Names 46

Some names might be terrifying, like “This is Conqueror, approaching the Narrows.”  By the way, this vessel was here some years back as Energy Conqueror.  It seems sights and ambitions have broadened. 

Equally chilling though oxymoronic might be this one:  “Big Bang has anchored.”

A lot of vessels are named for birds, like ONE Stork and

Endelo Swan.  With a name like Swan, I’d expect a white hull.

Grand Eagle is hardly aquiline;  the bow might be more aquiline if they’d have consulted the folks at Ulstein.

Then there’s the occurrence of serial multiple names.  Can you make out the raised letter name that’s been painted over here?

Above is on the stern and below is high on the starboard bow.

Previously it was NYK Aphrodite.  Well . . . there once were temples to Greek goddess Aphrodite east of the Dardanelles, although I’m sure that has not an iota to do with the choice of new name.

Many thanks to eastriver for Big Bang.  All other photos and any lame jokes . . .  WVD.

Names 37

Quick  . ..  name the ship name the ONE vessel  . . .

The first three photos were taken Sunday by Bjoern of the New York Media Boat.

And if you know the tugs in the sixth boro you have a 75% chance of naming all tugs here too . . .   three of the four 6000 hp tugs by Moran.  I’m not first in pointing out how small the tugs look relative to the 1200′ ONE Stork.  I hope you guessed that right.  The tugs are JRT, James D, Jonathan, and then Margaret farther back.

While we’re on names . . .  Glenn Raymo caught this photo  upriver.

Dodo . . . First ONE Stork and then Dodo.

Over by Shooters Island the other day, I caught Amstel Stork, coming from Port Newark and headed upriver herself.

Jonathan and Miriam assist her around Bergen Point, but here’s my point:  two vessels named “stork” in the harbor the same week!!?  What going on?  And with Dutch as my first language, I read this as Ooievaar van Amsted . . . that big bird name being ooievaar in Dutch.

Recently, vessels with the following names have visited the sixth boro:   NYK Blue Jay    Southern Owl   Stena Penguin  …   See what I mean about a trend that has emerged?  A few years back I saw the Eagle fleet, eg in yesterday’s post, and separate from that . . . Asphalt Eagle.  A few years back I saw a Peacock.

Here are some I suppose I’ll never see:  Subsea Seven has some bird vessels, esp  in diving support.

Millennium Falcon….  oh wait, that might not have launched yet . . .   Magic Victoria was here recently, although my photo was too blurry to use here.  Surfer Rosa . . . that name of the many I’ve posted here will stick with me.   As of this morning, Surfer Rosa is westbound in the Med just outside Algerian waters.

Many thanks to Bjoern and Glenn for use of their photos.

 

Old Year 2018

I’ve mentioned before about my people the Dutch celebrating “old years day” on December 31.   As the child of immigrants, I’m blessed by this one of many ways they see the world differently, a perspective I’m happy to share.  So here is a retrospective of the year, the result of a process of scanning through photos in the blog library, not overthinking it.

January.  Gunhilde Maersk with James, Kirby, and JRT plus Miriam Moran.  the year of the 1200-footers aka ULCVs becoming commonplace in the sixth boro.

February.  Ocean Henry Bain serves as a safety boat during  the ice canoe race I documented in my Carnavalons posts.

March. Cerro Grande here escorted a Caribbean-bound LNG ship, one of all the Panama Tugs posts

April. When I saw this section of drained canal bed between O-6 to O-7 in Oswego, I thought the work’d never get done before the season began, but I was wrong.  Of all my 2018 NYS Canals posts, this and this posted with the greatest urgency.

May.  Reliable pushed seaward by Lucy H.  As of today, Reliable lies under the sea gathering fishes and entertaining Davy Jones near Shinnecock.

June.  Jay Bee V headed out on a high-profile mission.  Has she returned to the sixth boro yet?

July.  I missed Rosemary‘s christening because that’s what happens when you don’t look at your calendar. First come first serve for a few tugster lighthouse calendars.  Send me an email with your mailing address.   As I said, I ran a few extra when I made up my Christmas gifts.

August.  Kimberly Selvick with AEP barges was one of the treats I saw in Calumet.  This day south of Chicago planted a seed of curiosity about the Lake Michigan/Mississippi River link I hope to be able to explore in 2019.  Many thanks to Christine Douglas.

September.  J. W.  Cooper delivers a pilot in Port Colborne at the Lake Erie end of the Welland Canal.  Because I hadn’t a satisfying enough fix from the canal earlier, I returned there in October.

October.  One Stork, a pink ULCV,  came into town.  It wasn’t her first visit/delivery, but it was the first that I caught.  She’s currently in the sixth boro.

November.  Morton S. Bouchard IV rounds Shooters Island light, Bouchard celebrated a big anniversary this year.

December.  Ruth M. Reinauer heads west into the Kills in December, the start of heating oil season.

And that’s it for the year, time for me to securely lock up Tugster Tower and prepare myself to meet 2019.  The older I get, the more profound is my awareness that although I make many plans for a new year, I might not see the end of it.  It’s just how it is.  Every day is a blessing.  Last year had my own personal ultima thule; I pray that 2019 brings its new ones.

Thanks to everyone who read, commented, and assisted me in 2018.  Happy and constructive new year day by day to you all.

Random Tugs 235

I take a lot of photos.  A few are extraordinary, IMHO.  The photo below ranks among that select set.

Above and below, it’s Jonathan C Moran.  Sharon Sea heads for sea above.

Atlantic Salvor takes yet another scow filled with dredge spoils out to the dumping grounds.

Atlantic Dawn heads out.

Emily Ann tows Chesapeake 1000 down toward Norfolk.

St Andrews moves a petro barge.

Frances has a headline to a barge in the anchorage.

Two Vane boats wait in Gowanus Bay.

And James D. has a line onto ONE Stork.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

 

Pink 3

Today I caught the stork, one stork.

I had work to do, but I just couldn’t let this big cherry blossom magenta vessel pass unrecorded, especially not on a sunny late October day.  Besides, I could work twice as hard the next few days . . ..

Wait . . . I thought it was one STORK!??

Yup . . . one stork from Tokyo.

No way!  It’s one tug named James D. Moran.

This minimal superstructure probably contributes to fuel economy.

 

She’s a product of Japan Marine United Corporation in Kure shipyard, Hiroshima.

And for some really cool alongside on the dock photos, here are a few from Sean McQuilken in Charleston.

 

It’s more than 100 feet up to the bridge wing!

Thanks to Sean for use of these photos;  all others by Will Van Dorp.