in the previous post reminded me of this one,
photograph Andrew McAlister, it is possibly the smallest tugboat there is in the service
of the US Armed Forces, according to Marine
Link, this particular mini-tug was built by the company Chuck’s Boat and Drive, it was commissioned by the US Navy to build a bit shy of 40 of these small
tugboats to help move ships and submarines and to perform other security
duties, it is around 16–19 feet long, and depending on who you ask it is called the Barrier Boat, also known as the Dozer Boat or the Boomin’ Beaver,
above image credit: Nukls, there are a
number of variants, but regardless of tugboat variant, they are all equipped
with Cummins QSM 11, a 10.7-liter turbocharged inline 6-cylinder diesel engine
that can reach around 425 horsepower and 1,800 lb-ft of torque, this is enough
to be able to pull a submarine or a vessel that is hundreds of times its own
weight, it is said to be built with a 1/4 inch steel hull, which increases to
3/4 inch in thickness in key areas around the tugboat, because before they were
made for the navy they were initially built for pulling logs, and any one of them
could damage the hull, and the good news, the US Navy decommissions these boats
every once in a while, and there was one up
for sale quite recently, it was sold to the highest bidder by means of an
auction for US $100,025, so if you think these mini boats are cute, or you are a
miniature tugboat enthusiast, be on the lookout for one in one of these
auctions! For the full story have a look here.
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