The Newtown Pentacle

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Archive for the ‘Tugboat’ Category

inaccessible places

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Tugboats, three different ways.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Maritime Sunday once more crashes into port, and this week, its just a few photos and not a lot of talk. Witness the Miriam Moran on the Kill Van Kull.

from tugboatinformation.com

Built in 1979, by McDermott Shipyard of Morgan City, Louisiana (hull #253) as the Miriam Moran for the Moran Towing Company of New York, New York.

She is a twin screw tug rated at 3,000 horsepower.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

McAllister Girls passing by the Staten Island Yankees stadium, heading out into the larger harbor from the KVK.

from mcallistertowing.com

McALLISTER TOWING is one of the oldest and largest family-owned marine towing and transportation companies in the United States. Founded by Captain James McAllister in 1864 with a single sail lighter, the company has served the maritime community continuously, earning a reputation for unsurpassed excellence. Today, the company operates a balanced and extensive fleet of tugs, barges, and ferries in the major ports on the U.S. East Coast and in Puerto Rico. Captain Brian A. McAllister is the President and a great-grandson of the founder, representing the fourth generation of McAllisters at the helm. Five McAllisters of the fifth generation are also employed by the company.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

This tug, named Bear, is a bit of a mystery. It was tiny, by tug standards, not much bigger than a workboat. The usual sources turned up nothing on it, and I don’t recognize the colorway or logo. Oddly, there was no radio call sign number on it that I could see. Anybody know anything about the tug Bear?

from thefreedictionary.com

mys·ter·y 1 (mst-r)

n. pl. mys·ter·ies

  1. One that is not fully understood or that baffles or eludes the understanding; an enigma: How he got in is a mystery.
  2. One whose identity is unknown and who arouses curiosity: The woman in the photograph is a mystery.
  3. A mysterious character or quality: a landscape with mystery and charm.

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Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-

13 Steps around Dutch Kills Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.

Written by Mitch Waxman

August 11, 2013 at 7:30 am

blind alleys

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You never know what might float by.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Recently, while onboard the Staten Island Ferry, I noticed the gargantuan DonJon tug Atlantic Salvor towing an interesting rig. Atlantic Salvor is a 151 foot long “ocean going anchor handling tugboat” whose engines operate at about 6,480 HP. The rig she’s towing is a crane barge, which is called “Newark Bay.”

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The crane barge is being towed in an “on the hip” fashion. This means that the starboard side of the tug is tied off to the port side of the barge at roughly the center mass point of the tug. Your humble narrator has little understanding of why one chooses the various methods of attachment that are available to tug captains, but I’m sure there is some utterly prosaic reason governing the choice.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

What caught my interest wasn’t really the crane barge, a bit of kit we will be seeing a lot of on Newtown Creek in the coming years as the Kosciuszko Bridge rebuild kicks into gear, instead it was the smaller towing vessel (which might be a work boat, just to be nit picky) which was being towed along with the crane.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The vast majority of towing observed in the harbor is fuel, garbage, or cargo related. You’ll notice the occasional crane or dredge barge, of course, but they are witnessed with far less frequency. Atlantic Salvor was built in 1977 and is operated by DonJon towing.

“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle

Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-

Kill Van Kull Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.

13 Steps around Dutch Kills Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.

Written by Mitch Waxman

July 23, 2013 at 7:00 am

definite utterance

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Maritime Sunday bobs to the surface.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Joan Turecamo, IMO number 7902025, is a 392 ton Tug which was built in 1981 at the Matton Shipyard in Cohoes, NY. She’s owned and operated by the Moran Company, and was recently spotted while onboard a Working Harbor Committee “Beyond Sandy” tour. In the background is the ill fated Bayonne Bridge spanning the Kill Van Kull, a structure whom modernity has labeled “an impediment to navigation.” Maritime Sunday shout outs to the Moran tug and her crew.

“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle

Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-

Kill Van Kull Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.

13 Steps around Dutch Kills Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.

Written by Mitch Waxman

July 21, 2013 at 11:27 am

silent tongue

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Maritime Sunday floats in with today’s tide.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The Evening Mist tug, owned by the redoubtable Bouchard company, motoring its way down the East River and past the iconic and abandoned Domino Sugar Plant. Just a short one today, carrying a heartfelt shout out to the cast and crew of the Evening Mist.

“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle

Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-

Kill Van Kull Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.

13 Steps around Dutch Kills Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.

Written by Mitch Waxman

July 14, 2013 at 11:00 am

moment grows

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Maritime Sunday once more washes ashore.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

A short post today, with a single shot depicting the Franklin Reinauer and Dace Reinauer tugs in port at Erie Basin in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Even tugs deserve a day off now and then, lords and ladies, especially on a holiday weekend’s Maritime Sunday.

Want to see something cool? Upcoming Walking Tours

Modern Corridor Saturday, July 13, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets now on sale.

Kill Van Kull Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.

13 Steps around Dutch Kills Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.