally . . . a sad shot of sister ship of Day-Peckinpaugh, launched as Interwaterways 101. The vessel below was launched two months later as Interwaterways 105, and from 1936 until 1976 operated as Michigan. She’s languished in the AK for decades, possibly since 1976. She’s an Eriemax, tailored to the dimensions of the Barge Canal locks, built in Duluth 99 years ago!
Here’s the same vessel on the Erie Canal, date and photographer unknown.
Yup . . . after 18 days of virtual Erie Canal touring, I needed to sneak another Erie Canal pic in here.
All photos except the last one by WVD.
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