Pusher (boat)

Last updated March 18, 2023

The towboat Angelina pushes two loaded barges in New Orleans. TowboatAngelina-NOLA.jpg — The towboat *Angelina* pushes two loaded barges in New Orleans.

A pusher, pusher craft,^[1]pusher boat, pusher tug, or towboat, is a boat designed for pushing barges or car floats. In the United States, the industries that use these vessels refer to them as towboats. These vessels are characterized by a square bow, a shallow draft, and typically have knees, which are large plates mounted to the bow for pushing barges of various heights. These boats usually operate on rivers and inland waterways. Multiple barges lashed together, or a boat and any barges lashed to it, are referred to as a "tow" and can have dozens of barges. Many of these vessels, especially the long distances, or long haul boats, include living quarters for the crew.

Size

The towboat Peter Fanchi southbound on the Ohio river at Louisville, Kentucky PeterFanchi.jpg — The towboat *Peter Fanchi* southbound on the Ohio river at Louisville, Kentucky

Towboat engine outputs range from less than 600 horsepower (447 kW) up to 11,100 horsepower (8,277 kW). Most towboats are from 35 to 200 feet (11 to 61 m) long, and 21 to 56 feet (6.4 to 17.1 m) wide. Smaller boats are used in harbors, fleeting areas and around locks while larger boats operate in "line-haul" operations over long distances and between major ports. In the United States, south of the Chain of Rocks Lock across from St. Louis on the Mississippi River, the river is open with no locks or impediments other than channel size and depth. Larger boats can run this segment of the river with the maximum tow size of 42 barges southbound and 40+ northbound. A typical River tow might be 35 to 42 barges, each about 200 feet (61 m) long by 35 feet (11 m) wide, configured in a rectangular shape 6 to 7 barges long and 5 to 6 barges wide, depending on the number of barges in tow. The whole tow, excluding the towboat, can easily be over 1,200 feet (370 m) long and 200 feet (61 m) wide, covering over 6 acres (2.4 ha) and holding thousands of tons of cargo.

In the United States above St. Louis on the Upper Mississippi River and on other rivers such as the Illinois, Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee and Cumberland, boats can handle only up to 16 barges including a "hip" barge due to the size of lock chambers. These boats tend to be limited to 5,000 horsepower (3,728 kW).

Towboats in line-haul service operate 24/7 and have the latest in navigational equipment, such as color radar, GPS systems, electronic river charts, and specialized radio communications.

Boats that traverse the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) are commonly referred to as "ditch boats" or "canal boats". ICW tows usually consist of 1 to 6 barges ranging in size, usually "strung out" end to end when loaded or "breasted up" side by side when empty.

Towboats always push the "tow" of barges, which are lashed together with steel cables usually 1 to 1.5 in (25.4 to 38.1 mm) in diameter.

History

The term towboat arises from steamboat days, when steamboat fortunes began to decline and to survive, steamboats began to "tow" wooden barges alongside to earn additional revenue. Eventually, the railroad expansion following the American Civil War ended the steamboat era.

During the 19th century, towboats were used to push showboats, which lacked steam engines to free up space for a theater.

Preserved towboats

The Binnenvaartmuseum ('Inland Shipping Museum') in Dordrecht, South Holland, Netherlands is centered around René Siegfried, a River Rhine pusher boat which was built in 1963 and decommissioned in 1989.

The W. P. Snyder Jr., also known as W. H. Clingerman, W. P. Snyder Jr. State Memorial, or J. L. Perry, is a historic towboat moored on the Muskingum River in Marietta, Ohio, at the Ohio River Museum. A National Historic Landmark, she is the only intact steam-driven sternwheel towboat still on the United States river system.

Notes

↑ "Tugs and pusher craft". Gov.UK. Retrieved 27 December 2015.

Related Research Articles

Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. The term barge has a rich history, and therefore there are many other types of barges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio River</span> Major river in the midwestern United States

The Ohio River is a 981-mile (1,579 km) long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois. It is the third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River that divides the eastern from western United States. It is also the 6th oldest river on the North American continent. The river flows through or along the border of six states, and its drainage basin includes parts of 14 states. Through its largest tributary, the Tennessee River, the basin includes several states of the southeastern U.S. It is the source of drinking water for five million people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Towpath</span> Path allowing a boat to be towed beside a river

A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport was common where sailing was impractical due to tunnels and bridges, unfavourable winds, or the narrowness of the channel.

Mauckport is a town in Heth Township, Harrison County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. The population was 81 at the 2010 census.

On September 22, 1993, an Amtrak train derailed on the CSX Transportation Big Bayou Canot Bridge near Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was caused by displacement of a span and deformation of the rails when a tow of heavy barges collided with the rail bridge eight minutes earlier. Forty-seven people were killed and 103 more were injured. To date, it is both the deadliest train wreck in Amtrak's history and the worst rail disaster in the United States since the 1958 Newark Bay rail accident in which 48 people died.

Portland is a neighborhood and former independent town northwest of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It is situated along a bend of the Ohio River just below the Falls of the Ohio, where the river curves to the north and then to the south, thus placing Portland at the northern tip of urban Louisville. In its early days it was the largest of the six major settlements at the falls, the others being Shippingport and Louisville in Kentucky and New Albany, Clarksville, and Jeffersonville on the Indiana side. Its modern boundaries are the Ohio River along the northwest, north, and northeast, 10th Street at the far east, Market Street on the south, and the Shawnee Golf Course at the far west.

