Hi, Larry,
I tried to answer your wonderful story by email, but it bounced. If you're
willing to share your email address, I'll try again--and the message has
another shot of Annie, the tug.

Best,

Dick Behan


"Larry" wrote in message
...
"R.W. Behan" wrote in news:Ju2dnX_gPboCrSreRVn-
:

http://www.maplebay.com/page100.htm

Love the blue trim.

There has just got to be some way of making a tug whistle blow on these
tugs. A horn just isn't right. Maybe and air compressor pumping into a
tank off the engine would do it. They need a proper whistle..(c;

Everytime I see a tug, I think back to the 60's when I was a young sailor
on a destroyer tender. We were stern-to a quay out in Naples, IT, harbor
and every couple of days these two Italians came by in their 1920-
something diesel tug to bring us a new garbage barge and haul off the
full one.

The tug was spotless. What pride they took in that boat. There were
only two aboard, the captain and the engineer, who had to be in the
engine room to run the old, I-have-no-idea-whos, diesel. Wide open
hauling the barge away it must have turned up 120 RPM! It idled at
barely turning, probably 20 RPM, with a beautiful rhythmic
thump...thump...thump. Looking in the engine room hatch, right behind
the pilot house, you could watch the external pushrods of the OHV engine
going up and down. Each had several oiling felts and I observed our
engineer pumping oil into them from his oil can at times. The throttle
wasn't in the wheelhouse, it was on the side of the injector rack on top
of the engine. What looked like a direct-drive oldham coupler with a
very long, highly polished brass handle selected F-N-A behind the engine.
Watching them bring the barge alongside with both men manipulating the
single screw hiptowing the large barge was just a beautiful ballet.
Then, they'd untie from the fresh and tie up to the full one. The
captain would reach in and give the big wheel a spin, going back outside
to line handle. The engineer shoved her in forward and give her ahead
standard throttle. He then left the engine room for the wheelhouse just
in time to go rudder amidships, without the captain ever looking over his
shoulder. I don't think they ever spoke a word during the entire
operation.

Off they went, headed back to the salvage yard to see if we'd left them
any government presents on the barge.....

Thump...thump...thump...thump out of sight....(c;

Every part on that engine you could see seemed to be hand painted a
different color. I remember pushrods being red, rocker arms green, block
was grey. Every copper injector pipe was polished. It looked ancient
but like it had been built yesterday, a floating museum piece...still
working.

They had a whistle...(c;