THE ARTICULATED TUG and barge (ATB) Corpus Christi and her barge, Petrochem Supplier, moored to the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 3 last Wednesday.
The green, 492-foot tank barge, which has a load capacity of 6.3 million gallons of refined petroleum products, will be pierside for about a week.
Its 144-foot-long pusher tug, Corpus Christi, decoupled from the barge and, after being refueled by Tesoro Petroleum, made her way to the eastern shore of Lake Union to enter Lake Union Drydock, where she will undergo repairs and be out of service for a week.
The work stems from a memorable event last spring.
The Corpus Christi and Petrochem Supplier were en route from Anacortes April 2 with cargo destined for Long Beach, Calif.
Off the coast of Oregon, the duo began experiencing problems with the mechanical locking pins that connect the tug to the barge.
A wave shut down a generator that energizes a key component of the lubricating system.
Contentious, 20-foot seas also flooded the space housing the vessel’s backup generator.
As a consequence, the then-state-funded emergency response tug, Hunter, was dispatched to stand by in case she was needed.
The ATB subsequently made it to Port Angeles where the storm-damaged vessel was repaired.
Out of the water
Platypus Marine in Port Angeles hauled out Lillian S, and the venerable wooden boat which is usually moored at the end of “N” float in the Boat Haven marina, is on the hard for a few days for a coat of bottom paint.
According to Bob Montgomery, who purchased the boat 18 months ago from High Tide Seafoods, the boat will also get a few pieces of planking replaced on the hull, new zincs attached and PropSpeed applied to the props.
The 90-foot Lillian S was built 99 years ago in Astoria, Ore. Initially, the boat was used to tow fish-processing barges on the Columbia River that were manned by Chinese laborers.
She was named for Lillian Skinner, whose family either logged or perhaps owned a sawmill in the Ketchikan, Alaska, area.
George Baggen Jr., great uncle to Ann Wood of Port Angeles, who started Samson Tug and Barge in Sitka, Alaska, in 1937, acquired the boat from an estate in late 1958 or early 1959.
After refitting her, the boat was used to haul log booms to mills throughout various locations in Alaska.
The boat was powered by an Atlas Imperial slow speed diesel when she came into the Samson fleet. These engines were notoriously noisy and generated a lot of heat.
In a letter to his sister in early 1959, George Jr. writes:
“It also has the hottest, screamingest, fuel burningest thing for an engine that I have ever seen.”
He went on to write:
“This probably accounts for the former crews on this boat all ignoring the staterooms and living in the foc’sle. It is as far from the engine as you can get. . . .”
In the late 1970s, the Lillian S was sold to an individual in Seattle who lived aboard her for a number of years.
During his tenure, the boat was used as a tender for a cannery in Sitka during fishing season.
He also towed a barge with supplies and machinery for the cannery when he made his voyages to and from Sitka.
Ernie Vale, owner of High Tide Seafood on Marine Drive, bought Lillian S in 1983 or 1984. At the time she had a Caterpillar V-12 diesel engine that was in such bad shape that it was replaced with a 6-cylinder 855 Cummins Diesel.
In the 1990s, Lillian S was used as a fish-buying platform around Puget Sound and also used as a tender during sockeye salmon season in Sekiu until three or four years ago.
Montgomery has no plans to put the boat to work. He said he is a “sucker for old wooden boats,” and purchased her for a project.
Bob is also seeking historical-status designation for the old girl, and one day hopes to find her a home where her heritage is appreciated and preserved.
Also on the hard
Another vessel with an interesting background is on the hard at Platypus.
Verna Banks was designed by renowned naval architect Art DeFever, who at 92 is still active within the industry from his home on Shelter Island in San Diego.
Verna Banks was built in 1966 by Astillero Playa SA in Guaymas, Mexico, and is one of five boats of this design.
She was launched as Dul-Sea III and was DeFever’s personal boat — named after his wife, Dulcie.
The vessel is powered by the original engine, a D-330 Turbo Aspirated Caterpillar coupled to a 4-to-1 capital gear that turns a 38-inch, five-blade bronze star propeller.
Electrical power is provided by a 5-kilowatt Northern Lights generator.
Marilyn and Richard Foulkes purchased the full-displacement trawler three years ago and have since spent much of their time refurbishing her.
Marilyn completely reconditioned the interior spaces, which included the refinishing of the wood surfaces.
Richard has been busy rejuvenating the boat’s various systems and added a fuel filtering system of his own design that allows him to toggle between filters without shutting down the engine.
Marilyn and Richard attended the Metal Boat Show that was held in Port Angeles last August and were the lucky winners of a haul-out provided by Platypus Marine.
Verna Banks has been out of the water for about 10 days, and Marilyn has spent more than 30 hours scraping the boat’s hull, then sanding it down with a pneumatic rotary sander.
The prop was sent out to North Harbor Propeller to be refurbished.
Prior to Verna Banks haul-out, the Foulkeses spent nine days at the recent Tribal Canoe Journey supporting the Blue Heron Family of the Snohomish tribe and the Raven Canoe Family of the Duwamish tribe on their journey to Neah Bay.
The boat was used at various times by participants seeking rest and dry clothes, but the primary purpose was to be an emergency responder in the event a canoe encountered rough water or tipped over.
Visitor to Port Angeles
On Monday, Tesoro Petroleum provided bunkers in Port Angeles Harbor to Pascha, a 751-foot freighter loaded with a cargo of zinc from Alaska that is bound for Spain.
________
David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the waterfront.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. E-mail dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-417-3736.
His column, On the Waterfront, appears every Sunday.
