Side Tracked

Thursday, March 4, 2021

I know I said that I was going to tackle Chapter Eight but I was drawn to the histories of the tugs. I spent a good deal of time working on filling in my Excel Spreadsheet with data on the tugs that Lenny photographed. In a way, I don’t really see it as me having been side tracked, since part of my idea for Chapter Nine is to include information on where the tugs are now. And I have been learning that. I am remembering that research can actually be fun.

It was intriguing, learning about the different fates of these powerful little (relatively speaking) tugs. While a few sank, a couple of them became part of artificial reefs. A few were “modernized/revamped” as Lenny and Jan had somewhat predicted but only a handful were “scrapped” or “laid up”, as the expression goes. The Moran and McAllister companies seem to have retained some of their tugs and acquired a few others from companies that I’m guessing didn’t survive.

There were some name changes but more tugs that I had thought retained their names, even after changing hands more than once. And one of my favorites, Kraken, was first built back in 1958! And it was not first painted that hornet yellow hue.

I’m exhausted but intrigued by what I learned about the tugs. It looks like Chapter Eight is going to have to wait.