This article is about the boat. For other uses, see Tugboat (disambiguation).

"Tug" redirects here. For other uses, see Tug (disambiguation).

"Tugs" redirects here. For the television series, see Tugs (TV series).

The tugboat Woona in Sydney Harbour, Australia

Fleet tug USS Tawasa (1,255 tons, 205 ft) which towed a nuclear depth charge as it was detonated
in Operation Wigwam in 1955.

A tug (tugboat or towboat) is a type of vessel that maneuvers other vessels by pushing or pulling
them either by direct contact or by means of a tow line. Tugs typically move vessels that either are
restricted in their ability to maneuver on their own, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow
canal,[1] or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, log rafts, or oil
platforms. Tugboats are powerful for their size and strongly built, and some are ocean-going. Some
tugboats serve as icebreakers or salvage boats. Early tugboats had steam engines, but today most
have diesel engines. Many tugboats have firefighting monitors, allowing them to assist in firefighting,
especially in harbors.

Contents

 1Types
o 1.1Deep-sea
o 1.2Harbour
o 1.3River
 2Propulsion
o 2.1Kort nozzle
o 2.2Cycloidal propeller
 3Other Design Innovations
 4In popular culture
o 4.1Film and television
o 4.2Literature
 5Races
 6Ballet
 7Starting a drag
 8See also
 9Notes
 10References
 11Further reading
 12External links

Types[edit]

Swedish harbour tug Svitzer Frejain tug-operation (3,600 kW / 453 gross register tons (GRT))

Svitzer Tyr is a Danish ECO Tugboat, built in China 2011, here in Ystad port 2018.

Svitzer Tyr is a Danish ECO Tugboat, built in China 2011, here in Ystad port 2018.
Dutch river tugboat "Mascotte II"

German harbour-tug and DDR quick-freighter Karl Marx at Rostockharbour

Deep-sea[edit]
Seagoing tugs (deep-sea tugs or ocean tugboats) fall into four basic categories:

1. The standard seagoing tug with model bow that tows its "payload" on a hawser.
2. The "notch tug" which can be secured in a notch at the stern of a specially designed barge,
effectively making the combination a ship. This configuration is dangerous to use with a
barge which is "in ballast" (no cargo) or in a head- or following sea. Therefore, "notch tugs"
are usually built with a towing winch. With this configuration, the barge being pushed might
approach the size of a small ship, with interaction of the water flow allowing a higher speed
with a minimal increase in power required or fuel consumption.
3. The "integral unit", or "integrated tug and barge" (ITB), comprises specially
designed vessels that lock together in such a rigid and strong method as to be certified as
such by authorities (classification societies) such as the American Bureau of
Shipping, Lloyd's Register of Shipping, Indian Register of Shipping, Det Norske Veritas or
several others. These units stay combined under virtually any sea conditions and the tugs
usually have poor sea-keeping designs for navigation without their barges attached. Vessels
in this category are legally considered to be ships rather than tugboats and barges must be
staffed accordingly. These vessels must show navigation lights compliant with those
required of ships rather than those required of tugboats and vessels under tow.
4. "Articulated tug and barge" (ATB) units also utilize mechanical means to connect to their
barges. The tug slips into a notch in the stern and is attached by a hinged connection. ATBs
generally utilize Intercon and Bludworthconnecting systems. ATBs are generally staffed as a
large tugboat, with between seven and nine crew members. The typical American ATB
operating on the east coast customarily displays navigational lights of a towing vessel
pushing ahead, as described in the 1972 ColRegs.
Harbour[edit]
San Francisco harbor tractor tug "Delta Deanna"

Compared to seagoing tugboats, harbour tugboats are generally smaller and their width-to-length
ratio is often higher, due to the need for a lower draught. In smaller harbours these are often also
termed lunch bucket boats, because they are only manned when needed and only at a minimum
(captain and deckhand), thus the crew will bring their own lunch with them.[2] The number of tugboats
in a harbour varies with the harbour infrastructure and the types of tugboats. Things to take into
consideration includes ships with/without bow thrusters and forces like wind, current and waves and
types of ship (e.g. in some countries there is a requirement for certain numbers and sizes of
tugboats for port operations with gas tankers).[3]

River[edit]

Tug boat pushing a log raft near Vancouver (May 2012)

River tugs are also referred to as towboats or pushboats. Their hull designs would make open ocean
operation dangerous. River tugs usually do not have any significant hawser or winch. Their hulls
feature a flat front or bow to line up with the rectangular stern of the barge, often with large pushing
knees.

