Tug of the month: RELIANCE

Tug Reliance 2015 Photo courtesy of LG Evans Maritime Images RELIANCE was built in 1909 in Bay Center on the eastern shore of Shoalwater Bay (now, Willapa Harbor). She was built for the E.E. Case Logging Company, and was a…

Tugs of the Month: Mini Jane B and Chauny C

The energy and determination of Dr. Robert Peck know no bounds.  When we left his story in Volume I of “Tugs at the Capital City” (2018), he had just completed work on his third mini or scale tug, the JANE B.  Here is her…

Tug of the Month: ELF

Special thanks to the late John W. Hough, maritime historian for his research and insights. The steam tug ELF was built in 1902 for Olson Towing Company by the highly-respected Tacoma shipyard Crawford and Reid.  She towed…

Tug of the Month | RELIABLE

Reliable Racing at Olympia Harbor Days 2012 (photo by Tom Blackwood) RELIABLE was built in 1945 as ST (Small Tug) 908 for the US Army by Burger Boat of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The Army Transportation Corps during World War II…

Tug of the Month: ATKA

Atka in Budd Inlet at Olympia Harbor Days (lg Evans Marine Images) ATKA was designed by Albert Glaser and built by Albert and his son Alan Glaser beginning in 1972 and completed and launched in 1974-75, at Eagledale, Eagle…

Tug of the Month: WALLACE FOSS

Wallace Foss Circa 1934 - cropped image from Foss Maritime Company Archives The long-lived tug WALLACE FOSS was built in 1897 in Tacoma’s "Old Town” by Steven Barbare for use in the Klondike Gold Rush. She was originally…

Tug of the Month | ARTHUR FOSS

Arthur Foss passing Gasworks Park, Seattle (Photo courtesy of LG Evans Marine Images) The venerable tug ARTHUR FOSS has a long and storied history, encompassing deep sea towing, The Alaska Gold Rush, charter service with the…

Introducing the SMITTY J and KATHY M, plus boat builder Bob Peck

Bob Peck has long been a pillar of the Olympia Harbor Days (OHD) enterprise, and his scale or mini tugs have been a prominent feature in recent years. Two are completed, and a third is under construction. Smitty J and Kathy…

Tug of the Month | Heart Strings

Heart Stings out and about (OHD Stock Photo) HEART STRINGS is a tug boat type not usually seen in the waters of Puget Sound; a “log bronc,” also known as “boom boats” or “booming beavers.” She was built in 1956 by L.S. Baier…

Tug of the Month | R.W. CONFER

R.W. Confer Racing at Olympia Harbor Days 2016 (Photo courtesy of LG Evans Maritime Images) R.W. CONFER was built in 1930 in Portland, Oregon by Albina Shipyards, Engine and Machine Works (founded 1900). Albina was later…