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If you’ve never hung out at any of the public places on the KVK and you’re interested in tugboats or shipping in general, you are missing something.
The Upper Bay is a busy place also.
MFaber Park is a great place when it’s open.
You get views of the Bayonne Bridge and the east side of city of Elizabeth from Faber Park.
Shooters Island, once a major shipbuilding site, shows up like a jungle now. Pres. Theo Roosevelt went there to shake hands with a foreign monarch who had a yacht built on Shooters.
Beyond Shooters, major port facilities can be seen.
For the past 22 years, Schuykill has been a Vane Brothers boat. When I saw the name on AIS, I assumed it was a new Vane boat.
Welcome to the sixth boro.
All photos in the past week, WVD.
Marjorie B. McAllister is one of those tugs that confused me when I first started paying attention. Below the house is down, and
and here the hydraulics have raised it up to look over Bulkmaster.
Ava M. McAllister‘s elegant lines are shown off as she assists a tanker to the Arthur Kill.
Cohoes on the Hudson River was the launch site of Mary Turecamo, the last tugboat to be built there.
Thomas D. Witte originally had a telescoping wheelhouse to fit under bridges on the Erie Canal and elsewhere, but I’ve never seen photos of that superstructure.
Ever sharp-looking 2006 Pegasus goes to a job.
The veteran Ellen McAllister escorts in a tanker. I’ll do a tanker post here one of these days soon, maybe later this week.
Capt. Brian heads eastbound on the KVK to a job.
Pathfinder is rarely seen light, but here she heads over to pick up the TUP at the trash transfer station.
Twins . . . at the 10-year mark . . . looks to need some TLC.
Here was Twins a minute earlier, coming out of a busy but typical traffic pattern on the KVK. I count five tugboats besides Twins.
The mighty Patrice powers her way east to pick up a job. Note the crew aboard Chem Singapore.
And to end this post, which of course could go on and on, the 4610 hp Doris powers along a container barge from one NY/NJ container port to another, a local example of short sea shipping.
All photos, WVD.
Name that tug? She’s 91.5′ x 26.8′ and used to be called Traveller. Answer follows.
Part of a defacto ghost fleet around the sixth boro, it’s J. George Betz, and mostly invisible beyond, Rhea I. Bouchard. J. George is longer, stronger, and newer.
Also in the dry dock a week or so back, it’s Emily Ann. My favorite story of this tug dates from a time she was called Cabo Rojo.
Lincoln Sea was featured in my second ever tugster post, back in November 2006. In the background, that looks to be Mount St. Elias.
I usually see Captain D alongside a DUP barge, but behold, in good light, she’s light. That’s my acronym, DUP.
Ditto . . . Robert Burton.
Ruth M. Reinauer was just a year old when it appeared here in 2009. Ruth is 112.9′ x 35′.
Ellen McAllister . . . what more can I add to what I’ve written already about this former USN YTB. I know three of her dozen or so siblings, ex-USN YTBs, include Robert E., Timothy, and Stacy.
Miriam and Doris Moran follow along a ship, ready to put their force where needed when needed.
More fleetmates to Captain D and Robert Burton above, it’s Paula Atwell and Pathfinder . . . all unusually light.
And finally . . . that tug in the top photo . . it’s Marie J. Turecamo.
All photos, WVD.
The first boat I saw in the morning fog was buff and green . . . Meaghan Marie, moving what appeared to be a Cashman spud barge.
Meeting her was Vane’s Philadelphia. I’m curious . . . do any readers have a photo of a Vane unit operating on thew Great Lakes or arriving there via the Saint Lawrence?
I could hear Shannon Dann‘s EMDs throbbing as she moved Weeks 105.
Pathfinder moved light trash containers to a marine transfer station.
A light Treasure Coast headed from Duraport to the Upper Bay.
Seeley pushed sand scow Weeks 250 eastbound.
As the sun started to burn through the morning clouds, Janet D made her way to a job.
Pegasus returned from a job, out ahead of two Moran assist tugs.
St. Andrews got underway from the Centerline dock.
Brendan headed off to an assist.
And just as I needed to leave, Franklin showed up to assist Gracie out of her dock.
All photos, WVD.
Enjoy the photos. Can you guess which of these tugboats is oldest?
Greetings Rae and hello to the crewman at the railing. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen Rae. The first time I saw her I was with Bonnie and the tug was then called Miss Bonnie.
Several people have said Matthew Tibbetts is the best looking tug in the harbor. Who am I to argue with them about that?
Pathfinder cuts a sharp image as it leans into its empty trash containers . . . . and the barge CVA-601.
Some mornings the dawn light enhances everything. Because I was a NASA fan a long time ago, a tug named Cape Canaveral will always get my attention. I’m guessing she may be the newest boat among these.
Above, along the left side of the photo, see the barge with GL 54 on it? Ocean Tower was moving it along,as below.
This light perfectly complements Sarah D‘s lines and colors.
The sun is already rising well after 0600; I took this photo of Ruby M before 0600.
A very light Frederick E. Bouchard passed me by the other day.
Normandy has the throatiest sound of the boats I know best.
And finally, well before 0600, Emily Ann was moving a scrap (?) barge westbound. I believe she was last on this blog back in June.
All photos, WVD.
Oh . . . the oldest? That would be Rae, launched 1952, same as me.
As you know from some earlier posts, those red morning skies . . they mark my favorite times.
