Baltimore (tug)
Encyclopedia
The Baltimore is a preserved steam-powered tugboat
, built in 1906 by the Skinner Shipbuilding Company of Baltimore, Maryland. It is the oldest operating steam tugboat in the United States. The Baltimore was built and operated as a harbor inspection tug, capable of acting as a municipal tugboat for city barges, as well as an official welcoming vessel and VIP launch, an auxiliary fireboat, and as a light icebreaker.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1993.
. Hull construction is rivet
ted iron, with a wood deckhouse. The 84.5 feet (25.8 m) wrought iron hull has proven to be more durable than steel or wood. Displacement measures 81 gross tons and 55 net tons. The hull form is typical for its time, with an upright stem, moderate sheer and elliptical stern. Bulwarks are vertical about the stern rather than inwardly-sloped as in more modern designs.
, the boiler was converted to oil in 1957. The boiler has since been converted back to coal and the original coal bunkers restored by the Baltimore Museum of Industry
as part of their conservation and restoration work. Steam pressure as designed was 150 psi, however it is limited to 115 psi by the boiler rating.
A 5.5 KW Westinghouse dynamo
provides electrical power, driven by an American Blocwer steam engine at 500 RPM. A Pyle National 5 KW reserve generator was installed in 1957. The electrical system was unusual in 1906, and was fitted when the yard was able to build the tug for substantially less than the estimated cost.
The pilothouse has an elliptical forward face and a flat rear. A steam radiator provides heat, and a ladder provides access to the pilothouse roof. The large wheel dominates the house, its size dictated by the entirely manual steering gear, an anachronistic feature for the time. Voice pipes run to the engine room and saloon. Bells provide additional communication to the engine room. Whistles are fitted for signals to ships and shore.
A 20 feet (6.1 m) Kallenweller metal lifeboat for eleven people is carried on chocks above the engine room skylight on the deckhouse, lifted by pipe davit
s.
In her capacity as an official welcoming vessel for the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore met the German unarmed merchant submarine Deutschland
on its first voyage to America, prior to the United States' entry into World War I. Baltimore and the city quarantine tug Thomas F. Timmins patrolled the vicinity of Deutschland's berth to ensure American neutrality.
In 1956 the Baltimore Harbor Board was dissolved and its assets transferred to the Maryland Port Authority, including the Baltimore. In 1963 the state sold the Baltimore to Alexander Luckton, Jr., owner of Baltimore's Poe Bookstore. Kuckton proposed to use the Baltimore as a tow vessel for a barge carrying 100,000 books bound for Puerto Rico
. With the failure of Luckton's health the project was called off and Baltimore was sold to the Harbor Towing Company of Baltimore, which in turn sold it the same year to Samuel F. and Joanna J. DuPont, who had her repaired and certified as a steam yacht. In 1979 the Baltimore sank at her dock on the Sassafras River
in fifteen feet of water. In 1981 DuPont offered the tug to the Baltimore Museum of Industry. After several tries the tug was raised, and has been undergoing repair and conservation ever since. In 2009 the project was awarded federal funding for further restoration work.
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
, built in 1906 by the Skinner Shipbuilding Company of Baltimore, Maryland. It is the oldest operating steam tugboat in the United States. The Baltimore was built and operated as a harbor inspection tug, capable of acting as a municipal tugboat for city barges, as well as an official welcoming vessel and VIP launch, an auxiliary fireboat, and as a light icebreaker.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1993.
Description
The Baltimore is equipped with a compound reciprocating steam engine, fed by a scotch marine boilerScotch marine boiler
A "Scotch" marine boiler is a design of steam boiler best known for its used on ships.The general layout is that of a squat horizontal cylinder. One or more large cylindrical furnaces are in the lower part of the boiler shell. Above this is a large number of small-diameter fire-tubes...
. Hull construction is rivet
Rivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the buck-tail. On installation the rivet is placed in a punched or pre-drilled hole, and the tail is upset, or bucked A rivet...
ted iron, with a wood deckhouse. The 84.5 feet (25.8 m) wrought iron hull has proven to be more durable than steel or wood. Displacement measures 81 gross tons and 55 net tons. The hull form is typical for its time, with an upright stem, moderate sheer and elliptical stern. Bulwarks are vertical about the stern rather than inwardly-sloped as in more modern designs.
Boiler
The boiler was a replacement for the original, fitted in 1922, but is similar to the original. The cylindrical boiler measures 9.5 feet (2.9 m) by 10.25 feet (3.1 m), with two Morrison furnaces connecting to a combustion chamber at the rear. The fire tubes pass from the back to the front of the boiler. Exhaust passes through an annular steam dryer/superheater on its way to the smokestack. Originally designed to burn coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, the boiler was converted to oil in 1957. The boiler has since been converted back to coal and the original coal bunkers restored by the Baltimore Museum of Industry
Baltimore Museum of Industry
Baltimore Museum of Industry is a museum at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Located in an old cannery, the museum has exhibits on various types of manufacturing and industry from the early 20th century...
as part of their conservation and restoration work. Steam pressure as designed was 150 psi, however it is limited to 115 psi by the boiler rating.
