Random Tugs 54

First, as a followup to Fleet Week, check what stealthy vessel Mitch  (Newtown Pentacle’s) caught over by the Sound end of the East River here.  It’s the m-ship aka M80 stiletto, a quintmaran . . . by my count.

My first time to see Maurania III.

Built in 2004.  Anyone seen where Rosemary‘s been assigned these days?

Irish Sea (ex-Clipper) 1969.

The two Hornbeck boats are Erie Service (nearer) and Eagle Service.  Tanker is Minerva Anna, and the dredge is 996 with an assemblage of small service boats along the starboard side.

Sassafras bunkers Ambassador Bridge.  In the lower right, the yellow machines are called straddlers aka container-haulers.  With so many parked there, I guess Port Elizabeth was quite slow Thursday afternoon.  Here’s a youtube of a straddler in action;  lots more to the right there.

A slow day …?  From left, Nicole Leigh Reinauer, Kristy Ann Reinauer, (I can’t make out the two smaller Reinauer boats farther in), Gramma Lee T Moran, Laura K Moran, Margaret Moran, Marie J Turecamo, Cape Cod, Pati B Moran, and Miriam Moran.

Norwegian Sea: high, dry, and missing its wheels.

Catherine C Miller and company.

Mia Forte Elsa . . . must be nobility.

Linda Moran

All fotos in the past two weeks by Will Van Dorp.

Two related Youtubes . . . not mine.  Thanks to John van der Doe for pointing the way.

Start with this one and this story about a Rotterdam–Murmansk tow (with 44,000 hp of tug power) gone awry partly because of a difference between the captains and the insurers.

First, Smit-Lloyd 115 tows Takpull 750 in rough water.  The soundtrack reminds me of Dutch pop music of my parents wartime generation.

Second, if you can really indulge me . . . here’s another video that gives the English translation of that same music sung by (trans.) the Harborsingers. Great traditional Dutch costumes too.

Government Ships 5a

FireFighter at the Narrows, Fort Wadsworth side . . . rainbow effect of spray . . . must be doins’  … big stuff going on or about to . . . .

Waiting on the Fort Hamilton (Brooklyn)  side, I espy a huge shape some five or six miles off, here between FDNY’s not-yet-in-service 343 and the venerable Driftmaster.  Iwo Jima (Mississippi-built) has returned!  See fotos I took on board last year here.

The first fleet vessel through the Narrows was PC-4, Monsoon, Louisiana-built, commissioned in 1994, here passing Ellen McAllister.  Scroll through this link to see a sampling of  fotos of Monsoon‘s adventures.

Next visitor in was WMEC 909, Campbell, the sixth cutter to bear that name, here with helicopter above and USACE vessels all around, from left, Moritz, (I believe that’s the stern of Dobrin … barely visible), Driftmaster, and Gelberman.  Campbell’s homeport is Portsmouth, NH.  See a previous appearance of Campbell on this blog here… last foto).

Next in, sibling of Monsoon . . . was Squall, commissioned in same year and state.

As Iwo Jima approached the Verrazano Bridge, a gun salute from Fort Hamilton drew

Iwo Jima‘s response.  By the way, the bit of land on the lower left side of the foto above is Hendrick’s Reef, on which the Brooklyn pillar of the Verrazano Bridge stands, an island that from 1812 until 1960 housed Fort Lafayette.  I wonder which Hendrick that was.

Ellen McAllister followed Iwo Jima in.  Is that Catherine Turecamo over on Iwo Jima‘s port side?

Next in was DDG 95, destroyer James E. Williams, named for a sailor who served in both Korea and Vietnam.  Read about her namesake here.

Then it was FFG 45, frigate De Wert, named for a sailor who died in Korea in 1951.

And then Bath, Maine-built CG 58, Philippine Sea.

Closer up . . . I can’t identify the Coast Guard 47-footer other than 47315.  By the way, see this type vessel’s capabilities as filmed in the mouth of the Merrimack River in all its fury.  The Merrimack was my obsession during part of the 80s and all of the 90s.

