Historic Steam Tugs and Towboats Surviving in the U.S. and Canada: A Partial List By Ted Miles and Norman Brouwer The first successful steamboat was a tug , put in service on a Scottish canal a little before Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat began carrying passengers on the Hudson River. Steam 's first opportunity, early in the last century, was in confined waters where the sailing ships that carried the world's commerce could not operate at full efficiency; and from early on, steam was used to assist sailing ships in and out of rivers and harbors. This auxiliary function grew in importance as sailing ships grew bigger, from about 100 tons for the average ocean trader in 1800, to around 400 tons in 1825, to 1,000 (and sometimes much more) by 1850. While putting together these lists we were often surprised at the variety of craft we encountered - and by their longevity! Who would have thought a boat from 1874 would still be in service! Museums have preserved some good examples, most added in the last decade. But if you look on a nearby water you might see a boat just as old or just as unusual as any in a museum collection. Readers are invited to let us know of any classic towing craft they come across, which might be of interest. We shall be having more to report on tugs and towboats in a future issue, and on the historic continuities of tugboating in our time.
Steam, Still Active Edna G. Built 1896 at C leveland, Ohio. Home port is Two Harbors, Minnesota. Owner, Duluth Missable Iron Range Railroad Co. Portland Sternwheel towboat, built 1947 at Portland , Oregon. Home port Portland, Oregon. Owner, Port of Portland , Inc. Salutation Built 1904 at Philadelphia. Home port Philadelphia. Owner, Kathryn L. Tucker.
Steam, Preserved in Retirement
A rtl111r Foss Built 1889 at Portland, Orego n. Part of Northwest Seaport fleet at Kirkland , Washington. Clyde B. Holmes Built 1924 at Baltimore . Maryland. Preserved at Camden , Maine. Dorothy Built 1890 at Newport News, Virgin ia . Preserved at Newport News Shipbui lding in Newport News , Virginia. Epp leton Hall Sidewheel Tug, built 1914 at South Shields, England. Maintained in operating condition at San Franc isco Maritime Museum in San Fra ncisco, California. Equator Built 1888 in Benicia, California as schooner. Preserved at Carey Davis Tug & Barge in Seattle, Washington. George W. Verity Sternwheel towboat, built 1927 at Dubuque, Iowa. Preserved at Keokuk River Commission at Keokuk, Iowa. Hercules Built 1907 at Camden, N.J. Preserved at San Francisco Maritime State Park in San Francisco, Cali fornia . Jean Sternwheel towboat, built 1938 at Portland, Oregon. Preserved at Lewis and C lark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. Mathilda Built 1899 at Sorel, Quebec. Preserved at South Street Seaport Museum in dry storage in New York, N.Y. Ned Hanlon Built in 1932. Preserved ahsore at the Maritime Museum of Upper Canada in Toronto, Ontario. Nenana Sternwheel towboat, built 1922 at Nenana, A laska. Preserved at Nenana , A laska. Pegasus Built 1927 at Mariners Harbor, N.Y. Ex-Socony #5. Currently laid up at Nantucket , Mass. Reiss Built 1913 at Cleveland , Ohio. Preserved at Saugatuck Marine Museum in Douglas, Michigan.
W.P. Snyder Sternwheel towboat, bui lt 1918 at Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania. Preserved at Marietta, Ohio.
70 Years and Still Going Strong (Old Steam Tugs Converted to Diesel): Fannie J. Ex-Rebecca, bu ilt 1874 at Camden, NJ. Home port is Portland, Maine. Owner Cranbro Corporation, Inc. Hay-De Ex-New York Central No. JJ, built 1887 at Camden , N.J. Home port is New York , Pier 1 I (East River). Owner, Fred Kosnac. James Battle Built 1900 at Wyandotte, Michigan. Home port is Montre al. John E. McA /lister Ex-Socony No. 16, built 1907 at Baltimore, Maryland. Home port is Philadelphia. Owner, McAllister Towing, Inc. MwJ! D. Hume Built 1881 al Ellenburgh , Oregon. Spent part of her career as a schooner-rigged steam wha ler in the Arctic. Home port is Seattle , Washington. Owner, American Tug Boat Co. Montclair Built 1903 in Camden , N.J. Former Lackawanna Railroad tug in New York Harbor. Home port is Tampa, Florida . Owner, Tampa Bay Towing Co. Oget Wooden hull, built in 1898, only 40 feet long. Home port is Jacksonville, Florida. Progress No. 9 Ex-Cheektowaga, built 1902 at Port Richmond , N.Y. Tank clean ing plant in New York Harbor. Burned and sank recently at Mariners Harbor, N. Y. Raised and laid up at Erie Basin, Brooklyn. Owner, Progress Marine Corporation, NJ. Tankmaster No. 1 Ex-Catawissa, built 1896 at Wilmington , Delaware. Former Reading Co. coastwise tug. Tank clean ing plant in New York Harbor. Owner, Tank Masters, Inc. Thomas A. Moran Ex-New York Central No.
Annie B. Built 1926 at Milford, Delaware. Part of Chandler's Wharf Museum fleet at Wilmington, N.C.
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Rhododendron Stern wheel towboat , built 1918 at Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania. Preserved at Museum in Clinton , Iowa.
21, built 1899 at Newburgh, N.Y. Home port is Port Arthur, Texas. Owner, Moran Towing & Transportation Co., Inc.
Seguin Built 1884 at Bath , Maine. Unde rgoing restoration at Bath Marine Museum in Bath, Maine.
Virginia Ex-El Toro, built 1891 at Newport News, Virginia. Home port is Baltimore, Maryland. Ow ner, Harbor Tow ing, Inc.
SEA HISTORY, SUMMER 1977