TWL: towboat vs. bridge explination
Subject: TWL: towboat vs. bridge explination
From: Ross Fleming (rossflem@XXX.XXX)
Date: Fri Mar 01 2002 - 14:06:05 EST
This was published in Scuttlebutt (a daily newsletter about Sailboat
Racing), see http://sailingsource.com/scuttlebutt/default.php.
>* From George W. Adams: The wonderful photo sequence of the towboat going
>under the bridge that crosses a nasty bend on the Black Warrior River at
>Demopolis, Alabama, is miscaptioned.
>
>The lift span is at the west side of the bridge. When the river is high, you
>cannot get a tow over to the open span and keep it in shape through the
>bridge. Standard practice at high water is to drop the tow under the low
>span on the east side, flank the towboat alone over to the open span, then
>catch the tow downstream. That is what this towboat is attempted to do.
>
>In Image 1, the towboat is in the slow water at the inside of the bend,
>apparently shifting two barges into line. In Image 2, you see two deckhands
>left on the tow to make up the tow again. The towboat didn't start backing
>soon enough, perhaps because of an engine failure. (If she didn't have
>enough backing power to handle this bridge, she wouldn't have made it this
>far downstream.) In Image 3, you can see the open bridge span, and the wave
>from the first kick astern. Note that the main deck WT doors were closed
>despite every temptation - the reason this vessel recovered.
>
>Unless it was shut down before the vessel was immersed, the port engine is
>probably no longer operating in Image 18. And aren't those valiant souls
>astern coming swiftly to the rescue? Almost just another day on that river.
>
>In case you missed this the first time, see
>http://www.graddon.net/towboat/towboat.htm
___________________________________________________
Ross Fleming ross@XXX.XXX
S/V Renown Gulfstar 39
Seattle, Washington http://renoun.net
