Topic summary
Steam tug
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Tugboat.
Propulsion
The first tugboat, Charlotte Dundas, was built by William Symington in 1801. It had a steam engine and paddle wheels and was used on rivers in Scotland. Paddle tugs proliferated thereafter and were a common sight for a century. In the 1870s schooner hulls were converted to screw tugs. Compound steam engines and scotch boilers provided 300 Indicated Horse Power. Steam tugs were put to use in every harbour of the world towing and ship berthing. However the word 'tug' was not applied to such boats until 1817 when John Wood launched "TUG" at Port Glasgow, Scotland.