The steamship thread and picture of Rotterdam surrounded by diesel tugs got me thinking about the fleets of high-funneled steam tugs with great names like EXCELSIOR that vastly outnumbered the passenger liners and worked every railroad car ferry dock and port in this country for a century.

Thge last Ocean Steamship (Central of Georgia) steam tug was converted to diesel and sank off the coast of Joisey in the 1970's (I think).

New York Central had a huge fleet which was the prototypical steam tug we all carry in our consciousness when we think of the word TUGBOAT - fender covered tough little characters which were mostly boiler and triple expansion engine in a little stable wooden hull.

These and the tramp steamers were maritime history. How many of these were preserved?

dave

Dave,

A few have been preserved, and lots are rotting in Witte's Equipment Yard. NYC Tugboat #16 is the only one to escape from Witte's; it was cut at the waterline and placed on display at Shaw's Restaurant, Buzzards Bay, MA next to it's steam engine.

There is also the Catawissa (PRR-Reading) undergoing restoration at North River Tugboat Museum, Kingston, NY.

A surprising number of car ferries from the SP operations on west coast survive in one form or another. Also on the west coast, former 1899-built Oregon RR & Navigation Co. ARTHUR FOSS is at the Maritime Heritage Center, 1002 Valley Street, Seattle, WA. It too, is a diesel conversion. At Ted Mile's museum is WP (the Red Stack Fleet) tug "Hercules", still operational with her triple-expansion engine.

BTW, if you have not visited Shaun O'Boyle's photo essay on the Witte's yard (link below) in the past year or so, you should revisit it. He has added quite a few more photographs; some of them quite recent color photographs. I have been corresponding with a couple of individuals who have confirmed that many of the steamships are still mired in Witte's yard; but have grown quite derelict. He also now offers a book of his pictures of Witte's yard.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

the elephants graveyard

james1@pernet.net

This is copied from another forum

Just wanted to let everyone here know about my site, www.tug13.com, where I am documenting my restoration of New York Central Tug #13. She was days away from becoming an artificial reef off the coast of NJ.

I would be interested in any help your group could provide with information, photos, blueprints, etc. in regards to #13. Can anyone tell me how many NY Central tugs are still afloat?

Thanks and I look forward to the forum!

Capt. Eric Fischer
email: NYCentral13@aol.com
web: www.tug13.com



lamontdc@adelphia.net

I work for Newport News Shipbuilding, in VA, and years ago, they managed to find their hull number one, a tug boat named the DOROTHY. The company acquired the tug, cosmetically restored her, and she is now on display in front of a company office building, wearing the colors of the NYP&N RR.

NFDRwy@Cox.net

As James points out; the San Francisco Maritime National Park is preserving the Hercules of 1907 an ocean going steam tug that had a second career as a Western Pacific harbor tug.

Just the other day we found a significant artifact in one of our plans collections. It is the only known original drawing of the tug. Long overlooked because it only shows her yard number. It is an inboard profile which a lot of data that we have not seen before! Mast heights, room layouts, size of Pilot house etc. Great Stuff!

Ted Miles

ted_miles@nps.gov

> I work for Newport News Shipbuilding, in VA,
> and years ago, they managed to find their
> hull number one, a tug boat named the
> DOROTHY. The company acquired the tug,
> cosmetically restored her, and she is now on
> display in front of a company office
> building, wearing the colors of the
> NYP&N RR.

Newport News Shipbuilding has a railroad connection. It was started by Collis P. Huntington of Central Pacific/Southern Pacific and C&O fame. After the consturction DOROTHY and a sister, the next ships built were for Huntington's Pacific Improvement Company. After Collis Huntington's death in 1900 control of the shipyard passed to Henry E. Huntington and at his death in 1927 to Archer Huntington (Collis's illegitimate and adopted son) who then sold it to other investors in 1940.

The shipyard in 1933 built a new tug for itself which was named HUNTINGTON.

Brian Norden

bnorden49@earthlink.net

> The shipyard in 1933 built a new tug for
> itself which was named HUNTINGTON.

The HUNTINGTON was retired by NNS several years ago, and now sits across the harbor at Wiloby Spit in the Norfolk area, as a floating tug boat museuem. It has been repainted red, and is visible from Eastbound I-64, at the marina.

Russell Underwood

NFDRwy@Cox.net

The tug discussion has led me to pull out my book on NNS, which shows that the majotity of the tugs built there were for railroads.

Even thought the Dorothy (Hull 1) is lettered for NYP&N RR, the book shows it was delivered to James Sheffield on 330APR1891. Other Newport News built RR tugs are as follows:

Hull 30 EL AMIGO launched 6/24/1899, delivered 9/9/1899 to the Southern Pacific RR.

Hull 83 CORNING launched 1/18/08, delivered 3/18/08 to the DL&W RR Co.

Hull 84 BATH launched 1/18/08, delivered 4/9/08 to the DL&W RR Co.

Hull 294 PRR No. 18 launched 10/31/25, delivered 11/11/25 to the PRR.

Hull 295 PRR No. 26 launched 10/31/25, delivered 11/19/25 to the PRR.

Hull 313 PRR No. 15 launched 5/20/26, delivered 5/30/26 to the PRR.

Hull 314 PRR No.20 launched 5/20/26, delivered 5/30/26 t0 the PRR.

Hull 327 W.J. Harahan launched 3/31/28, delivered 4/26/28 to the C&O Ry.

Hull 365 GEORGE W. STEVENS launched 9/8/37, delivered 10/14/37 to the C&O Ry.

Hull 366 F.M. Whitaker launched 9/8/37, delivered 10/29/37 to the C&O Ry.

Hull 467 R.J. BOWMAN launched 2/26/48, delivered 7/2/48 to the C&O Ry.

Hull 468 A.T. LOWMASTER launched 2/26/48, delivered 6/25/48 to the C&O Ry.

The HUNTINGTON was Hull 356, and shows as launched on 10/11/31, and delivered 11/18/33 to NNS&DDCo.



NFDRwy@Cox.net