ICW Tugs May 2017* B

Norfolk and its estuary constitute a major US seaport, so let’s linger here for this post.  I’ve been there three times, and only once was it clear.

Besides military docks, it has a number of terminals.  for this latter, here‘s a schedule;  Notice it shows CMA CGM Marco Polo arriving here at 1300 on May 23. 

Clayton W. Moran is a 2016 launched 6000 hp tugboat, just a bit newer than the four 6000s in the sixth boro.

Compared with the sixth boro, notice that you see many of the same companies working in Norfolk, and many of the same vessels, including container ships tugboats.  Choptank is a 2006 Louisiana-built Vane 4200 hp boat.

The sixth boro has quite a Norfolk tugs fleet, but I suspect Ellie J, 1968 and 1800 hp, has never called up here.

I can’t tell you much about Dauntless II.

Emily Anne McAllister is a 2003 4650 hp tugboat.

Gold Coast is a 1967 1000 hp tugboat that has worn Dann Marine colors since 2005.

Captain Mac is a Corman Marine Construction tug built in 1980 and rated at 700 hp.

Steven McAllister is one of a dozen or so McAllister converted YTBs.  Built in 1963 and significantly repowered in 2007, she brings 4000 hp to ship assists.  She’s pretty much identical to Ellen McAllister.

Elizabeth Ann is part of the Norfolk Dredging fleet;  she’s from 1982 and is rated at 3000 hp.

Ocean Endeavor is from 1966, 1000 hp, and has left saltwater for Milwaukee, where she’s now Ruth Lucille.

Paradise Creek (1981) once worked in the sixth boro as Caspian Sea and before that (and before my time) was here as Sea Tiger.  Currently, it has been sold out of the Vane fleet and is known as Emmy Lou.

Maxwell Paul Moran is a 6000 hp, likely quite similar to Clayton W above.

All photos, WVD.

 

GHP&W 23: Elizabeth River b

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.

 

Ports of St. George

GHP&W 3.   And I don’t mean the northern Staten Island area named for a developer with the first name George.

As the lobster might suggest, this St. George is in Maine, and named for the river which is named for the English explorer/captor of Squanto who visited this area in 1607.   I was confused the first time I arrived here because I was looking for Port Clyde and all the signs said was “St. George.”

But it turns out that within the town of St. George are villages like Tennants Harbor, Martinsville, and Port Clyde.

I hope to return to Port Clyde next year, in part because this is the mainland wharf for the Monhegan Boat Line.  Elizabeth Ann was preparing for the passenger run, but

I didn’t get to see the “world-famous Laura B,” a repurposed 1943 Army T-boat, which after doing WW2 duty in the Pacific, ran lobsters from Maine to Boston and New York. Anyone know of old NYC sixth-boro photos of Laura B delivering Maine fruits of the sea to the city?   Laura B was working, delivering freight to Monhegan.  And these cargo nets filled with firewood await for the next cargo run.

A glance at a map or chart of the peninsulas of Maine is enough to explain the value of craft like Reliance and her sisters.

The work boats in the harbor represent only part of the “gear” needed to fish;  the rest is on paper.

Even on rainy days, I like looking at these boats.  Taking photos of paperwork  . . . never so much.

 

 

From a short conversation of the wharf, I have the sense that the paperwork and regulations keep vessels like these in port many more days than they fish. And global water temperature trends make this an even harder way to earn a living.

 

 

All photos here by Will Van Dorp, who wants to get back up here soon.