Old Years 2022

I’m back and just in time for the last day of the year, which –as explained in previous years— in my Dutch tradition is a reflection day, a time to if not assess then at least recall some of the sights of the past 12 months.  A photo-driven blog makes that simultaneously easy and hard;  easy because there’s a photographic record and not easy because there’s such an extensive photographic record to sift though.

A word about this set of photos:  these are some “seconds” that did not make the final cut for my 2023 tugster calendar.  The actual calendars are still available if you’ve not ordered one;  find the order info here. I’m ordering a bunch myself. 

One windy day last January I caught a Pilot No 1–the old New York–doing drills under the VZ Bridge.  Just recently I met one of the engineers on that boat, a person with epic stories about the sixth boro.

A warm day in February, I caught JRT Moran assisting QM2 into her Red Hook berth. 

March I spent a delightful day on Douglas B. Mackie observing the water side of a Jersey shore beach replenishment project, thanks to the hard-working folks at GLDD. 

April . . .  I caught Jane McAllister heading out;  correct if I’m wrong, but my sense is that soon afterward she made her way down to South America to join the expanding ranks of US-built tugs working on various projects on the south side of the Caribbean. 

As a member of the Canal Society of NYS, I had the opportunity to see Urger up close and sun-warmed on the bank of the Oswego in Lysander NY. 

A clutch of Centerline tugboats waited for their next assignment at the base just east of the Bayonne Bridge.   Note the fully foliated trees beyond them along the KVK.

From the humid heat of western Louisiana and onto the Gulf of Mexico, Legs III–shown 

here spudded up just east of SW Pass, afforded a memorable journey on its way up to the sixth boro.  Thx, Seth. 

Back in the boro, later in August, a Space X rocket recovery boat named Bob–for an astronaut– came through the sixth boro.  More on Bob–the astronaut–here. 

In September, I finally got to my first ever Gloucester schooner race, thanks to Rick Miles of Artemis, the sailboat and not the rocket. 

Icebreaker Polar Circle was in the boro a few days in September as well.  Now it’s up in Canada, one hopes doing what icebreakers are intended to do. US naval logistics vessel Cape Wrath is at the dock in Baltimore ready and waiting a logistics assignment. 

Ticonderoga certainly and Apache possibly are beyond their time working and waiting.  I believe Ticonderoga is at the scrappers in Brownsville. 

Passing the UN building on the East River, veteran Mulberry is currently out of the army and working in the private sector.  I’ve a request:  for some time I’ve seen a tug marked as Scholarie working the waters west of the Cape Cod Canal;  a photo suggested it might be called Schoharie. Anyone help out?

And finally, a photo taken just two days ago while passing through the sixth boro during what can hardly be called “cover of darkness” it’s Capt Joseph E. Pearce on its way to a shipyard on the mighty Rondout to pick up some custom fabrication for a Boston enterprise. Many thanks to the Stasinos brothers for the opportunity.

I’d be remiss in ending this post and this year without mentioning lost friends, preserving a memory of their importance to me personally . . .  Bonnie of frogma–first ever to comment of this blog so many years ago and a companion in many adventures– and Mageb, whose so frequent comments here I already miss. 

I plan to post tomorrow, although I may miss my high noon post time because I hope to post whatever best sunrise 2023 photos I can capture in the morning.  

Happy, safe, and prosperous new year to you all.  I’m posting early today because I want my readers who live much much farther east than the sixth boro to get these wishes before their new trip around the sun begins. Bonne annee!  Gelukkig nieuwjaar!

Whatzit 26 Follow-up

April 2015, and here was the context.

April 2022, and I’ve heard rumors about context but no confirmation.  It was pure serendipity that I was in roughly the same area of the Staten Island boro, enjoying springtime warmth and watching the sixth boro.

’15.  The reversal of paint is interesting.  There may be semiotic significance, but as yet, I can’t interpret.

’22. 

’15

’22

’15

’22

Know that flag?  It’s not the one I expected. I’ll let you guess.

’22

All photos, 2015 and 2022, WVD.

And that’s the flag of the Comoros Islands.

 

Thanks to Tony A 32

Tony A spends more time in the sixth boro than I do and sees stuff I don’t, for which I am grateful.  I’d noticed Zhen Hua 24 in Global on AIS, but I never saw the actual vessel;  Tony did on that rainy day a few days ago.   If you click on the link in the previous sentence, you’ll see the Zhen Hua fleet, which specializes in delivering cranes across oceans, has made previous trips to the sixth boro. 

With a half load of cranes, Zhen Hua 24 headed for sea, specifically to Côte d’Ivoire Terminal (CIT), Abidjan’s second container terminal.  So here’s my question, what did this Zhen Hua drop off in Bayonne?  More DSNY cranes maybe?

Meanwhile, over by Northeast Auto Terminal in Bayonne, is this a new set of straddle carriers, or are they just

parked in numerical order?

Meanwhile, Tony caught Acadia and

 

Liberian registry tug, since then bound for sea to an undisclosed location.  I’ve yet to see the Liberian registry painted on her stern. 

