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What made this stand out was the mostly horizontal member quite high off the water. So I started snapping.
I’d noticed a few days back that Pelham had headed unusually far east in the Sound, and had run
sometimes tandem with Captain Willie Landers. So this must be the tow.
Any guesses?
Names are always a clue.
McInnis is a name that has appeared on this blog previously. Here’s their network; in that link, click on the map enlarger. Below that, Van Aalst is another clue, given what they do. So if you looked up both links in this paragraph, you can identify what this is.
Put them altogether, and you’ve solved this whatzit puzzle: it’s a dry bulk ship unloader built for McInnis.
Where it is headed and why . . .
now I’ve no clue. A decade ago, I saw an antique specialized barge like this on the Maas (or Meuse) River; the barge was named “graanzuiger no. 19,” which is pretty explicit Dutch for what it was designed to do: graanzuiger translates literally as “grain sucker.” This barge Resolute might be called a cementzuiger. A similar vessel called a floating grain elevator incorporating some of the same principles used to be quite common in the sixth boro, back when our watery boro was a major grain transshipment point.
All photos, WVD.
I’ve mentioned before here that I used to freshwater fish, a lot. Canoe fishing at daybreak was the best, although there were days when nothing seemed alive in places where other days the waters fizzed with life and I could have several meals of fish in the boat before most people were awake. The same could be said about sitting in certain places along the sixth boro. This happened the other morning. First Pelham left the dock.
Just east of the salt pile she passed Treasure Coast, which was just more than stemming at two or so knots.
After pirouetting for a while just off Atlas Yacht Club, she spun back eastward and I thought she was going to refuel. Adjacent to Treasure Coast are ATBs Galveston and Ruth M. Reinauer. I was introduced to US Shipping back in 2008 with their ITB Philadelphia here, here, and here.
And we’ll pick things up there tomorrow.
All photos, WVD.
Related: File this under the “I heard that but didn’t process it at the time” heading: US Shipping Corp was acquired by Seacor almost a year ago. Seacor is quite the diverse shipping company. I recall last late summer was busy, and I didn’t come to understand that fact until now. US Shipping has maintained their white/red/green livery.
Tangentially related: Want to see a tugboat “constructed” in a 10-minute video? Check out this video from Ocean Groupe from Canada.
Clearly unrelated but FUN: Check out this live-eel barge . . . it transports live eels! Thx, Phil.
They say the devil is in the details, but so are the delights. I often take photos without knowing what delightful details I will uncover. Like the photo below . . . what caught my attention was that it was the first ketch I’d seen in the boro in 2022.
When I looked closer, I saw it flew a French flag. Unfortunately, I can’t make out the vessel name below; maybe you can.
Lion’s Paw looks to be a non-winter boat as well.
Aluminum hull and red flag caught me here, and no, I don’t mean the tugboat, which is obviously Frances.
Is this “flag” called a “red duster”?
I saw the name on AIS, but have forgotten it; it started with an A and had an X, I recall. I do know that it’s a Boreal 47 though.
And on this gusty day last week, she appeared to share the wind with a local sail school boat, I believe.
I’d taken the next photos earlier and couldn’t quite figure out why the tug–clearly Pelham–-and the party boat were so close together. My first thought was that Pelham was towing a party boat that had possibly broken down. However, there was no tow line.
Later I thought these folks clustered on the bow of the party boat hardly looked like they were going fishing!
Have you figured it out?
Look closely at Pelham.
Nope! That does not say Pelham. I imagine I’m a good reader, given how much of it I do, but because I recognized the profile as that of Pelham, I never bothered to read the name boards, which clearly say . . . Katrina. It took me two and a half weeks to notice that. OK, I know that spring gives everyone giddiness, but let’s settle down here. My conclusion now is that Sound Bound Star was the camera crew boat and Pelham/Katrina, the talent. Anyone know the project, the movie?
All photos, WVD, who’s likely to get even more giddy along with the rising temperatures.
We alternate back to Albert Gayer (1897-1976) tomorrow, but to maintain connection with the contemporary sixth boro, especially in the cold, crisp January light, enjoy these five varied boats from this past week. Name the one below?
Pelham, of course. The mighty Pelham was launched in 1960, loa is 80.4′, and has 3000 hp.
Who was rotating Marjorie K?
On the bow was Miriam Moran, 1979, 99′ loa, and also 3000 hp.
Name that boat?
Harry Mcneal is a busy boat launched in 1965, 53.3 loa, and 800 hp.
Which boat is this crewman on the bow of?
It’s the robust Rae, launched 1952, 46′ loa, and packing 450 hp.
And this one?
It’s the unmistakable Charles James, which started as a GLDD tug in 1985, 77′ loa, and 2400 hp.
All photos and any errors, WVD; numbers from tugboatinformation.com
More Albert Gayer tomorrow.
A quick post today, since I’ll spend most of the day without computer, signal, or free time. The varied and unsettled weather of the recent weeks is evident here as well, the diverse days of summer.
Here are some of the usual workhorses or work oxen of the port.
Brendan Turecamo,
Normandy, and
Evening Breeze and a couple Bouchard barges. There must be a shortage of locations to stack the idle Bouchard fleet, still in limbo no matter what engrossing negotiation is happening behind closed doors in advance of July 23, according to this article.
Continuing with this threat, there’s Normandy and Pelham,
Fells Point,
Justine McAllister,
Marjorie McAllister with Bulkmaster,
Sea Lion and a sailboat under sail,
Brendan Turecamo
Kirby Moran and Miriam Moran,
Miriam and a fishing skiff,
and Kirby, James D., and Miriam, all Moran, and all following an incoming ship.
More soon . . . WVD.
Evening twilight rarely finds me at the KVK. I should go there more often.

