East River Catch Up 1

Tugster is on an extended trip, so the robots have scheduled these posts.  Later in May, I will get back to Barge Canal-era photos from the Canal Society.  I’ve taken a break from that series to “catch up.” 

Next I’ll alternate in posts using photos thanks to Pete Ludlow, whose aerie high above the East River just “west” of Hell Gate places him in a unique location to get good photos of traffic through there, and he has certainly captured some winners, photos and evolutions I’ve not seen from my preferred places.

Here Jay Michael tows a dead ship Sea Hunter to be scrapped farther downeast.

 

Some years ago I caught Sea Hunter in port of Boston, when she looked bad but surely not this bad. 

Sea Hunter was once the platform for a treasure hunter, but as so often happens, certain treasure becomes just out of reach, if they ever existed at all. 

Another unusual tow, this one westbound, is Ivory Coast towing

GDM 264, a barge-mounted cement unloader.

 

Many thanks to Pete for sharing these scenes not previously seen on tugster.

Port of Boston 2

The name on the bow of the vessel to the left says “Boston Pilot,” but that’s just a name.  The real Boston Pilot Boats are shown in this short youtube video. See more stills here.

MV Fintry was originally built for the British Royal Navy.  Since then, she has undergone conversion to an expedition yacht, as seen here.   Click here to see the boats not chosen for this project.

Harbor Fuels delivers fuel around the harbor with a barge pushed by a tug with a great name, Bumper.

Now here’s an interesting story, a boat developed by a treasure hunter, who seems to be in a sea of trouble, as described by this article. 

 

This is the sub that was to be used to salvage over $1 billion worth of platinum from SS Port Nicholson, if that cargo was actually on board. Sub Sea Research still has a website, here.

Face-off . . . well actually Justice is assisting WMEC 903 Harriet Lane out of port.  That’s the Bunker Hill monument in the distance.  Justice is a Tacoma-built 5400 hp tug.

Does anyone know whether Justice traveled to the East Coast under her own power?

Here’s the USCG history of the name Harriet Lane.  Ms. Lane was a US First Lady who was NOT married to POTUS.  If you want more info, click here.

 

Freedom is a Justice‘s slightly smaller 4400 hp cousin.  Freedom and her twin–Liberty–were both launched by Washburn & Doughty in the first half of 2003.   For photos of Liberty at work back in 2009, click here and here.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.