In-depth text explains the complex maneuvering systems, techniques and the technology tugs employ. From the port of New York to the Mississippi River, from Hong Kong Harbor to the Panama Canal, these indispensable hard workers quietly control the harbors and rivers of the world. The detailed history walks readers through the development of these beautiful creations of woodwork and engineering from the first makeshift tug to today's rugged powerhouse models. The book describes how, through an intricate choreography of movements, a fleet of tugs navigates massive ships and tankers into narrow waterways, around perilous shallows and into tight docking bays. Their world is a delicate balance of nautical engineering, brute motor force and coordination among vessels that can often mean the difference between safety and disaster.
Tugs offers a rare, close-up look at working tugboats around the world.
From the Puget Sound to the Hudson River, from Hong Kong Harbor to the Panama Canal, these hard worker quietly control the ports and rivers of the world. They are fascinating workhorses, packing up to 10,000 horsepower into a compact, efficient hull, and they're capable of moving ships and barges thousands of times their weight. You will see how tugs, through an intricate choreography of movements, navigate massive ships, tankers and barges into incredibly narrow waterways, through the elaborate locks of busy canals, around perilous shallows and into tight docking bays. The rigors of the tugboat world demand a delicate balance of nautical engineering, brute motor force and coordination among vessels. Any misstep can mean the difference between safe passage and disaster.