Propulsion[edit]
Tugboat engines typically produce 500 to 2,500 kW (~ 680 to 3,400 hp), but larger boats (used in
deep waters) can have power ratings up to 20,000 kW (~ 27,200 hp). Tugboats usually have an
extreme power:tonnage-ratio; normal cargo and passenger ships have a P:T-ratio (in kW:GRT) of
0.35 to 1.20, whereas large tugs typically are 2.20 to 4.50 and small harbour-tugs 4.0 to 9.5.[4] The
engines are often the same as those used in railroad locomotives, but typically drive
the propeller mechanically instead of converting the engine output to power electric motors, as is
common for diesel-electric locomotives. For safety, tugboats' engines often feature two of each
critical part for redundancy.[5]
A tugboat is typically rated by its engine's power output and its overall bollard pull. The largest
commercial harbour tugboats in the 2000s-2010s, used for towing container ships or similar, had
around 60 to 65 short tons-force (530–580 kN) of bollard pull, which is described as 15 short tons-
force (130 kN) above "normal" tugboats.[6][7]

Diagram of components
Tugboats are highly maneuverable, and various propulsion systems have been developed to
increase maneuverability and increase safety. The earliest tugs were fitted with paddle wheels, but
these were soon replaced by propeller-driven tugs. Kort nozzles (see below) have been added to
increase thrust per kW/hp. This was followed by the nozzle-rudder, which omitted the need for a
conventional rudder. The cycloidal propeller (see below) was developed prior to World War II and
was occasionally used in tugs because of its maneuverability. After World War II it was also linked to
safety due to the development of the Voith Water Tractor, a tugboat configuration which could not be
pulled over by its tow. In the late 1950s, the Z-drive or (azimuth thruster) was developed. Although
sometimes referred to as the Aquamaster or Schottel system, many brands
exist: Steerprop, Wärtsilä, Berg Propulsion, etc. These propulsion systems are used on tugboats
designed for tasks such as ship docking and marine construction. Conventional propeller/rudder
configurations are more efficient for port-to-port towing.

Kort nozzle[edit]
Main article: Ducted propeller
The Kort nozzle is a sturdy cylindrical structure around a special propeller having minimum
clearance between the propeller blades and the inner wall of the Kort nozzle. The thrust-to-power
ratio is enhanced because the water approaches the propeller in a linear configuration and exits the
nozzle the same way. The Kort nozzle is named after its inventor, but many brands exist.

Cycloidal propeller[edit]
Main article: Cyclorotor
The cycloidal propeller is a circular plate mounted on the underside of the hull, rotating around a
vertical axis with a circular array of vertical blades (in the shape of hydrofoils) that protrude out of the
bottom of the ship. Each blade can rotate itself around a vertical axis. The internal mechanism
changes the angle of attack of the blades in sync with the rotation of the plate, so that each blade
can provide thrust in any direction, similar to the collective pitch control and cyclic in a helicopter.

Other Design Innovations[edit]

A recent Dutch innovation is the Carousel Tug, winner of the Maritime Innovation Award at the Dutch
Maritime Innovation Awards Gala in 2006.[8] The Carousel Tug adds a pair of interlocking rings to the
body of the tug, the inner ring attached to the boat, with the outer ring attached to the towed ship by
winch or towing hook. Since the towing point rotates freely, the tug is very difficult to capsize.[9]

In popular culture[edit]
Tugboat Annie was the subject of a series of Saturday Evening Post magazine stories featuring the
female captain of the tugboat Narcissus in Puget Sound, later featured in the films Tugboat
Annie (1933), Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940) and Captain Tugboat Annie (1945). The Canadian
television series The Adventures of Tugboat Annie was filmed in 1957.

Film and television[edit]

Theodore Tugboat, the titular hero of a children's show, was popular enough that a fullsize replica was
constructed.

To date, there have been four children's shows revolving around anthropomorphic tugboats.

 In the late 1980s, 13 episodes were made of TUGS, a series depicting the life of tugboats in the
1920s.
 An American adaptation using edited footage from Tugs followed: Salty's Lighthouse.
 In the 1975's Soviet short animation musical film В порту/ In the sea port a tugboat sang a
song: "Through a harbour area"
 One of the creators of Tugs went on to direct Theodore Tugboat.
 Animated preschool series Toot the Tiny Tugboat started broadcasting on Channel
5 Milkshake! in 2014 and on Cartoonito in 2015, with a Welsh language version airing
on S4C Cyw.
"Tugger" is a tugboat in the animated series South Park. He appears in the episode "The New
Terrance and Phillip Movie Trailer" as a sidekick for Russell Crowe in a fictitious television
series entitled Fightin' Round The World with Russell Crowe. Tugger follows Crowe as he engages
various people in physical conflicts, providing emotional support and comic relief. At one point
Tugger even attempts to commit suicide, upon being forced to hear Russell Crowe's new musical
composition.

