Tugboats In Action

A tugboat captain explains some of the jobs done by his boat and others on the river.

"In Tugboats, beginning readers will learn about the parts of a tugboat that allow it to move boats and freighters of much greater size. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text engage emergent readers as they discover the unique features of these machines.A labeled diagram helps readers identify the parts of a tugboat, while a picture glossary reinforces new vocabulary. Children can learn more about tugboats online using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites. Tugboats also features reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, and index.Tugboats is part of Jump!'s Machines at Work series."

Meant for “bigger things,” Scuffy the Tugboat sets off to explore the world. But on his daring adventure Scuffy realizes that home is where he’d rather be, sailing in his bathtub. For over 50 years, parents and children have cherished this classic Little Golden Book.

The powerful little tugboat can do big jobs--such as pulling an ocean liner, a cargo ship, barges, even a bridge! It maneuvers the tall ships and tugs the fireworks barge. Stunning paintings of vibrant harbor scenes in every kind of weather illustrate an accessible, informational text written especially for emergent readers. A table of contents and back matter supplement the fun learning experience.

We've all seen them from afar, but how do they work, what do they do and who runs them? This mammoth book gives readers a rare, closeup look of working tugboats around the world. Huge color spreads that fold out a full 27 inches show the boats at work. 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. Interviews with working captains and profiles of legendary sea dogs depict the colorful and often difficult lives of tugboat crew-daily routines that differ substantially from most of our own as they work in tight quarters under the constant threat of dangerous water conditions. 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.

Complemented by 150 black-and-white period photographs and personal anecdotes of life on the New York waterways, a visual history traces the lore and use of tugboats in New York from their early nineteenth-century precursors to their heyday in the 1950s, detailing their various roles guiding large ships safely, conducting rescue operations, and navigating quantities of resources through traffic-clogged waters. Reprint.

From the early days of commercial navigation on the waterways of the Great Lakes, tugboats have been needed to guide the ships in and out of the newly constructed ports. As the means of transportation progressed from wooden schooners to large steel steamships, the tugboat also grew in size. This book takes an in-depth look into the ancient practices of Great Lakes ice-breaking, ship-assistance and towing. At the turn of the century, the towing industry changed forever with the consolidation of fleets and the design of the low-profile powerful steam ship-docking tug. This "G-Tug" design has become known all around the world and these same 80-year old tugs are still the primary workhorse in most harbors on the Lakes today. Many other designs, unique to the fresh waters of the Great Lakes are profiled in this book. The severe climate of the Great Lakes region is brutal on the equipment and the tugs are built tough, for heavy ice breaking. A new class of powerful Coast Guard ice-breaking tugs came out in the 1940s. Today, many of these "WYTM" class tugs survive in commercial service on the Lakes. The Lakes have always been home to a large fleet of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tugs. Additionally, U.S. Army auctions have brought many government-class tugs such as LTs, STs, and DPCs to the Lakes in the hands of private and commercial operators. In the rivers that feed the busy port of Chicago and all throughout New York State on the Erie Canal, a rare species of tug can be found-the famous "canallers" which are also featured in this volume.