And while Tony was noticing all manner of unusual details around the sixth boro, check out Jane McAllister, now just plain Jane, soon-if-not-already bound for the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

Since this post asks questions about a broad range of things, here’s another:  Is USGS the best organization in the sixth boro and associated waters to check for updates on water salinity in different locations?  Given the relationship between salinity and object buoyancy, I’d imagine it a good variable to know.

Many thanks to Tony A for sending along these dispatches from the sixth boro.

April 2015 Retro

Eric McAllister assisted Cielo di Roma, now Baki Akar and Turkish-flagged, out of her IMTT berth.

Mako, in the dawnlight, which I see through an urban window these days, waits alongside her barge.

Bow Riad meets Genesis Victory and

sails west.  She was Huron Service until some point in 2013.

I recall I got this photo as Atlantic Salvor was returning from the Caribbean, although I can’t remember where in the Caribbean.

James Turecamo was doing ship assist down here just five years ago. Here, James rotates Fidias along with Gramma Lee T Moran.

Charles A . . . and I honestly can’t recall where that was, given the background.

Here’s two

of an interestingly marked Jane McAllister, likely headed downeast somewhere.

And let’s end with three of

Simone, more here,

whom I hadn’t seen before and haven’t since.  As of very shortly, she’s on her way to Guantanamo.

All photos taken in April 2015 by WVD.  Stay healthy, keep your distance, and avoid expelled missiles with corona warheads.

April Fish 2

 

Well, maybe your subscription to something has expired, but reading tugster requires no subscription, and no lucre flows into tugster tower from your –I hope–daily habit of checking in here.

It is April first, and I quite like the day. Here was what I did April 1, 2010, and here  . . . .   the day in 2009.  I don’t always mark it, although once I shifted focus of the blog entirely to trucks, the first time.  That generated a bit of hate mail . . . which led to a whole new division of tugster, i.e., trickster. which autocorrect always wants to spell incorrectly.  Truckster it is.

Since you’re here, let me share some miscellaneous photos.  Sea Hunter has recently turned up near the McAllister yard.  I posted my photos of Sea Hunter as she appeared in Boston three years ago here.  Anyone know what fate she’s hunting for in the sixth boro?  Also, on the photo below, there’s the Atlantic Trader barge.  That’s  the short-sea shipping hull I last saw in 2015 here.

Here’s a dense shot:  near to far, the far tugs are Crystal Cutler, Jacksonville, Navigator, and another unidentified Vane tugboat.

So while I’m at it, let me share some mail.

From Phil Gilson, an article about fast US Navy vessels converted into shallow draft speedy banana boats, and that’s no April Fools joke.  See it here.

And finally here’s an oldie-but-goodie from Steve Munoz.   Jane McAllister (1968) and Margaret M McAllister (1928, converted from steam to diesel in 1957)  assist a Sealand ship in Port Elizabeth back in 1986.  Note the Old Bay Draw is still bissecting Newark Bay in that shot.

Thanks to Phil for the story/link and Steve for the photo.

The other photos by Will Van Dorp, and inscribed in tugster tower by invisible watermarks.

 

Sixth Boro Fifth Dimension HT1

Click here for this series.  “Fifth dimension” designates these as not contemporary, i.e., archival.

“HT” here is Harry Thompson, who sent me these photos, all from 1986.  I’m not going to say much about the photos because I don’t know much.   I was not in New York then.  I will say what I know, but please  . . . comment away.

Elise M was then a Poling boat;  now you might know her as Morgan Reinauer.

The three identifiable boats here are all still around:  Jane McAllister is in Eastport, Dragon Lady is now Bridgeport, and Mary Turecamo is still Mary Turecamo.   Anyone know the excursion vessel and container ship out beyond?

Here’s another of Dragon Lady.

Dragon Lady . . . has been mentioned, Tilly has had a sad demise, and Emily S I have no info about.  There is a fourth tugboat beyond Emily S, but I can’t identify it.

Here’s another of Tilly and an unidentified Berman vessel beyond here. Tilly was built in the Bronx.

This is a CROWDED harbor as it’s not seen anymore.  I can’t identify anything there, but it reminds me of a hypothetical photo I’d love to see . . . Grand Erie (scroll)  was in the harbor for this centennial celebration of Lady Liberty.  Might anyone have a photo of her in the harbor for that fest?

And we’ll end here with a mystery three-masted schooner.  Anyone identify her?

 

All photos by Harry Thompson . . . and done on film.  More tomorrow, so please send in your comments now.

Sometimes I get queries about collaboration;  I really enjoy doing it like this.

Unrelated:  Here are the results of the Erie Canalway photo contest.

Whatzit 26

Here’s the index.  Actually, the better title here might be whozit?

Black hull, primer red house, and blue stack . . .

It’s Jane McAllister, who’s been in the sixth boro the past few days.

Might it be the blue of Eastport Port Authority?

Now how would this stack look with white rings?

Here’s more on the boat, thanks to tugboat information.com

All photos here by Will Van Dorp.