Literature[edit]
(Alphabetical by author)

 The children's book Scuffy the Tugboat, written by Gertrude Crampton and illustrated by Tibor
Gergely and first published in 1946 as part of the Little Golden Books series, follows the
adventures of a young toy tugboat who seeks a life beyond the confines of a tub inside his
owner's toy store.
 The Dutch writer Jan de Hartog wrote numerous nautical novels, first in Dutch, then in English.
  The novel Hollands Glorie, written prior to World War II, was made into a Dutch miniseries in
1978 and concerned the dangers faced by the crews of Dutch salvage tugs.[10][11]
 The novella Stella, concerning the dangers faced by the captains of rescue tugs in
the English Channel during World War II, was made into a film entitled The Key in 1958.[12]
 The novel The Captain (1967), about the captain of a rescue tug during a Murmansk
Convoy, sold over a million copies.[13]
 Its 1986 sequel, The Commodore, features the narrator captaining a fleet of tugs in peace-
time.
 Little Toot (1939), written and illustrated by Hardie Gramatky, is a children's story of an
anthropomorphic tugboat child, who wants to help tow ships in a harbour near Hoboken. He's
rejected by the tugboat community and dejectedly drifts out to sea, where he accidentally
discovers a shipwrecked liner and a chance to prove his worth.
 Farley Mowat's book The Grey Seas Under tells the tale of a legendary North Atlantic salvage
tug, the Foundation Franklin. He later wrote The Serpent's Coil, which also deals with salvage
tugs in the North Atlantic.

Races[edit]
Vintage Tugboat races have been held annually in Olympia, Washington since 1974 during
the Olympia Harbor Days Maritime Festival (www.HarborDays.com). Tugboat races are held
annually on Elliott Bay in Seattle,[14] on the Hudson River at the New York Tugboat
Race,[15] the Detroit River,[16] and the Great Tugboat Race and Parade (2012 event was on June 29–
30) on the St. Mary's River.[17]

Ballet[edit]

South African Naval tugs perform a "ballet" when welcoming a new member of the fleet.

Since 1980, an annual tugboat ballet has been held in Hamburg harbour on the occasion of the
festival commemorating the anniversary of the establishment of a port in Hamburg. On a weekend in
May, eight tugboats perform choreographed movements for about an hour to the tunes of waltz and
other sorts of dance music.[18]

Starting a drag[edit]


The head tractor gets a heaving line from the container ship
 

The bow line with messenger is taken from the container ship

The stern line is passed from the rear tractor

A crew member of the container ship takes the stern line and fastens it

The stern tow line is fixed to the container ship Manila Express, the drag is started

See also[edit]

 Nautical portal

 Admiralty tug
 American Waterways Operators
 Azipod
 Charlotte Dundas
 E3 Tug Project
 Fish tug
 Maritime pilot
 PS Comet
 Pusher (boat)
 Switcher, rail analog
 Tugboats in New York City
 Type V ship

Notes[edit]
1. Jump up^ "How Pygmy Tugboats Dock a Giant Liner." Popular Science Monthly, March 1930, p. 22-
23.
2. Jump up^ Thorndike, Virginia L. (2004). On Tugboats: Stories of Work and Life Aboard. Down East
Books. pp. 14–16. ISBN 0-89272-565-6.
3. Jump up^ Thoresen, Carl A. (2003). Port Designer's Handbook: Recommendations and guidelines.
Thomas Telford Books. p. 116. ISBN 0-7277-3228-5.
4. Jump up^ Poulsen, B. Lund; et al. (1971). Teknisk Leksikon [The Technological Encyclopaedia] (in
Danish). 2. København: A/S Forlaget for Faglitteratur København/Oslo. pp. 163–190. ISBN 87 573
0023 2.
5. Jump up^ Bilinski, Marcie B.: "The Workhorse of the Waterways" Massachusetts Office of Coastal
Zone Management, Coastlines 2007
6. Jump up^ "Rotor Tug "RT Zoe"". Marineline.com. 13 September 2006. Retrieved 19 August2013.
7. Jump up^ "Western Marine to build tugboat, vessel for Ctg port". The Independent. 4 June 2012.
Retrieved 19 August 2013.
8. Jump up^ novatugnews. "Novatug.nl news". Novatug. Archived from the original on 2007-09-08.
Retrieved 2008-01-18.
9. Jump up^ novatugprod. "Novatug.nl product information". Novatug. Archived from the originalon
2008-01-19. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
10. Jump up^ "Hollands glorie". IMDb. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
11. Jump up^ Mel Gussow (September 24, 2002). "Jan de Hartog, 88, Author of His Own Life". The New
York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
12. Jump up^ "The Key". IMDb. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
13. Jump up^ "Hartog, Jan De [1914 - 2002]". New York State Library. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
14. Jump up^ "Port of Seattle". Portseattle.org. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
15. Jump up^ "In search of the toughest tug," by Laurel Graeber, New York Times, August 29, 2008.
16. Jump up^ "tugrace.com". tugrace.com. 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
17. Jump up^ The Great Tugboat Race
18. Jump up^ "Schlepperballett: Kaiserwalzer der Kolosse - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - SPIEGEL
TV". Spiegel.de. Retrieved 2012-02-18.

References[edit]
 Jane's Ocean Technology 1979-80 / Jane's Yearbooks, 1979 - ISBN 0-531-03902-1.
 On Tugboats: Stories of Work and Life Aboard / Virginia Thorndike - Down East Books, 2004.
 Under Tow: A Canadian History of Tugs and Towing / Donal Baird - Vanwell Publishing, 277 p.,
2003 - ISBN 1-55125-076-4
 Pacific Tugboats: / Gordon Newell - Superior Publishing Company 1957, Seattle Washington.
 Primer of Towing / George H. Reid - Cornell Maritime Press, 1992.