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I really enjoy putting together this monthly feature, opening the archives from a decade back to see what I did and saw. I just happened to walk past South Street Seaport that morning and caught Lettie G. Howard returning from repairs in Maine. See more from the set here. She turned 130 in the Great Lakes this year.
The 1977 McAllister Sisters continues to carry that only name she’s ever had. Two changes, though, are she’s lost the upper wheelhouse and she’s moved to Baltimore.
It’s the time of year for clamming in the sixth boro. I’ve not seen Dutch Girl yet this year, although I believe I spotted Eastern Welder . . . the nearer boat.
The 1997 Ever Decent was scrapped in Alang in 2020; the 2012 Evening Star has become Jordan Rose and continues to operate through the sixth boro.
This Mount Saline in Port Newark has been replenished several times, and its granules may have kept you safely on the road.
The 1963 Crow, high in the water here, would never again move on its own power and was scrapped in 2015.
These two Thornton boats–Gage Paul and Bros— are gone as well, one scrapped and one growing into undersea habitat deep in a Caribbean trench and will likely never be seen again.
The 1951 Twin Tube here squeezes in between the pier and Balder as Balder discharges more Chilean salt. More on the surprising contents of Balder‘s belly here. She may now be laid up as Ventura in West Africa. Check out the harbor supply boat on her mission that day here. Twin Tube continues to operate in the boro.
I don’t know what has become of the 1954 Ticonderoga; she may still be behind Prall’s Island.
I don’t have any updates on this government boat, said to date from 1929.
The 1966 Patrick Sky has long left the boro. Summit Europe is now Myra and is anchored near Istanbul. Indeed, the sixth boro is connected to the rest of the watery parts of the planet.
If you want to breeze back through the entire month, click here. And I do hope you enjoy these glances in the rearview as much as I do.
Happy December.
Does equipment ever change in the sixth boro? Of course.
Thornton Bros, the 1958 Matton Shipyard product, was scrapped in 2014.
The 1971 Maria J is now Nicholas Vinik.
USACE Hudson, the sweetest Corps boat I’ve ever seen, got transformed into a fish house in 2019. Advance Victoria, 2006, is now Kition M, anchored in the Persian/Arabian Gulf.
The 2002 Labrador Sea is now Vane’s Brooklyn.
The 1944 Gage Paul inadvertently became a very deep fish house in 2015.
The 2002 Gramma Lee T is now in Norfolk.
Does the US Navy still have airships? If ever I have the chance to ride in one of these, I’ll take it in a heartbeat!
Bruce A brought in the 1970 Crowley Mars and
Michael J brought in the 1975 Crowley Pioneer; both Crowley’s were shipped off to Africa later in 2012. The 1971 Michael J. was scrapped late in 2021. Christine was working for Reinauer.
The massive 1970 Penn No. 6 is now the massive Vinik No. 6.
The 1972 Catherine Turecamo is now on the Great Lakes as John Marshall.
Do you still want to tell me nothing ever changes in the sixth boro?
All photos taken by WVD during the first SIX days of 2012.
These photos I took back in September 2011.
This boat became Bouchard Boys and is now in Red Hook waiting to be repainted as Stasinos Boys. She’s 100′ x 31′ and 3900 hp.
North Sea has had many owners; currently she’s Sause Brothers North Sea out of Portland OR. She’s 120′ x 34′ vessel with 4200 hp moving her.
Growler used to be one of my favorites during the years I went to the Hudson River tugboat races. She’s changed hands several times recently and last I saw her she was in the Arthur Kill. She’s a 1962 Jacksonville-built WYTL, as the others, 64′ x 19′ powered by a 300 single Cat D-375 V8, or once was.
How about another shot of another attempt . . . with Maurania III and Ross Sea looking on.
Since coming off the ways in 1979, Miriam Moran has worked in the sixth boro of New York under that name. From my outsider’s perspective, she has paid off handsomely. At 99′ x 32′ and with 3000 hp, she has just assisted Seabourn Sojourn into the passenger terminal.
Sassafras then was three years old; she’s since been sold out of the Vane fleet and now wears colors of Norfolk Tug as George Holland, at 90′ x 32′ and 3000 hp.
Thornton Bros. here was just a few years away from the scrapper; she began life as John E. Matton at the shipyard in Cohoes in 1958. Her long run is profiled in a tugster post here. The “shipyard” link is a couple hours’ good history reading, including a surprise about a well-known naval architect who once worked for Matton.
As part of the 10-year commemoration of 9/11, USS New York came back to the sixth boro after having made her inaugural visit here two years before. The yellow/brown water reveals the aftermath of Hurricane Irene that gorged all the streams upriver. USS New York has a FB page here. Escorting her here is Ellen McAllister.
Yacht Black Knight made an appearance passing the tip of Manhattan while passing from the Sound to the North River in mid-month after theb hurricane. She’s a 1968 product of Goudy & Stevens, an East Boothbay ME yard that has done a wide variety of vessels.
I’ve got a few dozen pics from this month in the archives, but let’s call this the end of this post; all photos, WVD.
I did a post about a scrapping before . . in early 2007 here. Warning: Disturbing images follow. This post focuses on a tug built in Matton Shipyard,
one of four tugboats that were originally christened John E. Matton, not the one below.
