I am new to this website and noticed a thread about ATB’s and the vessel Sea Skimmer was talked about. I spent a good amount of time on this vessel w/ Allied Transportation (now Sea Raven) and was curious to hear some stories about the “Old Girl”. I am sure more negative will be told than positive???
I ran her in '82-83 Jacksonville to Corpus Cristi, relieving George Cooper. Nice ride when all went well. Had lots of problems with the side pads and keeping in the notch. Sad setup for an emergency hawser, I left her in a shipyard in Mississippi after a good beating in a Norther. The next trip attempting to tow the barge did not go well, and another tug had to relieve her of the tow. She did not fare well out of the notch. Strange hull combination of two WWII era single RH screw tugs with a new fore body. If she is still running around, I would say she has made the owners a lot of money. It was a nice change from Ocean tugs to be able to get clear of all the engine noise up on the barge.
Another old Bludco rig was the “Torrent”. I would surmise that it was a miserable ride also.
The last time I saw Capt George was in Seward or Yacutat, Ak in '77.
great read, thanks.
She’s sitting @ Lyon’s in Norfolk getting a reduction gear rebuilt.
The first I had seen this thread. I was CE on her from 84 up to when she was sold to Texaco. I have a story or two. . . .
The vessel still lives, just this past November she was purchased by Kirby Offshore Marine…same boat yet another color!
[QUOTE=Newagen1;108120]The vessel still lives, just this past November she was purchased by Kirby Offshore Marine…same boat yet another color![/QUOTE]
Yeah, I think that I noted the irony that Kirby (Dixie) got the boat back. I have seen some of the recent pictures. The stack extentsions do nothing for the appearance, but I imagine that it IS a bit easier to breath in the wheel house now. I just wonder how many times those stacks start squeezing out sparks . . . .
I read somewhere last week that she went aground near Jacksonville. I tried to find some more information but could not find anything.
[QUOTE=cmakin;106632]The first I had seen this thread. I was CE on her from 84 up to when she was sold to Texaco. I have a story or two. . . .[/QUOTE]
Only a story or two? I figured you would be able to write a novel off that tub.
[QUOTE=Newagen1;108120]The vessel still lives, just this past November she was purchased by Kirby Offshore Marine…same boat yet another color![/QUOTE]
Yes this is the second time Kirby has owned that boat. I rode her as a relief chief a few time’s back in the middle to late 90"s when Dixie Carriers had it the first time. A good friend of mine was the chief on her the entire time Dixie Carriers owned it. He is still with Kirby, I wonder if they will give him his old boat back?
That rig was plaged with gear box problems since the day it was built. I am sure cmakin can give a couple horror story’s from such adventures.
[QUOTE=Tugs;108269]I read somewhere last week that she went aground near Jacksonville. I tried to find some more information but could not find anything.[/QUOTE]
Funny timing. I just got off the phone with the captain that I sailed with on the SKIMMER all those years ago. He mentioned to me that the old girl had run aground on the Jacksonville jetties last week . . . . .Oh, he hasn’t been onboard the SKIMMER for over 25 years, but this is a small busniess.
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;108275]Only a story or two? I figured you would be able to write a novel off that tub.[/QUOTE]
Hehehe. Working on it. . . .
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;108276]Yes this is the second time Kirby has owned that boat. I rode her as a relief chief a few time’s back in the middle to late 90"s when Dixie Carriers had it the first time. A good friend of mine was the chief on her the entire time Dixie Carriers owned it. He is still with Kirby, I wonder if they will give him his old boat back?
That rig was plaged with gear box problems since the day it was built. I am sure cmakin can give a couple horror story’s from such adventures.[/QUOTE]
Yeah. The first time we lost a box, it was the Port one. Coming up the Mississippi River with a load of, uh, I forget; but something toxic, volatile and flammable, I am sure. As I recall, we were bound for the Dow plant at Plaquemine. As we rounded Missouri Bend, the port gear box made a sound that I had never heard before, and haven’t again. It still gives me chills. We made it to the dock on the starboard engine. When we opened up the gearbox, we found the pinion and the bull gear stripped of teeth and lots of debris in the sump. Geez. Oddly enough, I still remember the weather. It was around Christmas time and it was snowing while we were at the dock.
We ran around on one engine for some time. Repairs kept getting put off, with the excuse that the parts hadn’t been made yet. I think it was about early summer, and we were bound from Corpus to Port Everglades. We were in the middle of the Gulf and just as I came off watch, around midnight, the starboard gearbox started making odd sounds (not quite the same as the port box), and a steady stream of smoke as shooting up out of the vent. A St. Phillips tug was dispatched and we were towed to Port Everglades. I was due to be relieved when we got there, but once we got off of Miami (about a day out, it was a slow tow), I got a call that my relief quit. Great. Well, the last one quit the day he was supposed to relieve me, so I guess this is a bit better. We got in and what do you know? All of the sudden the parts for the port gear were going to be delivered. Oh, and the starboard gear just needed the clutch packs rebuilt. My new relief showed up a day later, and I stuck around two days to help him get oriented and off on vacation I went. My new relief quit two weeks later, just as the repairs were finishing up, so I got to come back early. Good thing I didn’t have a wife and kids yet, right?
Yeah. Man, it is funny how some of this stuff comes back once I start writing about it.
The problem with the gearboxes is that they were never meant to operate an EMD, what them being a German build and all. They were also being used incorrectly. I do know originally that the SKIMMER had both wheels turning the same direction, meaning that one of the boxes was running in the astern direction all of the time (internal hydraulic clutches). By the time I got onboard in 84, the wheels were turning in the opposite direction, inboard. As we kept having problems, I looked more in depth into the material I had for the boxes and determined that they were now both running through the astern gear train to go ahead.
From what I understand, Dixie changed the wheels to outboard turning and according to the Chief then (I was with ABS by then), he told me that many of the problems with the boxes went away.
[QUOTE=cmakin;108297]
From what I understand, Dixie changed the wheels to outboard turning and according to the Chief then (I was with ABS by then), he told me that many of the problems with the boxes went away.[/QUOTE]
Yes they did, it was a few years after they took it over. They put a set of Bird Johnson 5 blade wheels and matched nozzles, if I remember correctly. Chief Big Terry said it helped out alot. I never sailed on it before to know the difference. I do remember it would only loose about a knot maybe a knot and a half by shutting down one engine. Then burn 4000 gallons a day less fuel
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;108307]Yes they did, it was a few years after they took it over. They put a set of Bird Johnson 5 blade wheels and matched nozzles, if I remember correctly. Chief Big Terry said it helped out alot. I never sailed on it before to know the difference. I do remember it would only loose about a knot maybe a knot and a half by shutting down one engine. Then burn 4000 gallons a day less fuel[/QUOTE]
Yeah, and that is why it took so long to get my parts for the port box. I was working for a ship management company during my tenure on board. When I showed them the situation with the gearboxes, it fell on deaf ears. Of course, there were many other issues with that lovely vessel. . . . Of course there was the time that we lost a plate from the top of the starboard Kort nozzle while underway. . . . .