Seats of Power 5

It seats one to power nothing, but makes a good puzzle here in the PowWow River some years ago.  In dry season, you walked through the gate and sat here to fish or just sit.

Poseidon’s Sea-Bee Pusher power unit has

has no seat, so you make your own with your own, complete with a foot rest.

You notice you can’t drive Urger from a seat; but there is a seat

for the engineer of this bell boat.

If we assumed the engineer’s seat, this handle would be our major control over this 19-ton Atlas-Imperial.   You can see the seat on this youtube clip of the engine running.

Since we’re on the Erie Canal, check out the wheel and controls of Seneca, which is also steered by standing crew.

I know I know . . . this is hard to read, but tug Seneca (1930) had a career with the USN in Boston and Brooklyn before it was purchased for work in the Erie Canal, in 1960.  GE?  yes, it’s diesel electric.

I’ve got lots of helm seats (or lack thereof) from Bart Hakse aka Zee Bart, who delivers vessels around the world with Redwise.  He took the photos below on a naval vessel.  Nation?  Zee Bart also finds time to do a blog called Uglyships.

 

The seatless helm above is from an unidentified vessel of the Vietnamese Navy.  Clearly it’s not a MetalShark.

Below, it’s the helm seats of  MF Hornelen.  

Note the flag on the left shoulder of the jacket.

And another from Zee Bart, FV Alpha.

 

I have many more helm seat photos from Zee Bart, but I’d love to have others to dilute Bart’s.

All the first photos here by Will Van Dorp; the others, thanks to Bart.

Seats of Power 4

My trickster truckster hopper is filling and will dump one of these days soon, but this photo fits better in the “seats” category.

But to put this back on the water, here’s the power seat on ex-Catherine Turecamo now John Marshall.  I’d love to see this vessel in her current colors and working in her current environment . . . the tri-state ports along southern Lake Michigan.  I wonder if this is the original 1972 seat.  For the photo, thanks to Mike Fiedler, who also sent along this photo of the helm seat for Lake Express here (scroll).

Here she was in the East River in 2008.

To take on a Peacemaker with a 50-horse Boston Whaler look-alike, your seat must provide a sense of power.

Now this is a well-appointed seat of power, currently a training seat for other seats of power.  It’s Pentagoet (1980), platform for tug and barge skills acquisition at Maine Maritime.

Can you identify this seat of power?  The exterior colors could be a giveaway.

The “sticks” move the rudders on Grand Erie, flagship of the Canal Corp, former Mississippi River system Corps of Engineers pusher tug.

Any ideas of this?  I’ll call it the mystery seat until the end of this post.

Here’s a clue:  those are my shoes and below the seat is a glass floor.

Here is the locus of power award Fournier Tractor (1984), which currently works mostly in Penobscot Bay.  I took these other photos of the Maine boats here almost five years ago.

And the last seat of power comes from George Schneider.  Orange is the color of Edison Chouest.  George writes:  “It was 2011, and I was sent out on the ROV support ship MAX CHOUEST while they did an ROV survey of the wreckage of the DEEPWATER HORIZON.  The MAX, of course, is dynamically positioned, and so the operator needs to have all the DP displays nearby, plus controls to tell the system how to maneuver the vessel.  But being a workboat, it needs to be able to operate forward (in transit) or aft (when doing industrial work).  So the controls move with the operator, and the “Cyber Chair” slides fore and aft within the bridge as well as swiveling.  The whole concept was completely overwhelming to me.”

Thanks to Mike and George.  All other photos by Will Van Dorp, who’s planning at least one more “seats of power” post, so if you have photos of a bridge/helm/wheelhouse seat, please send it along.

Oh, the mystery seat . . . was in a dockside gantry crane operator cabin.

 

Raised Metal

Delta Mule was Grand Eagle before that.  Today it’s better known around the sixth boro as Eastern Dawn.

Sea Ox was the second name of this vessel, after Lief S.  Since Inland Sea it moved on to Brooklyn and now is known as Charlotte V.  If raised letters were changed each time, all that heat would make for enough of a ceremony, a necessary requirement to avoid Poseidon’s penalty. 

Thanks to Lisa Kolibabek, here’s a view of the step by step erasure and replacement, which reminds me of tattoo removal.

Chesapeake needs to come off along with the place of registry before Kristin Poling comes on.

The final result looks shipyard-launch new.

Some tired old vessels might beg for a renaming in steel;  Resolute today is called Ocean King.

This one puzzles me, because I found that the current ARC Patriot used to be Aida.  Why the F and the O, Fidelio?

Here’s another puzzle . . . Iron Salvor has been in Tottenville for a few weeks, but

in raised letters, she was Ocean Raider 17.  Anyone know what she’s doing it the bro?  Was she US built?

Thanks to Lisa for the photos of Chesapeake–Kristin Poling.  All others by Will Van Dorp.

 

 

Other Peoples Photos 64

I appreciate it when folks send in photos they’ve taken.  Sharing photos is one of the joys of the Internet.

Here from Ashley Hutto, Mister Jim pushing five barges, upbound through the Highlands.  If you could swivel the camera to the right, you’d be looking at West Point.  I love the reality-defying lens.

The next two photos come from Phil Porteus . . .  you’re looking across a scrap barge at a set of barges filled with special Delaware Bay sand heading west in the  KVK and

pushed by the fairly new Daisy Mae.

From Jake van Reenen, this is what a small tug looks like on an Interstate, in this case before heading north mostly on I-95.  Photo taken in Miami.

From Sean McQuilken, it’s commissioning time for

USS Ralph Johnson, its namesake being a 19-year-old Marine who died in Vietnam in March 1968, a half century ago.

And last but not at all least, thanks to Hugo Sluimer via Fred Trooster, it’s the “US pilot boat” Elbe on the hard near Rotterdam.  Post-publication note:  Elbe WAS a pilot boat in the US, but she was way way more.  See here.

Many thanks to Ashley, Phil, Sean, and Fred.

 

SoG Tugs

Any idea what SoG might be?  If you haven’t guessed by the end of this post, the answer will be listed there, along with credits.   You’ll agree with me that the assortment of containers are the same as you’d see on any back field along the edges of the sixth boro.

Kjella, 1957, I first thought was an unusually shaped tugboat, but better sources than myself say it’s a RORO ferry, located in the port of Algeciras.

From the Atlantida fleet in Algeciras . . . I believe this is Paquita Moreno. 

From the Boluda fleet, it’s Sentosa Ocho.

Also from Atlantida, it’s Bay Explorer, unusually English in name.

The Tangier fishing fleet here is definitely NOT catching any fish.

Charif al Idrissi was launched in 1986 and serves as a fisheries parol vessel based in Agadir.

Here’s a closeup of the stack design.

Jaguar is part of the Amasus fleet out of Delftzijl, shown here headed for the Atlantic.  For more photos, click here.

Over at the OILibya dock in the port of Tangier is a tug registered in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) but I can’t quite make out the name.  Anyone help?  As an international ship register, Equitoguinea has 40 vessels, fewer than Bolivia.

SoG . . . Strait of Gibraltar, or Jabal Ṭāriq if you wish.

And the photos–taken on both sides of the Strait–come thanks to JED, not to be confused with Jed.  JED first commented here exactly 10 years and one day ago.  And I’ve always been grateful for his contributions.

 

Seats of Power 3

Just when I thought I had no more photos for another installment of “seats,” uh . .  more appear.  This arrangement of seating in this Erie Canal tug has to win a prize.  I can’t tell which lock it is, nor (I believe) can Bob Graham, who sent it in.  The captain on the Feeney at one point was Bob’s grandfather.

Is that a folding chair way high up on Augie?

January 2014

Might folding chairs be more common than one might expect?

Ceres has become inactive after a noble attempt to sail north Country produce down to the NYC markets.

Angels Share is the largest Wally yacht I’ve ever seen, the photo taken in North Cove in September 2013.

But the person on the helm got no seat, unless–you suppose?–they’ve got a folding chair in the lazaretto. It’s since been soldand renamed.

NYC-DEP Hunts Point has a variety of seating options.

And let’s end with two European boats:  Tenax and

Abeille Bourbon. Tenax has appeared on tugster in 2012 here, and Bourbon . . . here.

Many thanks to Xtian, Vlad, and Bob for sending along these photos.  Here are the two previous “seats” posts.

And a final shot below, that was tugster in 2011 at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Belle Isle at the helm of the detached house of SS William Clay Ford.  Note the “old man’s” chair in the background.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

 

Seats of Power 2

Edda Fram runs back and forth, it seems, from shore (Scotland)  to various oil platforms in the North Sea.  Rough weather operation necessitates seats hard to fall out of.

Solomon T, once operated by Elbert Felton (shown), is a 1938 restored inside the Outer Banks fishing vessel, with seat and wheel appropriate to 1938.