It could get confusing, but vessels were launched as John E. Matton in 1939 (which seems to be this one and still afloat as Atlantic 7 although I’ve not found a photo), in 1945, in 1958, and in 1964.
Below are photos of the 1958 John E. Matton. The first one is from 2007, when it was known as Thornton Bros.
It changed names–and colors–after 2007, and that’s confusing too,
but by 2012 it again was Thornton Bros.
But earlier this year, time had run out, and I got some pics as it awaited the scrapper.
The following photos–taken while I was up on the canal–come compliments of Gerard Thornton, to whom I am grateful.
As I look at these, I’m eager to get into canal related archives to see what photos exist of the area around the Matton yard in the 1940s and 1950s.
And might there be photos of steel sheet and rod transported by canal from the Great Lakes steel plants to the Matton yard?
Again, thanks to Gerard Thornton for the last four photos. All others by Will Van Dorp.
By the way, the John E. Matton (1964) became one of the vessels named Helen J. Turecamo and sank in 1988. Does anyone know details about that sinking beyond 1988 and that it happened near Norfolk and involved a submarine? I get nothing from googling.
Going, going . . .
working . . .
standing by,
heading to the next job,
waiting,
traveling to the next job,
looking good in green . . .
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who . . . yeah . . . was running out of text today.
Non-random . . . because well . . . they’re not.
Sabine, for example, I’d never seen before taking these.
. . here escorting in Zim Texas.
Ditto Ironhead, which has to be one of my favorite names.
I don’t know much else about this boat.
And this one, Thornton Bros . . . this may be the last photo I post of her intact, as this Matton boat mutely awaits the reaper.
Oh the stories others could tell of her. Here and here are previous photos of this fine old boat.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
Here was the first in this series. And from this morning, what spring cleaning and repainting is this
being done with such high spirits?
Here’s the former Roger Williams getting a springtime makeover.
To me . . it looks like an Edward Hopper green . . .
Click here for the transitioning tugboat now Eric R. Thornton in ruby light a few weeks ago.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
OK, here’s tomorrow’s post today . . . Wednesday’s news coming on Tuesday. The snow happened today, so let’s see it today.
Here was 3. And another snowy post. The first three fotos here come compliments of Brian DeForest. Here, hanging on the wall are Hunting Creek and Coastline Bay Star.
Davis Sea–I believe–is practically invisible to the naked eye. Here was Davis Sea as a K-Sea vessel almost four years ago.
Scotty Sky passing alongside the aptly named Alpine Loyalty.
Brooklyn at the #9 buoy.
And Hoechst Express inbound from sea.
By late morning, the snow was slowing down in the sixth boro, here on the landside of Gage Paul Thornton and Thornton Bros.
Many thanks to Brian DeForest for the top three fotos; the others by Will Van Dorp.
Snow is snow and not the same is ice, but cold weather makes me want to keep a watch on this site for the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club, which always has the news on iceboating in the Hudson Valley.
Random . . . all fotos taken in the past week, and . . . let’s start with a tugboat that’s NOT mostly painted white, the 1958 Thornton Bros. This foto, courtesy of William Hyman, also shows the color of foliage on the New Jersey bluff across from upper midtown.
2000 Brooklyn, which also has had a long list of previous names.
1979 Margaret Moran
2002 Gramma Lee T Moran
1974 BF Jersey
1966 Gulf Dawn
1979 Patrick J Hunt
And some fotos of vessels operating by night. .. 1983 Escort
1969 Robert E McAllister
1976 Atlantic Salvor. Notice the tallest building in the distance . . . that’s WTC1. Eleven months ago, I took these fotos of Salvor steaming int the sixth boro with segments of the antenna that are now assembled and in place atop the tower.
And once again, the green 1958 tug that started out this post.
Thanks to William for the first foto; all others by Will Van Dorp.
Wow! It’s been over three years since I last used this title. Here’s S 15.
A few hours this morning evoked the sense of the sixth boro as a place for the likes of Harbour First and Charles D. McAllister, larger vessels from larger organizations,
as well as
others . . like Thornton Bros. Guess which of the five smaller tugs here is the oldest?
Or Maria J,
John P. Brown,
Gage Paul Thornton, here beside the resplendent Maria T barge,
0r Iron Mike?
How about another look at each . . . . Thornton Bros,
Maria J,
John P. Brown,
Gage Paul Thornton, with the beautiful stained wood door,
Iron Mike,
or . . . to throw in another,
Durham? That’s John P. once again in the distance passing the globe-trotting, Suez-transiting Advance Victoria . . . .
And you were right if you guessed Gage Paul Thornton, ex-Coastline Girls, launched 1943. Launch dates for the others, to the best of my info, are as follows: John P Brown 2002, Iron Mike 1977, Maria J 1971, Durham 1964, and Thornton Bros 1958.
On the southern end of Arthur Kill lie in barely perceptible disintegration two tugboats launched one year later than Gage Paul Thornton . . . namely ATR-89 and LT-653.
Unrelated: It looks like I’ll not be able to salvage Ryou-Un Maru . . . .
tugster: a waterblog 
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