Repower of the Tug Gretchen H
As sometimes happens with boats in the maritime world, the recent repower of a tug shone a light on a pair of well-known independent companies. The tug Gretchen H. (ex Harry Olsen, Polar Breeze) was built by Rodriguez Shipbuilding of Coden Alabama in 1997 and is currently owned, since 2005, by Boyer Towing.
The Gretchen H is a good solid boat and her owners decided she was well worth a new set of engines. At 80 by 30 feet she has an eleven-foot depth. As with many tugs out of the Rodriguez yard she has triple propellers and triple engines. She had an older set of engines rated at 700 HP each. The owners decided on three new Cummins QSK19 Tier 3 compliant engines rated for 750 HP each at 1800 RPM. The existing Twin Disc MG5202DC gears with their 6.1:1 ratio were a good fit for the new engines so they were retained.
Boyer did the repower themselves at their own Seattle yard. The old Luggers came out and the new, bright-red Cummins machines went in. The tug performed flawlessly on sea trials at the end of January and is ready to go back to work towing barges between Seattle, Wake Island, or Alaska.
Photos: Mike Fourtner/Cummins
For further information:
Boyer Towing
Seattle, WA
206 763-8688
Mike Fourtner
Commercial Marine Sales, Pacific Region
Cummins Sales and Service
3300 Mottman Rd. SW
Olympia, WA 98512
Direct 360 242 4175
Mobile: 360 742 2864
Email: mike.fourtner@cummins.com
Capt. Jennifer McQuilken
Marketing Communications Leader, Marine and Oil & Gas
Cummins Inc.
4400 Leeds Ave. Suite 300
Charleston, SC 29405
USA
E-mail: Jennifer.McQuilken@cummins.com
Phone: +1 843 696-9534 (call or text)
A. Haig-Brown & Assoc. Ltd.
Bangkok, Thailand
Phone: 66 (0)8 5347 6206
E-mail: alan@haig-brown.com
Alan Haig-Brown
Over 30 years as an author for global commercial marine and fishing publications backed with hands-on experience on commercial fishing boats and coastal freighters makes Alan Haig-Brown uniquely qualified to provide vessel reference articles for Cummins Marine. You can find him in shipyards around the world, and on his own website, www.haig-brown.com.