That’s the 1960 Pelham, originally launched as Esso Pelham.

For a 60 year old machine, she still looks good.

Back before the Esso name was phased out in 1972, she must have been a formidable tugboat.


All photos, WVD.
Let’s do the numbers again. No, Pelham is NOT becoming a tugantine in the tradition of Norfolk Rebel. Seeing Pelham out of the water really reveals a beauty I hadn’t noticed before.
OK, numbers, built in 1960 and rated at 3000 hp.
Atlantic Coast, 2007 and 3000hp.
Genesis Vision, 1981 and 3000hp.
Margaret Moran, 1979 and 3000hp.
(l to r) Fort Schuyler 2015 and 3000hp, Patuxent 2008 and 4200, and Kings Point 2014 and 3000.
Note the difference in “neck” length leading to the upper wheelhouse; that hints at the difference in engines.
Resolve, 2007 and 9280hp.
Brownsville, 2008 and 12,000hp.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who is playing in the Great Lakes by this time.
Recognize the tugboat below? Answer follows.
David McAllister, photo from 2013, has recently changed hands and is currently undergoing “re-power and life extension” as Tradewinds Towing Hannah.
Draco, photo below taken in 2007, shows the vessel that began life in 1951 as Esso Tug No. 12. I caught her in the sixth boro as Co here (scroll) back in 2009.
Pleon, built in 1953, has appeared on this blog several times recently.
Canal Deluge, shown here in Fournier Towing and Ship Services colors, has since been sold to Trinidad, where she is (somewhat appropriately) know as Boston Lady.
And finally, originally a steam tug built in the mid-1920s to assist ships and break ice on the Delaware river, the 125′ John Wanamaker claimed the title of the last steam tug operating commercially in the US, but after several stints as a restaurant boat, she was cut up in New Bedford sometime around 2007. Anyone have photos of her last days or her last decades as a restaurant in at least three different New England locations? For a great story about her–and many other boats– read Jim Sharp’s With Reckless Abandon. It seems that Jim has owned at least half the historic vessels on the East coast at one time or other. His Sail, Power, & Steam Museum will reopen in the spring.
Again, thanks to JG, these photos from the near but irretrievable past.
Oh, and that mystery tug at the top, she’s of course Pelham, seen in this post (scroll) and many others here.
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