MV Argyle is a ferry that operates on the Firth of Clyde.

T-ATF 172 USNS Apache has a spacious bridge.

Tug Mississippi, in service doing commercial work since 1916 (102 years!!) has a “bar stool” and a tiller.  It was repowered from steam to diesel electric in 1957.

Converted Bering Sea crabber Ocearch has wide bridge.  Here’s an article I did on their shark research program a year and a half ago.  Follow individuals of different species of shark around  the ocean in real time here.

A seat on an ATB? here’s the spacious wheelhouse of Paul T Moran.

Lake Express is a fast ferry that crosses Lake Michigan several times a day from Milwaukee to Muskegon.  One of these days, I’ll cross the lake fast.

Here’s another fast ferry, Athena,  sometimes serving Block Island.

Kaori is a 2004 tug operating in New Caledonia.

I’ll close out this post with the seat of power in the powerful Ocean Taiga.  For an article I wrote on this St. Lawrence tug, click here.

To protect the anonymity of some folks who sent along these photos, let me just give a tip of the hat to all the photographers.  Unless you send along more photos or unless I take some more, this’ll be the last in this series.  Any seats out there in strange colors?

Seats of Power 1

Consider this a post in the genre of stacks and wheels. The fourth photo is the latter post shows 12 hands on these wheels, and no one seated.   Someone once said you stand (not sit) watch.

This canoe livery motorboat used in Algonquin Provincial Park has a flat aluminum seat, no cushion.

No seats here either.  I believe this is an oyster dredge mast unstepped.

Tugboat Jupiter has a old-style steering and an old style stool, not surprising given that it dates from 1901.

The once-padded barber’s (dentist’s?) chair shouldn’t really count here because it

complements this wheel aboard Frying Pan, a much modified vessel now floating pub.

So now let’s go standard contemporary.  Thanks to Xian Herrou, behold the seating aboard Abeille Camargue, now VB Camargue, a French tug built in 2007.  Here a seat is essential to operating the controls.

Here’s the note from Phil Porteus, who inspired this post when he wrote:  “The Eric R. Thornton is rocking a new helm seat from Ocean Air Inc, Gainesville FL.  The [builder] is a chief engineer on a processing ship in Alaska and builds these in his spare time. They are very very heavy duty and will last a lifetime.”

“He uses a Nylatrol bushing that will last the life of the chair. The design incorporates an automotive style seat which can easily be replaced if the seat gets damaged or worn out.  He gave me a discount, because I told him I would try and promote his product.”

“His cell is 206-409-9881.  Let me know if you want to come and sit in it:)”

Thanks, Phil and Xian.  More seats of power to come.

Unless otherwise attributed, all photos by Will Van Dorp.

 

Bahamian Tugs

Thanks to my sister for sending these photos along from Nassau.  Amber Jack and fleet mates look to be in need of some work, but I am out of my depth here;  I’ve been unable to find little out about these boats.  I thought the rendering was unusual as well.

Snapper sports a different version of bow pudding.

 

If I’m not mistaken, that’s Atlantis in the distance.

From l to r here, they are Lady Holley, Tiki, and Turbot.  Is that upper platform of Turbot used for pilot transfers?

Maybe someone can help identify the age and provenance of these tugs that seem somewhat down at the heels.

Thanks, sister.

 

Dutch Tugs 8

These photos come via Jan van der Doe and were taken by Jan Oosterboer in the Lekhaven area of Rotterdam.

Lingestroom, a Damen Shoalbuster 3512 design and launched in 2017, measures 114′ x 39′ and is powered by triple screw driven by three Caterpillar C32-TTA SCAC.

Unrelated, notice the stack for the Atlanship SA orange juice tanker on the far side of the building?  I’m not sure which tanker that is.

MTS Indus is 82′ x 24.’    More info here.  Just beyond Indus and against the dock is MTS Vanquish, a 2909 Stantug design from Damen.

Sea Bronco is a SeaContractor tug with two Caterpillar 3508B engines.

En Avant 20 is a twin Schottel 5000 hp tug built in 2006.  I like the slogan on the building on the right side of the photo.

 

Union Princess is queen of the dock here:  221′ loa x 51′ and powered by two Wärtsilä 16v32 LND engines for a total of just over 16,000 hp.

Dian Kingdom measures 107′ x 36.’

 

I hope you enjoyed this look around the dock in Lekhaven, thanks to Jan and Jan.  For the first seven in the series, click here.