the tugboat that could!

Description

The Ohio River is a major employer for our town of Paducah, Kentucky!  This crocheted tug boat would be a great gift for someone who works on the barges or with boats in some capacity.  9″ long x 5″ wide x 8″ high.

Wikipedia has a great description of the many different kinds of tugboats:

“A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, such as in crowded harbors or narrow canals,^[1] or cannot move at all, such as barges, disabled ships, log rafts, or oil platforms. Some are ocean-going, and some are icebreakers or salvage tugs. Early models were powered by steam engines, which were later superseded by diesel engines. Many have deluge gun water jets, which help in firefighting, especially in harbours.”

The diagram below shows the typical components found on a tugboat.  Click on the image for the original copy.

Life on the river can be really tough.  Miserable when the weather is either too hot or too cold, but glorious when the days are calm and mild.  This video shows a towboat in action, just outside of Paducah.  A towboat has a flat front and is used mostly to push the barges.  Beautiful footage!