An Ordinary Guy, An Extraordinary Tale

I had no idea of the scope of towing operations in New York. All kinds of non-descript vessels had to be towed. I got to be familiar with coffee barges that were off loaded from South America that had to be towed to processing plants in Jersey City or Hoboken. Derricks, cranes, and lighters had to be maneuvered alongside ships that were docked at the Manhattan and Brooklyn piers. We moved deck scows for piping and building materiel, copper barges to and from the smelter, oil barges, sand scows, trap rock barges from the quarries upstate, railroad car floats to transit freight cars across the North River, and, of course, the ubiquitous scrap iron scows that transported scrap metal and rusted engine blocks bound for recycling in the Orient. Each of these units required knowledge of the best way to make-up (tie-up) the tug to the barge to be towed. Hundreds of docks and terminal facilities had to be learned. I had to learn the handling characteristics of various units in order to assist the man in the pilot house get under weigh or land tows when his visibility was restricted. I had to lasso like a cowboy, and learned to throw lines off and on the bitts, bollards, and cleats, that were used to tie vessels to the pier. And, of course, I had to clean and paint the tug to keep it “ship-shape and Bristol fashion.” There wasn't much in my Academy background to help me with all this. There is simply no way one can be an accomplished tugboat captain without serving time on deck first.