[QUOTE=c.captain;78412]One big negative of the AUDREY GAIL is that she has those effing 149 series Detroits in her. I cannot abide those engines. Why couldn’t she have had two 3516 Cats instead? Now there would be a tug!
Even tho US built she would not have coastwise trade again without an Act of Congress but could tow foreign, but there wouldn’t be much point of bringing her back to US flag then. Still for $130k it’s a good deal even if you only scrapped her.[/QUOTE]
I agree 150% with you on that, I despise a 149 leakytroit worse than my ex-wife.
It would seem that the equipment on it would be almost worth that. That does not sound like a bad deal at all. To bad I don’t have an extra 130 grand laying around, it would be way cool to own, for no other purpose than to say. Yep that’s mine, aint it cool.
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;78424]The real advantage to the quill shaft gears is that you don’t have to pull a blower off one bank of the EMD like you do most of the time with a regular clutch.
The old Progress had 12-645 E2’s in her, probably the same size gears as yours.[/QUOTE]
Two of our other boats have Falk gearboxes which are mounted far behind the engine to facilitate clutch changes. The first has a small diameter shaft, 6 inches or so and a pedestal bearing lubricated by engine oil. The other has what is called a torque tube which is closer to 12-14 inches in diameter and the gearbox uses a pilot bearing very similar to a manual transmission in a car.
We had a 3rd boat with Haley boxes that had clutches that mounted directly to the flywheel. I was pretty annoyed after installing the flywheels then the turbos on the EMD’s only to have the port engineer change his mind and make me put the old flywheels back on. That is much harder to do with the turbos installed.
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;78407]You know how most of the Falk and Lufkin gear boxes had the forward and reverse cluthchs bolted together on a hub in front of the gear but behind the engine. The input shaft actually passes through the middle of the clutch’s… They made one called a quill shaft, that the input shaft went straight into the gear from the engine. The cluthces were seperate one sticking straight out the back of the gear box, almost in line with the input shaft, the other clutch was in front of the gear box but was off to the outboard side almost in line with the pinion. The clutchs were alot smaller in O.D. but much wider in width than the standard ones they used. They were awfull funny looking with the seperate clutchs sticking out both ends like that. The Dixie Progress had them in her, that boat now belongs to Allied named the “Heron”[/QUOTE]
The old Robin tugs that Crowley bought in the early (mid?) 80s had those type of Lufkin boxes. They were coupled to Alcos.
Another boat with old WWII Navy Tug hulls is the old (and infamous) SEA SKIMMER, also known for some time as the DIXIE COMMANDER and now better known now as the SEA RAVEN. Actually the hulls predate WWII since they were built in 1941. An early ATB with the first generation Bludworth system.
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;76566]I used to remember the old ''Wilken Falgout" running in and out of Mobile towing that Ro-Ro barge to Puerto Rico, man that was 20 years ago
I saw one of the old Army tugs on dry dock at Algiers Iron works about 10 or 12 years ago. They were converting it to twin screw, repowering it with some EMD’s if I remember correctly. I saw that boat about 2 years later, around the Ivory Coast towing a barge to Nigeria. Seems to me they had renamed it “Ranger” It was a cool looking old tug. That might be the one your thinking about Ccaptain.[/QUOTE]
I was in Lagos a couple of years back and saw an old Crowley tug that had been renamed as SENATORS. She is a high bow tug that Crowley operated as the APACHE and was the first tug that I sailed on. Large tug, but only had two 8 cylinder EMDs. Built in Trinity, New Orleans in 1968, I believe.
[QUOTE=rshrew;78668]Sister to the blackhawk? Which sause bros. now has. Seminal too? Not sure on that spelling.[/QUOTE]
Yup all sisters although not all built in the same yards. There was the SENECA, SIOUX, APACHE and BLACKHAWK I know of. I can’t recall there being a SEMINOLE. I am also not sure about the lineage. Some were built for Pacific Island Navigation (PacNav) and some directly for Crowley after they bought PacNav in the early 70’s.
[QUOTE=cmakin;78665]Another boat with old WWII Navy Tug hulls is the old (and infamous) SEA SKIMMER, also known for some time as the DIXIE COMMANDER and now better known now as the SEA RAVEN. Actually the hulls predate WWII since they were built in 1941. An early ATB with the first generation Bludworth system.
I am somewhat familiar with the vessel . . . .[/QUOTE]
Yes sir I am very familiar with that jallopy as well. I think abortion would be a better description of that thing. I was with D/C for 8 or 9 years.
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;78675]Yes sir I am very familiar with that jallopy as well. I think abortion would be a better description of that thing. I was with D/C for 8 or 9 years.[/QUOTE]
Yeah. A true piece of work. I remember that Terry (and I cannot remember his last name) was Chief whenever it was in the Texas City/Galveston area when I was with ABS. I told him most of the things that it would do. What I forgot about, he found out in short order. I do know that some at ABS got into a bit of a pickle when DC bought it from Texaco. . . . . .
I know the Seneca and sioux did not have a raised focsle like the blackhawk but did have the towers Crowley put on them. Island Tug & Barge of Seattle just bought the Sioux from Crowley.
[QUOTE=cmakin;78677]Yeah. A true piece of work. I remember that Terry (and I cannot remember his last name) was Chief whenever it was in the Texas City/Galveston area when I was with ABS. I told him most of the things that it would do. What I forgot about, he found out in short order. I do know that some at ABS got into a bit of a pickle when DC bought it from Texaco. . . . . .[/QUOTE]
Yep that was Mr.Edwards baby, I thanked the good Lord many times for the office giving him that thing, and them giving me the “Invincible”
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;78692]Yep that was Mr.Edwards baby, I thanked the good Lord many times for the office giving him that thing, and them giving me the “Invincible”[/QUOTE]
Hey, it was a character building experience. When I was onboard, it was the only US vessel that the company managed. Soper is still around. I spoke with him a few months ago. Inland stuff now. He sounds well.