I didn’t see where Miriam Moran assisted (probably up at the Hudson River passenger terminal) but a while later I caught her headed to home base as Laura K. was out to Red Hook for an assist.  Check out the two crew on the afterdeck.

Hmm . . . I wonder what the story is.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

By the way, “Government Ships 5” is the short title;  a longer version is “Their crews and all those sixth-boro based supporters.”

Welcome to New York.

A century ago, a parade of ships featured the Cruiser Olympia, now in very real danger of being reefed.

Staten Island Live has an excellent schedule of events planned the next few days on Staten Island, where most of the fleet vessels are berthed.  See the schedule here.

Final note:  I plan to cross the Merrimack aka “merry mack” tomorrow headed north for some canoeing.  See foto here.  The Pow Wow flows into the Merrimack.

SOS 1

Thanks to Capt. William Lynch for calling my attention to a worthwhile project AND a chance to win a Harley Davidson.  The worthwhile project:  preserve the SS United States in some form.  Local 333 United Marine Division and Lombardi Harley Davidson have teamed up in a raffle.  Details available soon.

I took the foto below last fall in Philly.  The street sign there says, in my interpretation, let’s not walk away from this. 

Right now the liner languishes while its sorry state gets used to direct consumer eyes.

While thinking about buying a raffle ticket, enjoy some diverse fotos, some from this week and others from a few years back:  Austin and Timothy L. Dace Reinauer.

McAllister Brothers

Craig Eric Reinauer with fishing boat nearly chummed.

Barker Boys

Dory Barker

Captain Lynch, thanks for the info on the raffle.

And while I’m telling some news, don’t forget the “Tugboats and Waterfront Scenes” exhibit at the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook.  The artist, Rich Samuelson, will be there today, May 22, between 3 and 7 pm.

Something Different

I call this a “water blog,” but usually avail myself only of salt water shots.  Below is what I saw from my bedroom window yesterday morning:  rainwater pool on roof beside my building.  Foto is obviously flipped, but the vent with round hole to the right serves as “portal” for at least three raccoons who cavort and sing after dark.  New York is wild.

Foreshortening . . . makes for some arresting shots:  here McAllister Responder, Franklin Reinauer, Jennifer Turecamo, and RTC 150 pushed by Meredith C. Reinauer enjoy much greater separation than appears.

Left to right here are:  Chemical Pioneer, Johann Jacob, and OOCL Busan.  I post this foto because it suggests that the forward portion of Chemical Pioneer and its stern seem mismatched.  Think about it . . . and I tell you the story below.

Foreshortening again . . .  plenty of searoom exists between NYK Constellation and OOCL Busan, but for some seconds, from my vantage point, I was getting nervous.

No comment on the frothiness in the center of this foto.  Notice the building on the tip of Manhattan between the red and green buoy.  That is 17 Battery Place, once the “footprint” for Moran Towing.  Starting on p. 273 of Tugboat:  The Moran Story by Eugene F. Moran and Louis Reid, there’s an incredible story about a Captain Daniel F. Anglim that dates back to the 1927.  In short, Dan had a naturally loud voice “even louder from having to yell against the wind” (pre-walkietalkie days) did dispatch from the 25th floor of that building down to the tugs waiting between Pier 2 and 4 on the Hudson.  I cannot imagine.  Looking for a good read:  Get The Moran Story!

Today several hundred feet of landfill separate 17 Battery Place from the nearest water.  See a foto of 17 Battery Place from that time here .  . second foto down.  I’d love to see a larger version.

Cape Melville bound for sea.  I love the name . . . that northeast corner of Australia.  In the background you see parts of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and One Court Square, Queens’ and Long Island’s tallest building.  One court Square also appears in the second foto above.

That’s Adirondack coming around the side of City Pier A, the once and future dock for NYPD and FDNY?

Yes, this is a wild turkey in Battery Park, it looked totally indignant when I asked that he pose in front of  either the Terminal or one of the Homeland Security cars in the background .  Imagine that !!  But the location is inland about 100 feet with the Staten Island Ferry Terminal to the left and the Coast Guard station to the right.    Wild New York.

The Chemical Pioneer story:  in late May 1973, a Bath Iron Works container ship called Sea Witch bound for sea lost steering and collided with an anchored tanker called Esso Brussels, resulting in a deadly fire (15 deaths, 13 of them on Esso Brussels, loaded with Nigerian crude) and New York harbor oil spill.   Read the complete story here.    Later, the stern section of Sea Witch was grafted onto a new forward section.  For Sea Witch‘s original lines, click here;  she’s the second one down.

All fotos taken on May 20 by Will Van Dorp.

By the way . . . that turkey . . . she goes by the name Zelda;  be good to Zelda when you see her.

Landmarks

The idea here comes from the “eyed but not seen until it’s noticed” department.  I noticed the Brooklyn church on the hill behind Linda Moran only recently.  I’ve no doubt I’d seen it many times before, but my glance never lingered there.  Now, I am unable to NOT see it.  It is the basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, OLPH, for short.    Between Linda and OLPH is the Brooklyn Army Terminal, designed by the legendary Cass Gilbert.

This got my wondering about other churches visibly prominently  from the sixth boro.    Like St. Michael’s in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.  I know some might find this heretical, but as a newbie in the sixth boro, I considered the possibility that the 200′ egg-tipped spire might be a minaret.

Just forward of Megan McAllister is St. Mary Star of the Sea in Bayonne, as seen from Richmond Terrace, Staten Island.

Just above Ellen McAllister‘s stacks, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is mostly obscured here by the IMTT tanks.

St Peter’s in New Brighton, Staten Island can’t be missed.

Just astern of Kristy Ann Reinauer, St Patrick’s in Elizabeth, New Jersey, has two spires.  The single white spire to the right of the courthouse tops First Presbyterian on Broad Street in Elizabeth, a congregation going back to 1664.

From this 2007 foto, it’s Riverside

Church in Manhattan.  In the foto above, left to right:  Dorothy Elizabeth, Patapsco, Lucy Reinauer, and unknown.  Can anyone identify this Moran boat below?  Answer below.

And since I’m asking, here’s a church along the Brooklyn side of East River aka Easy River, taken in 2007, I cannot identify.  Anyone help?

If you wish to add other church landmarks, let me know.

All fotos here, Will Van Dorp.

Moran boat below Riverside Church is Paul T. Moran, answer thanks to Allen Baker.

Random Tugs 50

Jack Newman has appeared in this blog before here, but guess the port.  This foto comes courtesy of Guy Pushee.  Port info comes at the end of this post.

The newest–I believe–tug in the harbor is Timothy L. Reinauer, less than a month on the job . . . in its current incarnation.  Timothy L was Bridget McAllister and Ocean Star before that.  The upper house “stalk” seems pitched at some unusual angles relative to the waterline.

Welcome!  er . . . welcome back, Timothy.

Now this tug had me a bit mystified as it approached.  Its windowless superstructure has something in common with stealth ship like John Dark aka Jeanne d’Arc’s stealthy sidekick, now back at sea.

Remember most fotos enlarge with a doubleclick.  Try it and you’ll clearly see the stacks of Jennifer Turecamo.

OK, I’ve said it before:  Adriatic Sea roars that makes her seem larger than she might measure, so large–in fact–that she does not fit in this foto.

Here’s another fairly new vessel:  Laurie Ann Reinauer.

And fleetmate, Nicole Leigh Reinauer.

Closing out this edition, it’s Justine McAllister.  Note the Empire State Building in lower right corner of foto.  And, given the summer-like burst of temperature, the haze  (and fog) have moved in.

All fotos but Guy’s by Will Van Dorp.

The port is Wilmington, North Carolina . . . the Cape Fear watershed.  Here’s a link to more of Guy’s fotos.  Guy, thanks for sending the foto along.

Also, check out Cruceros Glenans post on the Robbins Reef Light, which just happened to creep into so many of these posts.  I don’t recall having seen the derivation of the name info here before.

Unrelated but really important, check out this unofficial poll from the US Naval Institute on historic vessels/monuments to save if triage is called for.

Babel in the Harbor

What I would like to know is how widely known is “seaspeak,” or SMCP.  Or, how much have seaspeak principles been morphed–voluntarily or by regulation–into common VHF practice?

Most large ships look alike, allowing for differentiation into groups like container ship, tanker, RORO, pure car truck carrier, and then sub-groups with military vessels. Explanation:  physics,  global standards related safety, and the dictates of efficiency.

But within a tank, any of a range of fluids might live;  within a container, a limitless number of goods might be moved.  So it’s not  surprising–given the diverse points of origin of sixth-boro traffic–that a need exists for a simplified but unambiguous standard language.

As to signs of this diversity in shipping?  Check out Al-Mutanabbi.  That’s not “al” short for “Allen” or “Alberto” either.  More on the “al” at the end of this post.  I’d no idea until I looked it up that

Al-Mutanabbi was an Iraqi poet who died more than 1000 years ago.  In the foto above, vessel in the distance is MSC Dartford.

Elixir suggests magic for me, until

I learn that Yang Ming, a Taiwanese company with a history that dates back to the Qing dynasty (the last dynasty before the “republic”),  has a whole set of  container vessels with “e” names like Efficiency and Eminence.  Give me elixir any day.  By the way, that’s Vane’s Sassafras passing port to port.  By the way, sassafras was once a major ingredient of that great elixir called root beer.

Lian Yun Hu . . . I’ve not much clue about, other than that it’s owned or managed by Cosco, conjuring up thoughts of Cosco Busan and Shen Neng 1, of San Francisco and Great Barrier reef notoriety, respectively.

Most watchers of the boro would be clueless here without

a little help elsewhere on the exterior of the ship.

In Hindi, I’m told, “jag PLUS prerana” means “world”  AND “inspiration.”  Now, I wish they put an asterisk there with a translation painted just above the waterline somewhere.  I’d want to know that!

A large number of ships in the harbor are constructed in Korea.  And their names are straight-forward English although generally hangul writing coexists with English.  Tug is Amy C McAllister.

An interesting fact about hangul is that its invention gets credited to a Korean king named Sejong, a Renaissance man on that peninsula a  half-millennium ago.

All of which I use to illustrate my point:  if I didn’t read or understand English, I’d be helpless.  And I’m really just a shore-watcher.  Without an international language, communication on the sea–as in the air–would be worse than garbled.

Finally, here’s a gratuitous shot of Flintereems, from the land of my mother tongue.  Spelling notwithstanding, I believe the “eems” in this Flinter vessel refers to the river whose estuary forms the border between the Dutch and the Germans.  I set Goldman Sachs atop the Flinter  deck to mimic the last Flinter vessel “borg” appearing on this blog here.

All fotos, Will Van Dorp.

For a perspective on some verbal and non-verbal communication in the harbor, check out bowsprite here.

Oh . . . Al the prefix in Arabic means “the.”   You know it from such English words as “algebra, alchemy, algorithm” and –believe it or not–“elixir.”    Here’s more on that.

Mystery Shore

The dramatic sunset and stark skyline suggest where?

 

Any idea what shore will lie to starboard when these tugs follow the river curve ahead?

 

What lies inland from this industrial scene or is it a strip mining operation surrounded by icebergs? What major highway lies less than a mile away from these two shots taken less than 15 minutes apart?

Respectively . . . Elizabeth, New Jersey and I-95 aka New Jersey Turnpike. Perspective and light make all the difference.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.