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.

 

North on Gallatin’s Ditches 6

Actually, only part of this leg is through the ICW, or another way to say this is that from Cape May to NYC you need to be in the ocean.  For a map that shows this, click here. This leg takes us from Baltimore to New York City, which in this case is not the end of the trip.  More on that later.

Below, Key’s Anthem is Baltimore’s new Inner Harbor water taxi, the first vessel of 10, one that’s all local vernacular . . . a Hooper’s Island drake tail.

Tiwai Point prepares to discharge a load of sugar, from Colombia, I think . . .

Bridget McAllister (and other McAllister boats) waits at the dock.

We head out past Natty Boh and Brooklyn . . . ,

Vane’s Carlyn,

and Justin with an unidentified load.

Was it Justin that towed Tamaroa out to the reef site last week?

At the Chesapeake side of the C & D Canal, it’s Dann Ocean’s home base, with (l to r) First Coast, Diamond Coast, New England Coast, Sea Coast, and Gold Coast.  By the way, Gallatin called this the Delaware & Chesapeake Canal and estimated it as 22 miles long with 18 locks.  The current Chesapeake & Delaware is 14 miles long and all water is at sea level, i.e., no locks.  Here’s the history.

Defender (I think) steams inbound for Pennsauken with Cape Cod tailing a Crowley barge.  Depending on which barge this was, capacity is 400–500 teus.

Gulf Venture/Carrier anchors off Salem . . .

And then morning brings a jagged island up out from the deeps and we

line up some towers . . . while Le Grand Bleu waits in Gravesend Bay.

Note the unusual wake and splash pattern on Jonathan C.‘s stern?

And an unfamiliar Kirby vessel– Mount St. Elias–moves DBL 77 upriver.

 

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

 

Ports of the lower Chesapeake

This is GHP&W 9, and since this unexpected trip to new ports has materialized, here we are.  Passing through Thimble Shoals Channel looking toward the Delmarva peninsula . . . it’s hard to capture the expanse of this bridge/tunnel.  But once inside, vessels to behold through the sudden rain include

a noisy LCAC,

a historically-named fishing boat,

a Stiletto,

and a landing craft.  Is that a pelican-shaped drone flying escort?

Although we passed through Hampton Roads, the rain grayed out any sign of shore, where I’d been ashore four years ago.  Gold Coast was pushing a covered barge with

seagull lookouts.

Spring Scenery left a lot to the imagination.

But the fleet lining the Norfolk shore was fabulous starting with USNS Lewis B Puller,

possibly about to get a push from Tracy Moran, and

USNS Supply,

and Robert E. Perry.

And much more, but for this post, we stop here.  All photos here by Will Van Dorp.