One for the nautical members please.

On Saturday, I took my mum for a day out to Felixstowe and we visited Landguard Point viewing area.

We were fortunate to witness the arrival of the Maersk Kampala, being towed fore and aft by a couple of tugs. Said vessel is a "big bit of kit" I have to say, and I was intrigued that the tugs were in use as I always thought they berthed under their own steam, guided by a pilot.

I have never seen a ship being tugged before so it was fascinating to watch.:ok:

Now for the question please.

I watched as it was towed, seemingly halfway to Ipswitch :), before being turned through 180, the towed backwards into the berth.

I understand the principle of moments which I assume applies in this action, but the question is this?

How do these crews train to become Tug boat captains, how do they gain the expertise required?...other than over time of course.

Never realised there were ship spotters either until Saturday.

I really lo0ve tug boates and trains and locomtives, planes...EVERYTHING...:}

can't wait for the answers:ok:

Not sure exactly in the UK but people who work at sea on boats
often start as deckhands or above and work their way up and
as they get experience do courses / exams to get the net ticket up,
of course leading to Tugboat Captain's ticket.

I am sure their is a career path planned out for those who want to
do it.

Modern large ships now have bow thrusters in the bows (sometimes called transverse propulsion units) which makes a big difference to being able to maneuvering the ship in port and less reliant on tugs. With a few exceptions
I think a Port Captain or whatever they are called still has to be on the bridge.


As much as I love the sea, boats, navigation at sea etc, I wouldn't want to do it with a big ship and having to take into account the wind effect on the flat sides and the tides ! Plus I only have to step on a Fast Patrol Boat to get sick !!! LOL




.

Krystal n chips,

There are actually colleges and courses that people can attend to obtain training on how to control vessels. There are actually simulators for some types of vessels (particularly for tankers).

Training comprises theoretical and practical, and continues throughout your career (as any other job).

Warsash Maritime Academy (http://www.warsashacademy.co.uk/home.aspx)

Remember not to park big ships beside each other. During the oil slump in the eighties they parked some tankers in a Norwegian fiord. When the time came to return them to service they found that gravitational attraction had stuck them together.

KnC it does depend on the country, but here's some information on Maritime Towing and training, i've included on from Lowestoft college for you ...

Welcome to Lowestoft College - Maritime and Offshore (http://www.lowestoft.ac.uk/maritime.asp?gclid=COfr7vPM5rECFUYNfAodpxAAYQ)

http://www.marinesafety.com/research/documents/TractorTugTrainingaspublishedinMarineLog.pdf

McAllister Towing and Transportation Co., Inc. > About McAllister > In The News > Deckhands Graduate from (http://www.mcallistertowing.com/AboutMcAllister/InTheNews/DeckhandsGraduatefromTugboatU.aspx)

Have a tug (http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/forumdisplay.php?f=289&order=desc) ;)

Edited to say that the stuckgear URLs look just the job.

We would be looking over the side down at the blokes on the Tug and thinking,
"Lucky buggas be going home for their tea tonight"
They would be looking up at us looking down at them and thinking
"Lucky buggas is off to some warm furrin part"


The grass is always greener on tother side of the street
:rolleyes:

Why tug boat captains need training

tug boat flip accident skookumchuck narrows - YouTube

Don't get too close

Many moons ago a fresh faced young Cacophonix fancied the idea of a life on the ocean wave and investigated the idea of tugs.

As part of my investigations I was invited to come up and talk to the skipper of the Wolraad Woltemade. The Woltemade was the most powerful tug in the world at the time. At the appointed time (18:00 hrs if I remember correctly) I sauntered onto the bridge of the tug unchallenged and noted that there was nobody about.

Eventually a disinterested 3rd mate appeared and escorted me down to the Captain's cabin from whence there came the sound of female laughter and from where the slightly embarrassed Canadian Captain emerged to give me a very perfunctory overview of his ship before he slipped back down to the pleasures from which I had pulled him.

A couple of months later the Captain was fired when what should have been a simple task of pulling a Taiwanese trawler from the beach ended in ignominy when the line fouled the Voith Schneider propeller and the mighty tug itself had to be towed back to the harbour.

Caco never became a tug skipper which makes him a little sad as he contemplates the grim visage of middle age!

Sad image of the old tug awaiting being cut up after finally being beached in India in 2009 ..

http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/42858/2552142110103323497S600x600Q85.jpg

Caco

Caco - your reference to -
when the line fouled the Voith Schneider propeller

My nephew is a Chief Engineer on tugs in Southampton that use Voith Schneider propulsion, and he tried to explain them to me. Even with a fairly good understanding of rotors/propellers/aerodynamics, I still had a hard time understanding what he was describing until I had a look at animations of how they work. Even now, I don't quite understand the detail of it but get the general idea. Fascinating design.

For anyone interested in tugs - this link Observe The Banana » Voith Schneider Propellers (http://www.observethebanana.com/2008/06/05/voith-schneider-propellers/)
has a fairly good explanation and animation

Krystal

Glad you had a good day out - your Mum too I trust!

For an even more authoritative answer from the tug fraternity themselves, post your question at Tugs - Ships Nostalgia (http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/forumdisplay.php?f=289)

Jack

http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss102/OMBugge/Tugs/Tugs20R20Us201.jpg

The South African tugs "John Ross and "Wolraad Woltemade" (better known as; "the otherone with the difficult name")
For many years known as the worlds biggest tugs, at 20,000 Hp / 220 t. BP, but not any more.

