From Passenger Vessel to Ship Assist

Transportation through water has been a significant part of human history. In fact, most ancient civilizations settled near rivers because they could use the water in irrigating their crops, transporting harvests, and getting to other places quicker than on foot. One of the milestones in water transportation development is steam technology, which made its way into the world in the late 1700's. By the early 1800's, riverboats have been fitted with steam engines that made them more efficient. In March 1802, William Symington of Scotland made...

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Tugboats: The Hardest Working Work Boat There Is

Small work boats can usually be seen in the many harbors of the world, docking and undocking ships. These are more commonly known as tugboats and their job basically goes like this: The boat's captain moves the vessel alongside a ship, and then the tugboat's crew sends a large line to the ship, which is fastened onto the ship by its crew. Once all the lines are securely attached and everything is set, a docking pilot will direct instructions over the radio to the tug captain who will then maneuver the ship into or out of her berth. The equipment...

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Brief Discussion on the History of Tugboats

In the late 1700s to the early 1800s, the development of the steam engine reached its peak, and it was integrated as the new source of power for riverboats. The first tugboat, however, was not made until 1802, when William Symington of Scotland equipped his paddlewheel boat with his patented steam engine. Unfortunately, Symington's boat was banned by canal proprietors after only 6 hours into its maiden trip for fear that it would erode the canal banks with its paddlewheel. A few years after engineer Robert Fulton brought the steamboat to America,...

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