Tugboat
Additional Details:
|
First Day of Issue: July 12, 1988 First Issue Location: Long Beach, California The sturdy tugboat, smoke billowing from its stack, is the working ship of harbor, coast and river. It is also a vital part of modern sea transportation. Before the tugboat was invented, seagoing ships were at the mercy of weather and tide whenever they approached or departed port. Maneuvers in harbor were performed with chains, ropes, pulleys and hooks. So when the first working tugboat in the U.S. was introduced in 1825, its revolutionary potential was immediately apparent. By the early 1900's, a slew of different tugboat types had been pressed into service. There were tugs for harbor, for coast, for salvage, for rescue, and for barge hauling. Usually, the harbor tugs berthed near oceangoing ships, and their skippers spent much of their time in port saloons, drumming up business. Fees were negotiated. So were distances. Shrewd bargaining was the rule. Idle tugs would frequently cruise near the harbor entrance in the hope of meeting an incoming ship, so that speed as well as power became a key to tugboat survival Unicover Corporation |