The McAlpine Locks and Dam are a set of locks and a hydroelectric dam at the Falls of the Ohio River at Louisville, Kentucky. They are located at mile point 606.8, and control a 72.9 miles (117.3 km) long navigation pool. The locks and their associated canal were the first major engineering project on the Ohio River, completed in 1830 as the Louisville and Portland Canal, designed to allow shipping traffic to navigate through the Falls of the Ohio.

Belle of Louisville is a steamboat owned and operated by the city of Louisville, Kentucky, and moored at its downtown wharf next to the Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere during its annual operational period. The steamboat claims itself the "most widely traveled river steamboat in American history." Belle of Louisville's offices are aboard Mayor Andrew Broaddus, and also appears on the list of National Historic Landmarks.

Thunder Over Louisville, the annual kickoff event of the Kentucky Derby Festival, is an airshow and fireworks display in Louisville, Kentucky. It is generally held each April, about two weeks before the first Saturday in May, or Derby Day. In years where Easter Sunday falls on the usually scheduled weekend, Thunder is moved a week earlier. It is the largest annual fireworks display in North America and began as part of an opening ceremonies event in 1989 with daytime fireworks. 1990 brought the first nighttime fireworks event. It officially began in its current location along the Ohio River in 1991 with fireworks, and an annual air show was added in 1992.

The inland waterways of the United States include more than 25,000 mi (40,000 km) of navigable waters. Much of the commercially important waterways of the United States consist of the Mississippi River System—the Mississippi River and connecting waterways.

State Road 135 (SR 135) in the U.S. State of Indiana is a road that connects Indianapolis with the Ohio River; for the most part it is a two-lane road except for near Greenwood and Indianapolis.

The Sherman Minton Bridge is a double-deck through arch bridge spanning the Ohio River, carrying I-64 and US 150 over the river between Kentucky and Indiana. The bridge connects the west side of Louisville, Kentucky to downtown New Albany, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge</span> Crossing of the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana

The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, known locally as the Second Street Bridge, is a four-lane cantilevered truss bridge crossing the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana, that carries US 31.

Matthew E. Welsh Bridge is a two-lane, single-pier cantilever bridge on the Ohio River. The bridge connects Kentucky Route 313 and Indiana State Road 135, as well as the communities of Brandenburg, Kentucky and Mauckport, Indiana.

The Fourteenth Street Bridge, also known as the Ohio Falls Bridge, Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge, Conrail Railroad Bridge or Louisville and Indiana (L&I) Bridge, is a truss drawbridge that spans the Ohio River, between Louisville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Indiana.

Jeffboat was a shipyard in Jeffersonville, Indiana founded by James Howard in 1834, a builder of steamboats. The company was owned by the Howard family until it was sold leading up to World War II. Following the war, it became known as the Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Company and later changed its name to Jeffboat, the more commonly used short form of its name. The company was the largest inland shipbuilder in the United States and the second-largest builder of barges before it closed in 2018.

PS Alice Dean, which had a capacity of 880 tons, was a side-wheel, wooden-hulled packet steamer. It was launched from Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, in 1863, running a scheduled route between Cincinnati and Memphis, Tennessee. Its captain was James H. Pepper.

The Indiana Canal Company was a corporation first established in 1805 for the purpose of building a canal around the Falls of the Ohio on the Indiana side of the Ohio River. After several attempts, and possible sabotage by a supporter of the Louisville and Portland Canal, the project was ended.

The United States and America steamboat disaster was a collision between two US Mail Line Company ships on the Ohio River in 1868. Both ships were sunk and about seventy-four people died. The death toll makes this accident one of the worst Ohio River maritime disasters of all time.

References

Lehman, Charles F. (2009). A riverman's lexicon : in Lehman's terms. Florissant, Mo.: J.R. Simpson & Associates. ISBN 978-0-9841503-0-4. Nautical terminology specific to towboating and inland waterways.
Casto, James E. (2010). Towboat on the Ohio (reprint ed.). Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-2970-9 . Retrieved 23 July 2017.
Coomer, James (2004). Life on the Ohio (reprint ed.). Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-9108-9 . Retrieved 23 July 2017.

External links

"Diesel Engines For Towboat", December 1931, Popular Mechanics bottom of page 981

Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (1 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (2 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (3 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (4 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (5 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (6 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Bruce Darst upbound on Ohio River at Clark Bridge, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 2005
Towboat City of Pittsburgh upbound on Ohio River at Clark Bridge, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 2005
Towboat Dakota Storm upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge (1 of 4), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Dakota Storm upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge (2 of 4), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Dakota Storm upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge (3 of 4), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Dakota Storm upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge (4 of 4), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Towboat Elizabeth Marie departing main lock at McAlpine Locks on Ohio River, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat Enid Dibert departing main lock at McAlpine Locks on Ohio River, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat Hugh C. Blaske upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat Hugh C. Blaske upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat James G. Hines upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat James G. Hines upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat Jerry E. Holbert upbound on Ohio River at Clark Bridge, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 2005
Towboat Martha Mac upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat Martha Mac upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat Michael J. Grainger upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Towboat R. W. Naye upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat R. W. Naye upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Towboat Sue Chappell upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 4), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Towboat Sue Chappell upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 4), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Towboat Sue Chappell upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (3 of 4), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Towboat Sue Chappell upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (4 of 4), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Towboat V.W. Meythaler upbound at Clark Bridge (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1987
Towboat V.W. Meythaler upbound at Clark Bridge (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1987
Towboat Valvoline upbound with empty tank barges in Portland Canal, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1987
Towboat William Clark upbound in Portland Canal, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998

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[1] "Tugs and pusher craft". Gov.UK. Retrieved 27 December 2015.

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