Random Tugs 352

Enjoy this set of photos, taken on a random path across the harbor with the NY Media Boat.  More Gene Chaser soon. 

Ruby M above is the oldster of the set, launched in 1967.  She’s 95′ loa and turns out just under 2000 hp.  Below, Colonel dates from 1978, turns out 3000 hp and is the longest in the set . . . at just about 107′.

 

Sea Lion was launched in 1980, is 65′ loa and powered by 1400 horses.  Below, Margaret Moran (I believe) has been in the sixth boro long before I called it that;  she arrived in 1979 bringing 3000 hp and a loa of just a foot under 100′.

Julie Ann has arrived in the harbor the most recently of this set, just a couple months ago.  She was launched in 2006 and brings 4200 hp packed into 75′.

And finally, Ava M. McAllister is likely the first boat to carry that name.  She was christened in 2018.  She’s a 100′ boat with 6770 hp.

Thanks for Bjoern at NY Media Boat for a tour of the boro.  All photos, WVD.

Newest Hull in the Sixth Boro 10

Here are previous iterations, newest hulls that have become less new hulls. 

Look closely just forward of the ferry and you’ll see a ready-made caption that this ferry is NEW.

I’m also pretty sure this is the first post featuring Dann Ocean’s Colonel.

The ferry departed the shipyard in panhandle Florida only eight days before.  For outatowners, the Staten Island ferry is free, over 200 years old, and was partly owned at one point by Cornelius Vanderbilt.  This new ferry cost just over $100 million;  two more of the class will follow.

Here are more facts about the SI Ferry.

The ferry’s namesake is a Staten Island native who died in Afghanistan almost exactly eight years ago;  for the story of SSG. Michael H. Ollis, click here.

 

The ferry was eased into the docks at Caddell Dry Dock yesterday by Colonel, James E. Brown, and Ruby M.  At Caddell’s, the plywood will be removed from lower windows and the SSG Michael H. Ollis will be prepared for service.

All photos, WVD, who hopes to hop a ride some day soon.

 

Random Tugs 303

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.

Random Tugs 302

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.

Random Tugs 301

We’re past the big 300 and on our way to the 400, maybe.   Nine tugboats appear in this post.  Can you arrange them greatest to least in horsepower?  Longest to shortest?  To make it easier, you can rank them in top group of three to bottom group.

Ruby M eastbound one early morning,

 

Sarah D entering,

Sarah Ann with a flotilla of crane barges,

James E Brown going to work,

Larry J Hebert and the the dredging operation near MOTBY,

Mister Jim departing the Kills by the Back Channel,

John Joseph entering the Kills,

William Brewster heading for the fuel dock,

and finally, East Coast entering the Kills.

She’s generally moving the sugar barge.  Has anyone seen Sea Robin recently?

Ranked in three groups by horsepower, it’s Larry J Hebert (3600), John Joseph (3400), and Sarah Ann (2700).  Next group are Mr Jim, East Coast, and Sarah D. Third group is Ruby M, William Brewster, and James E. Brown (1000).

Ranked in length . . . East Coast (120′), John Joseph, Ruby M.  Sarah D, Larry J Hebert, Sarah Ann.   Mister Jim, James E. , William Brewster (65′)

Info comes from Birk Thomas’s fantastic database.

All photos, WVD.

 

Freeport 2

I took these photos a bit over a week ago, and she’s already most of the way to the Gulf of Mexico.  I know that’s what ocean and coastwise transportation does and how it earns its money, but for some reason I’m still fascinated by this.

Assist was provided by Ruby M.

Chemical Transporter has capacity of 156,000 barrels.

 

The four US Shipping tugs–Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Galveston, and Freeport–are massive:  144′ x 46′ and powered by 12,000hp turning 13′ props . . . .

Can anyone tell me crew size?

All photos, WVD.

Winds of October

Yesterday was a day to hold onto to your hat . . . or tighten the straps.

Ruby M splashed in toward the Kills, where Maersk Vilnius was exiting, but it was the yawl Mah Jong

that appeared to thrive in these conditions, passing Corpus Christi‘s stern.

Meanwhile Caitlin Ann delivered the netted paper to the recyclers.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who stood at a diagonal into the wind while snapping these shots of the sixth boro.

Here–for the most part–are previous winds and windy posts.

Random Tugs 158

As you know, tugboats do all manner of work on the water.  They push train cars, increasingly these years–according to Peter D’Amato— after quite the plummet.

Tugboat here is James E. Brown with barge 278.

Christine M. McAllister is a 6000 hp tug that usually

wired to RTC 502.

Ditto Evelyn Cutler, usually working with Noelle Cutler.

 

Mister Jim here is pushing sand (or aggregate?), and

Gateway’s Navigator is pushing a newly painted GT Coast Trader dredge scow, in the same time/harbor as

 

Balico Marine Service’ Navigator pushes oil.

 

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who offers this bonus below.

 

 

Random Tugs 138

Most if not all of these vessels have appeared here before, but bear with me because a surprise follows.

Gramma Lee T Moran,

Margaret  Moran, 

Brendan Turecamo, 

Ruby M with dredge Glenn Edwards in the distance,

Eric McAllister,

Emerald Coast going head-to-head–not really–with Red Hook,

Paul Andrew eastbound on the East River,

heading in the same direction about the same hour are Catherine Miller and

Susan Miller.  By the way, in the pic above here’s a close-up of that green sculpture almost dead center of the photo.

Ok, now we’re getting to the “different” part.  Note Maryland in December 2008 and

in early April 2015.

Ditto Baltic Sea in August 2009 and –gasp—

last year.  I concur with someone on FB who said it appears she’s been whitewashed with some trim made out of crude oil mixed with pulverized charcoal.  This is sad to see.

And these photos are from an ad that’s now over a year old.  I wonder if they changed hands . . .

Can anyone identify the other tug in the center of the photo below?

All photos except the last three by Will Van Dorp.

Random Tugs 136

Curtis Bay Fells Point built 1956.  Taken 1987.  Click here for Fells Point with more of the fleet.   Scuttled in 2008 at Redbird Reef near the mouth of Delaware Bay.

James Turecamo built 1969 . . . in my first 2015 photo of her.  In the dry dock directly between James and the WTC, it’s MSC Harry L. Martin.

It’s the classic 1965 built Bushey-built Cheyenne. Here she was in Oswego in June 2014 about to head into the Great Lakes, making her a truly anadromous vessel.

Miriam Moran built 1979.

Bruce A. McAllister . . . built in 1974.

Ruby M . . . built in Oyster Bay in 1967.

Robbins Reef . . . 1953

with entourage that may have salvaged the white fiberglass boat on the barge.

And the current Fells Point, Maryland built in 2014.

Photos of both vessels Fell Point come thanks to Allen Baker.  All others by Will Van Dorp.