Here Coral Coast with Cement Transporter 5300 has just departed the dock with Ruby M‘s assistance.
Soon afterward, Sapphire Coast arrived with Cement Transporter 1801, and assisted
by Stephen Dann.
Later in the morning, Sarah Ann pushes scow Michelle D.
Durham moves deck barge Arlene, bound for some work in the East River.
Harry McNeal returns with barge 1962 to IMTT to continue the job there.
Nicole Leigh stands by with RTC 135.
Pathfinder delivers empty garbage containers from the railhead to the marine transfer station.
Charles D. returns from Earle.
And finally, departing IMTT,
Genesis Victory gets an assist from Normandy.
All photos, WVD.
Garth Foss, launched in 1993, is huge: 138′ x 46′ with 8000 hp and 80 tonnes of bollard pull. Robert Allan says of Garth and sister Lindsey, ““They were really the first true purpose-designed tanker escort tugs in the world.”
Pacific Pride, launched in 1976 and measuring 84′ x 28′ and 2500 hp, is now Panama-registered D Dog. She’s currently anchored off Callao Peru.
Next to her is Sirius, launched in 1974, 126′ x 38′ and 5750 hp, and currently laid up in Hawaii.
Guardian was launched in 1970, measuring 136′ x 37′ and 5750 hp, and is laid up. Gladiator dates from 1975, measures in at 129′ x 37′ and 7200 hp. She’s now Vanuatu-registered Resolve Gladiator, currently in the Irish Sea.
Over in Bremerton, I saw YTB 828 aka Catahecassa 101′ x 31′. She was launched in 1974 in Marinette WI. One source says that In 2013, she was sold to Basic Towing and renamed Gina. Basic does own YTB 827 Chetek now known as Nickelena. Of course, all of this could be out of date.
Western Ranger was launched in 1968 as Oio, a Hawaiian Pineapple, then Dole tugboat. In 1992 she came to Western Tugboat. She’s 101′ x 31′ and rated at 3420 hp. As of now, she’s on a run from Nome to Dutch Harbor.
Flyer was built in 1981. She’s all of 37′ x 16′ and 400 hp. Hornet was built in 1966 and the tape says 42′ x 14′ and 360 hp.
Pathfinder was launched in 1970, 136′ x 37′ and 5750 hp. Now she goes by Island Explorer and is off BC on a run from Seattle to Anchorage.
Valor was launched in 2007 and chartered to Crowley. She’s 93′ x 40′ and 6772 hp. Currently she’s in San Francisco Bay.
Andrew Foss was launched in 1982 as Andrew Foss, measuring in at 107′ x 38′ and 4290 hp.
The trip to the Seattle area in July 2010 produced lots of photos I posted here. Maybe I should get updates on more of the boats I saw there. I was invited to be there in August 2020 for a wedding, but like so many things . . . that’s not happening.
All photos, WVD.
I’m not disparaging, but my first thought was “just another” Vane tug heading across the bow, until
we passed and I noticed it was Charleston, which I believe is Vane’s newest tug in the sixth boro.
The new “ubiquitous” vessels on the sixth boro waterways move containerized trash. Pathfinder is one of the tugboats assigned to this duty. Covanta first got the contract for this business in 2013, and my first knowledge of these barges was here.
Two different generations of McAllister tugboats headed out recently, Capt. Brian A. and
Ellen. Launched a half century apart and having a difference of almost 3000 hp, they are both working daily assisting ships in the harbor.
Janet D is a mere five years old and works in marine construction, working for the aptly named Construction and Marine Equipment Co.
Franklin Reinauer was built and christened by that name in 1984.
It appears to me here that Linda L. Miller, the truckable tug, is the prime mover, pushing Catherine C. Miller. Click to enlarge the photo and you’ll see a handsome spread of Manhattan architecture, sans the peaks.
And let’s conclude with Mister Jim, who back in 2016 did not have the gray/red livery.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who missed the return of Atlantic Enterprise this morning, back from the work in Georgia.
Maybe you saw this in yesterday’s post and wondered why I hadn’t commented. Dorothy Ann and Pathfinder have appeared on this blog before.
Soon after I got these photos, they departed to Cleveland to discharge a load–as I understand it– that
had been in the hold since last year. Ice had moved in so quickly that the unit was prevented from offloading. I don’t know how much ore (?) was in the barge; her capacity is 21,260 tons.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
What?!@#!! See the end of this post.
For the past few years now, NYC municipal trash has traveled by barge and train to landfills in several states. Captain D here is pushing this barge with containerized trash from a transfer point in Queens to a rail loading facility in Staten Island. Click here for animated explanation of trash movement overseen by DSNY.
As I understand it, the green containers are covered by a Waste Management contract, whereas the black ones, the older slightly contract, by Covanta.
One constant in the harbor has long been the Staten Island ferry; the new “constant” is these trash containers.
As a resident of NYC now for almost two decades, I have to say that for all the population density and numbers, NYC’s five terrestrial boros are relatively “tidy.”
You just can’t do what we did in my youth . . . set up a burn barrel at the hedgerow end of the farthest field and stoke it once a week.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who got photos of the new DSNY container cranes moving to the SW Brooklyn transfer station here.
And the first photo was taken from the mouth of the Bronx River, where the trash barge lined up with the Arthur Ash Stadium with a LaGuardia runway in between. Captain D was coming out of Flushing Bay.
tugster: a waterblog 
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