Pusher Tug

A pusher, pusher craft, 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

Towboat engine outputs range from less than up to . Most towboats are from long, and 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 long by 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 long and wide, covering over 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 .

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 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.

See also

* American Waterways Operators
* River cruise
* Riverboat
** Paddle steamer
*Sampan
* Tugboat

Notes

References

* Nautical terminology specific to towboating and inland waterways.
*
*

External links

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

Image:Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River with two tank barges (1 of 6) 87j082.jpg, Towboat ''Ben McCool'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (1 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River with two tank barges (2 of 6) 87j083.jpg, Towboat ''Ben McCool'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (2 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River with two tank barges (3 of 6) 87j084.jpg, Towboat ''Ben McCool'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (3 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River with two tank barges (4 of 6) 87j085.jpg, Towboat ''Ben McCool'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (4 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River with two tank barges (5 of 6) 87j086.jpg, Towboat ''Ben McCool'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (5 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Ben McCool upbound on Ohio River with two tank barges (6 of 6) 87j087.jpg, Towboat ''Ben McCool'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge with two tank barges (6 of 6), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Bruce Darst upbound at Clark Bridge Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 604 2005 file a5k022.jpg, Towboat ''Bruce Darst'' upbound on Ohio River at Clark Bridge, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 2005
Image:Towboat City of Pittsburgh upbound at Clark Bridge Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 604 2005 file a5k024.jpg, Towboat ''City of Pittsburgh'' upbound on Ohio River at Clark Bridge, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 2005
Image:Towboat Dakota Storm upbound at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge near Mauckport Indiana USA Ohio River mile 648 1987 file 87j089.jpg, Towboat ''Dakota Storm'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge (1 of 4), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Dakota Storm upbound at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge near Mauckport Indiana USA Ohio River mile 648 1987 file 87j092.jpg, Towboat ''Dakota Storm'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge (2 of 4), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Dakota Storm upbound at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge near Mauckport Indiana USA Ohio River mile 648 1987 file 87j093.jpg, Towboat ''Dakota Storm'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge (3 of 4), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Dakota Storm upbound at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge near Mauckport Indiana USA Ohio River mile 648 1987 file 87j094.jpg, Towboat ''Dakota Storm'' upbound on Ohio River at Matthew E. Welsh Bridge (4 of 4), near Mauckport, Indiana, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Elizabeth Marie departing main lock at McAlpine Locks Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 607 1999 file 99c020.jpg, Towboat ''Elizabeth Marie'' departing main lock at McAlpine Locks on Ohio River, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat Enid Dibert departing main lock at McAlpine Locks, 1999, Ohio River mile 607 (99c025).jpg, Towboat ''Enid Dibert'' departing main lock at McAlpine Locks on Ohio River, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat Hugh C. Blaske upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1999 file 99b035.jpg, Towboat ''Hugh C. Blaske'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat Hugh C. Blaske upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1999 file 99b037.jpg, Towboat ''Hugh C. Blaske'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat James G. Hines upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1999 file 99b023.jpg, Towboat ''James G. Hines'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat James G. Hines upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1999 file 99b025.jpg, Towboat ''James G. Hines'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat Jerry E. Holbert upbound at Clark Bridge Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 604 2005 file a5k018.jpg, Towboat ''Jerry E. Holbert'' upbound on Ohio River at Clark Bridge, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 2005
Image:Towboat Martha Mac upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1999 file 99d069.jpg, Towboat ''Martha Mac'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat Martha Mac upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1999 file 99d071.jpg, Towboat ''Martha Mac'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat Michael J. Grainger upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1998 file 98k078.jpg, Towboat ''Michael J. Grainger'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Image:Towboat R. W. Naye upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1999 file 99b032.jpg, Towboat ''R. W. Naye'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat R. W. Naye upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1999 file 99b034.jpg, Towboat ''R. W. Naye'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1999
Image:Towboat Sue Chappell upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1998 file 98k095.jpg, Towboat ''Sue Chappell'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (1 of 4), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Image:Towboat Sue Chappell upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1998 file 98k096.jpg, Towboat ''Sue Chappell'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (2 of 4), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Image:Towboat Sue Chappell upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1998 file 98k097.jpg, Towboat ''Sue Chappell'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (3 of 4), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Image:Towboat Sue Chappell upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1998 file 98k098.jpg, Towboat ''Sue Chappell'' upbound in Portland Canal on Ohio River (4 of 4), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998
Image:Towboat V.W. Meythaler upbound at Clark Bridge Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 604 1987 file 87j068.jpg, Towboat ''V.W. Meythaler'' upbound at Clark Bridge (1 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat V.W. Meythaler upbound at Clark Bridge Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 604 1987 file 87j069.jpg, Towboat ''V.W. Meythaler'' upbound at Clark Bridge (2 of 2), Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat Valvoline upbound with empty tank barges in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1987 file 87i075.jpg, Towboat ''Valvoline'' upbound with empty tank barges in Portland Canal, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1987
Image:Towboat William Clark upbound in Portland Canal Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 605 1998 file 98l011.jpg, Towboat ''William Clark'' upbound in Portland Canal, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 1998

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Boat types

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