Milford chronicle., 1956-06-01
Unique New Vessel
Launched At Dravo

A unique 980-horsepower vesse
that is expected to start a new
trend in marine transportation OF
East Coast waterways was launched
into the Christiana River, Wilm-
ington, Friday at the bravo Corp
shipyard.
The 90-foot craft, combining the
basic designed principles of inland
river towboats with those of har-
Dor type tugs. can be used fol
"push towing" or towing barges
astern on a hawser.
Dravo built the versatile vessel
for Steuart Transportation Co, a
subsidiary of Steuart Petroleum
Co.. pioneer fuel oil distributor and
wholesaler in Washington, ID. G.
Sponsor of the new craft was
Mrs. Guy T. Steuart, wife of the
president of Steuart Motor Co.
Washington. Mrs. Steuart broke
the traditional bottle of champagne
on the vessels bow as her aide
Mrs. Curtis S. Steuart, wife of the
petroleum company's president
/ looked on.
The towboat was named Papa
Guy" in honor of Guy t. Steuart,
who co-founded Steuart Petroleum
Co, in 1904.
Present at the christening cere-
monies was a large delegation of
Washington residents. A reception
in Wilmington Hotel DUPONT fol-
lowed the launching.
Steuart Transportation will use
the towboat to push petroleum
barges on the Potomac River be-
tween Piney Point, Md. and Wash
ington, for eight months of the
year. During the off season, the
towboat and barges will be used
for delivery gasoline from Phila-
delphia to Steuart's Piney Point
plant, and for occasional runs to
Washington.
Since Steuart Petroleum estab-
lished its 63-million-g gallon tank
farm and ocean tanker unloading
facility at Piney Point in 1850, the
company has been transporting
fuel oil and other products to its
Washington distribution terminals
by chartered tugs and barges.
The new towboat can move two
20, O,000-barrel tank barges per trip.
Two new 240-foot integrated barges
were built by bravo for Steuart to
use with the Papa Guy. They
are designed so their square-ended
sterns can be butted together to
form, in effect, a single vessel 4S0
feet long. In this form the barges
have a lower towing resistance and
greater cargo capacity than two
conventional barges of the same
length.
Plans call for the push towboat
to make 20 round trips monthly
between Washington and Piney
Point, assuring a steady supply of
fuel oil and other products for
Steuart's Washington trade. Barges
will be loaded with N. and No.
2 fuel oil and other refined pro-
ducts at the same wharf where
ocean tankers discharge their car
goes for Steuart. Pipe lines extend
one mile from the wharf to the
tank farm.
Dravo's adoption of river tow
boat design features for coastal
waterway operation is based on
gained during the con-
of hundreds of vessels
for inland river, harbor and sea-
going service. To this experience
was added engineering data from
Dravo's continuing research pro-
gram at the Netherlands Ship
Model Basin at Wageningen, Hol-
land.
Although moving barges with the
tOwboat behind the tow is COM
mon on the Mississippi and Ohio
River systems, where the idea
originated more than a century
ago. the practice never had been
accepted generally for coastal
waterways. Traditionally, barges
on East Coast rivers, harbors and
canals are towed behind or along
side the power vessel.
Push towing. as practiced on the
inland rivers. is described as being
more efficient than side or pull
towing. The pushing vessel has
precise control over its barges and
can navigate easily through mar
row channels or between bridge
piers and other fixed structures.
Pushing a tow from behind re-
duces the combined resistance of
harges and towboat This permits
the same horsepower to push great
or tonnages or less horsepower to |
handle the same tonnage.