New S.F. tractor tug Delta Billie

Y

yzer

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Interesting story about a new tug boat running on S.F. Bay.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/14/MNB8185JOR.DTL

This story has much better info and more photos of the Delta Billie. Corrects the engine info: two Caterpillar 3516C engines with 3,400 hp each at 1800 RPM.

http://www.baydeltamaritime.com/images/Baydelta PMM Supplement_2.pdf

deltabillie.jpg
 
They must be the new best thing. We are seeing them all over the northern Gulf Coast, taking
the places of the older style tubs that push around the tankers and freighters.
 
With two locomotive engines they should do something in a big way.
 
yzer,

Excellent insight, I have always been quite curious about tugs and had no idea. I've always immagined tugs were more complicated than first appeared, but this really opened my eyes.

What a high tech piece of pulling machinery, very impressive!

Thanks for the info...
 
I read this post with interest since my son lives and works from your part of the world. I checked out the ship movements that yzer posted and kept following the leads it led me to. His ship left the bay this spring and I was able to find its present location as of June 16. http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=NMRY
The ship is the TS Golden Bear. Many of you are used to seeing it docked just below the I80 bridge. He, along with many others take their students out for a 2 month long training cruise each summer. The link above shows where the ship is today. This is kinda fun! It's amazing what you can do on a computer.
 
Yes Larry, your son must be attending the California Maritime Academy. I've seen the Golden Bear docked many times near the Benicia Bridge.

He's in for a great career. I almost went that route and often wish I had.

If you liked that AIS tracker you'll love this one. You can follow traffic all the way to stockton and Sacramento with it.

http://hd-sf.com/livemap.html
 
Actually my son is one of the Captains and an Associate professor. He goes out for 2 months every summer with his students.Thanks for the link!
 
Larry, welcome to our "little" world! Do you ever come out to visit your son?
 
Flutterby
No, but we do go out to visit our grand daughter. He just happens to live in the same house!
We were there in April and drove around the Delta checking it out. Had to stop in at an Antioch marina and look at a 40 ft double cabin that was for sale. Nosed around Benicias and Valleo's marinas etc. Saw a nice 50ft Marine Trader walk around just like the one we did the great loop in. You know, doing boat stuff! Hope to be back for her birthday in September!
Thanks for the welcome!
 
Larry, you didn't really get into the Delta! Continue past Antioch and either go on HWY 160 to Rio Vista or Isleton, or take Hwy 4 east and follow the signs to Bethel Island off of East Cypress. NOW you will be in the Delta! In fact, let me know when you will be nearby and I'll come down to give you and your wife a boating tour of a little bit of the 1000 miles of Delta Waterways.

http://www.californiadelta.org/location.htm
 
Thanks Flutterby, I may just do that, however we did venture a bit further than I described, we did not make it to Bethel Island. We ate at a small roadside cafe,(part of a marina) visited a State Park and checked out a bird santuary(wetland area). All this was to the NE of Antiock. I know the best way to see it would have been from a boat!
 
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