Here is the presently biggest tug in the world,; Far Samson, 423 m.t. BP:

http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss102/OMBugge/Offshore%20Vessels/FarSamson-WorldsmostpowerfullAHT.jpg

"Here is the presently biggest tug in the world,; Far Samson, 423 m.t. BP:"

Not sure where you got that from LON but she's not a Tug.

She's a Trenching vessel on long term charter to Saipem.

Lon

I also had the pleasure of sailing aboard the John Ross not long after my somewhat disappointing visit to the "one with the difficult name".

The contrast in approach and enthusiasm on board the John Ross couldn't have been more astounding.

I was taken under the Chief Engineer's wing as he enthusiastically described and showed me her diesel engines under working conditions (he had installed perspex observation hatches so that you could actually see the camshafts in motion while under power).

The Captain and crew were the model of professionalism and the contrast with what I had seen elsewhere couldn't have been starker.

A little background to the name Wolraad Woltemade

Wolraad Woltemade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolraad_Woltemade)

Caco

Could be a dangerous job as well,get that line askance and over she goes.:uhoh:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a194/Deaddogbay/TugBoatRoziMalta.jpg

Ahh, brings back fond memories from my youth...

Remember the John Ross and Wolraad Woltemade (what's so hard about saying that :-P) well, got to see them often - though never had the pleasure of boarding.

At the time I helped my dad in the Naval cadets restore an old steam tug, the T.S. William Weller. Learned navigation on her; And the importance of boiling water for tea every time (not just assuming it's hot and good to go) - the hard way when making tea for the officers.

SFLguy, the Far Samson is actually defined as a "Multifunctional Plough / Tug / Supply / Subsea Service Vessel."
She has 4x6000 kW diesel and a world record bollard pull of 423 tons, number two on the ranking list will do just 312 tons. One impressive lady she is.
Per

"SFLguy, the Far Samson is actually defined as a "Multifunctional Plough / Tug / Supply / Subsea Service Vessel."
She has 4x6000 kW diesel and a world record bollard pull of 423 tons, number two on the ranking list will do just 312 tons. One impressive lady she is.
Per "

She may have that definition Per but she ain't no Tug.

She's known affectionately (ish) as the "Far Expensive" :(

Burns 120Te of MGO per day at a BP of 300Te - dat's a lot of money at $850/Te!

My Nieces favorite TV series when She was a snapper.
TUGS - Jinxed - Part. 1 - YouTube

also had the pleasure of sailing aboard the John Ross not long after my somewhat disappointing visit to the "one with the difficult name".

One was British and the other Seffrikan perhaps?

The info came from a Tugboat site so I presumed it to be accurate despite some of. my experiences here:p

Burns 120Te of MGO per day at a BP of 300Te - dat's a lot of money at $850/Te!If you want to pull big stuff along the seabed, it will cost you.
Far in Norwegian translates to father, her nickname should thus be, Father Expensive. Could be interesting to know what her present day rate is.
Per

For those not in the know, MGO = Marine Gas Oil

You do not always need a tug : many moons ago, on hotel roof overlooking the harbour of a North African port ( country now under new management ) Polish reg container ship comes into harbour and, as no tugs available, does neat three point turn and backs up to dock side. Most impressive.

Some wonderful and very informative replies ! .....:)

My thanks to all who have responded therefore..:ok:

The fact is, it's very easy to become rather insular within aviation and I have always taken an interest in other forms of transport. Consequently, when you get the opportunity to actually see, or become involved ( as in driving a Class 40 diesel earlier this year ) something that you would not usually see then it's nice to learn more about the subject.

The "Mighty Ships" prog is always fascinating viewing therefore.

The irony is that on the day in question, it was a flat calm..doing the job in "weather" would be even more "interesting" as they say.

Despite the excellent advice here, I feel it prudent if I decline to offer the crew of the Stena ferry from Harwich-Hoek-Harwich my assistance in three weeks time for which I am sure they will be eternally grateful...along with the rest of the maritime world. ;)

And for Jack, me mum was more intrigued, bless her, by the oil support vessel which followed the Kampala, only into Harwich.

Some then and now: (about 50 years apart)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5289/5324590706_02ac4b158e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54935919@<hidden>/5324590706/)
EAR&amp;H tug Kongoni at Mombasa (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54935919@<hidden>/5324590706/) on Flickr

http://i46.tinypic.com/4h5cv8.jpg

And TS McEwan (I think) being deliberately sunk to provide a reef

http://i46.tinypic.com/10nf3a8.jpg

The fact is, it's very easy to become rather insular within aviation and I
have always taken an interest in other forms of transport. Consequently, when
you get the opportunity to actually see, or become involved ( as in driving a
Class 40 diesel earlier this year ) something that you would not usually see
then it's nice to learn more about the subject.



KnC...I am o f the well founded belief that a HUGE number of the world's problem arise from problems with transportation...

Also,I like how this thread clearly illustrates that when it comes to a job any job there's always so much more that meets the eye...just as everyone thinks driving a loco is easy...:)

get that line askance and over she goes


TPSOI:

technical term is 'girting'

:8

Here you go !

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