Tugboat

Tugboat CSS Teaser is captured by USS Maratanza.
Justine McAllister, a tug boat in New York Harbor, January 2008
The tugboats Reid McAllister and McAllister Responder push the LPG tanker BW Volans into port at Marcus Hook on the Delaware River.

A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, such as in crowded harbors or narrow canals,[1] or cannot move at all, such as barges, disabled ships, log rafts, or oil platforms. Some are ocean-going, and some are icebreakers or salvage tugs. Early models were powered by steam engines, which were later superseded by diesel engines. Many have deluge gun water jets, which help in firefighting, especially in harbours.

  1. ^ "How Pygmy Tugboats Dock a Giant Liner." Popular Science Monthly, March 1930, p. 22-23.