Engine
The tug is powered by a compound double-acting, vertical-inverted steam reciprocating engine, a common type for tugboats. A 12 inches (30.5 cm) high-pressure cylinder operates at 150psi (now 115psi), while a 25 inches (63.5 cm) low-pressure cylinder takes the high-pressure cylinder's exhaust at 17psi. Both cylinders have a stroke of 22 inches (55.9 cm), offset by 90 degrees to keep the engine from being stuck on center. A manual jacking gear acts as a further measure to prevent sticking on center. Stephenson valve gear permits reversing, aided by a steam reversing engine or ram to adjust eccentric rods. The propellor has a diameter of 6.75 feet (2.1 m) with a pitch of 8.66 feet (2.6 m).Auxiliaries and pumps
The Baltimore has a rotative duplex donkey pump, duplex feed pump, duplex sanitary pump and a centrifugal circulating pump. The pump system provides a moderate fire fighting capability through two hose standpipes on top of the pilothouse. Piping runs to each compartment allow water to be forced out through air pressure in the event of flooding.A 5.5 KW Westinghouse dynamo
Dynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
provides electrical power, driven by an American Blocwer steam engine at 500 RPM. A Pyle National 5 KW reserve generator was installed in 1957. The electrical system was unusual in 1906, and was fitted when the yard was able to build the tug for substantially less than the estimated cost.
Superstructure
The full-length deckhouse is built of Georgia pine, with a similarly constructed pilothouse on top, set slightly back from the front of the deckhouse. Both are sheathed with tongue-and-groove planking. Windows are sash units designed to drop into self-draining metal pockets in the bulkheads. A saloon fills the front of the deckhouse, finished with oak match board. Aft of a bulkhead a companionway ladder leads to the pilothouse. The middle of the deckhouse covers the boiler and engine room spaces. The rear of the deckhouse contains the galley, provided with a Shipmate coal-burning stove. The deckhouse ends at toilets, officers to port and crew to starboard.The pilothouse has an elliptical forward face and a flat rear. A steam radiator provides heat, and a ladder provides access to the pilothouse roof. The large wheel dominates the house, its size dictated by the entirely manual steering gear, an anachronistic feature for the time. Voice pipes run to the engine room and saloon. Bells provide additional communication to the engine room. Whistles are fitted for signals to ships and shore.
A 20 feet (6.1 m) Kallenweller metal lifeboat for eleven people is carried on chocks above the engine room skylight on the deckhouse, lifted by pipe davit
Davit
A davit is a structure, usually made of steel, which is used to lower things over an edge of a long drop off such as lowering a maintenance trapeze down a building or launching a lifeboat over the side of a ship....
s.
History
The Baltimore acted as a general-purpose harbor vessel, taking on roles as needed in her capacity as a representative of the city. The tug took on school tours, carried VIPs and attended ceremonies. On one occasion in 1922, a newly launched ship capsized on the Baltimore, damaging her pilothouse. The city took advantage of the repair period to replace the Baltimore's boiler.In her capacity as an official welcoming vessel for the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore met the German unarmed merchant submarine Deutschland
German submarine Deutschland
Deutschland was a blockade-breaking German merchant submarine used during World War I. It was developed with private funds and operated by the North German Lloyd Line...
on its first voyage to America, prior to the United States' entry into World War I. Baltimore and the city quarantine tug Thomas F. Timmins patrolled the vicinity of Deutschland's berth to ensure American neutrality.
In 1956 the Baltimore Harbor Board was dissolved and its assets transferred to the Maryland Port Authority, including the Baltimore. In 1963 the state sold the Baltimore to Alexander Luckton, Jr., owner of Baltimore's Poe Bookstore. Kuckton proposed to use the Baltimore as a tow vessel for a barge carrying 100,000 books bound for Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. With the failure of Luckton's health the project was called off and Baltimore was sold to the Harbor Towing Company of Baltimore, which in turn sold it the same year to Samuel F. and Joanna J. DuPont, who had her repaired and certified as a steam yacht. In 1979 the Baltimore sank at her dock on the Sassafras River
Sassafras River
The Sassafras River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula in the United States. It is about long and starts in western New Castle County, Delaware, and along the boundary between Cecil County, Maryland on the north and Kent County, Maryland on the south...
in fifteen feet of water. In 1981 DuPont offered the tug to the Baltimore Museum of Industry. After several tries the tug was raised, and has been undergoing repair and conservation ever since. In 2009 the project was awarded federal funding for further restoration work.
See also
- Sergeant Floyd (towboat)Sergeant Floyd (towboat)Sergeant Floyd is a towboat in Sioux City, Iowa. It is "[o]ne of only a handful of surviving U.S. Army Corps of Engineers vessels".It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989....
, a similar vessel for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, also a National Historic Landmark
External links
- BALTIMORE (tug), Baltimore City, including photo in 1995, at Maryland Historical Trust
- Baltimore, National Park Service, Baltimore:A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary