When Western Towboat of Seattle started building its first Titan ASD long-haul tug at their base on the Seattle Ship Canal in 1995, owners Ric and Bob Shrewsbury were simply responding to the growth of barge service to SE Alaska. They could hardly have imagined that this demand for more powerful tugs would continue unabated… Continue reading 2015: Western Towboat Builds Seventh Titan-Class Tug
Category: Commercial craft
2015: Coastal Transportation Sets a New STANDARD
Coastal Transportation Pioneers TTS sideport loading system in USA After more than 30 years of weekly liner service to Western Alaska with a fleet of five or six small fish tender vessels specifically designed for service between Seattle and the ports of Western Alaska, Coastal Transportation’s president Peter Strong decided that the time was right… Continue reading 2015: Coastal Transportation Sets a New STANDARD
An Introduction to Collecting Early Tools
An Assignment for the National Fisherman Yearbook in 1989 “If I only had the right tool for the job”- this is often the do-it-yourselfer’s lament. When you have áll the tools you need, another problem may threaten your workspace – where to put them all! If you have ever found your tool collection expanding beyond… Continue reading An Introduction to Collecting Early Tools
The Salvage Chief-Still Going Strong at 70
When an empty fuel barge went on the rocks of North Head last month, the US Coast Guard and Washington State Department of Ecology were in charge of a salvage effort led by Sause Brothers (owners of the barge) and Foss Maritime (owners of the tug). They in turn called in two oil-spill response organizations… Continue reading The Salvage Chief-Still Going Strong at 70
2015: Fremont Tug’ 100 Years Service on Lake Union
1915 was a big year on Lake Union. The Lake Washington Ship Canal and the Chittenden Locks were about to connect the lakes and northern Seattle with Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. Activity on and around the lake had increased in anticipation of the opening of the waterway: the Fishermen’s Terminal was open for… Continue reading 2015: Fremont Tug’ 100 Years Service on Lake Union
2014: “Work is Our Joy” at the Hanthorn Cannery Museum
The Story Of The Columbia River Gillnetter The Columbia River salmon is in trouble, and it’s going to be a long struggle to save any of the remaining runs from extinction. Nowhere is the pinch felt more than in Astoria where many families have fished the river for generations. Visitors here are met by a… Continue reading 2014: “Work is Our Joy” at the Hanthorn Cannery Museum
2011: Black Ball’s Port Angeles-Victoria Ferry Coho Turns 50
In 55 Years, MV Coho Has “Never Missed a Day!” As I write this, it’s May and the boating season is well under way in the Pacific Northwest. For the most active sailboat racers, that means they are preparing for the Swiftsure Race—the biggest event in the yachting calendar. Planning began early in the year,… Continue reading 2011: Black Ball’s Port Angeles-Victoria Ferry Coho Turns 50
A Sailor’s Guide to R.V. Atlantis and “Inner Space”
Last year I had the opportunity to tour the 274′ R.V. (research vessel) Atlantis and its famous submersible Alvin while it was docked in Astoria. Alvin is probably the best known craft of its type in the world, having appeared in numerous TV programs making ground-breaking discoveries—several of them off the Washington coast. Peering down… Continue reading A Sailor’s Guide to R.V. Atlantis and “Inner Space”
Built in 1947, Portland’s Sternwheel Tug Steamed into the 21st Century but Ran onto the Rocks in the Pandemic!
The sternwheel steamboat was an everyday sight on the Portland, Oregon, waterfront until the 1920s. And although those ferryboats disappeared long ago, steam power lived on until 1981 in the shape of the port-owned, “ship-assist sternwheeler” Portland. A group of volunteers formed the Oregon Maritime Center Museum and took on the preservation of this remarkable… Continue reading Built in 1947, Portland’s Sternwheel Tug Steamed into the 21st Century but Ran onto the Rocks in the Pandemic!
2014 – Hyak’s 120′ Titan Tugs Set New Standard for Offshore Towing
In August 2013, the JT Marine Inc shipyard in Vancouver, Washington delivered the MV Hawaii, the first of a pair of 120-ft ocean-going azimuthing stern-drive (ASD) tugs designed by Jensen Maritime, Seattle naval architects, for Hyak Maritime LLC. The tugs are based on the Titan-class ASD tugs developed by Jensen and Western Towboat, the Seattle-based… Continue reading 2014 – Hyak’s 120′ Titan Tugs Set New Standard for Offshore Towing