Urger (canal tugboat) explained
| -- commercial vessels --> | +Urger| Ship Image: | Urger (canal tugboat) 01.jpg | | Ship Caption: | Urger in 2013 |
| Ship Name: | - H. J. Dornbos (1901-1922)
- Urger (1922-present)
| | Ship Country: | United States | | Ship Builder: | Johnson Brothers Shipyard and Boiler Works | | Ship Yard Number: | 11 | | Ship Launched: | 1901 | | Ship Identification: | Official number 96562 | | Ship Status: | Inactive |
| Ship Length: | 73inchesft5inchesin (ftin) | | Ship Beam: | 14inchesft9inchesin (ftin) | | Ship Depth: | 9feet |
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Urger, originally named H.J. Dornbos or Henry J. Dornbos, is a historic canal tugboat based at Waterford in Saratoga County, New York.
Design and construction
H. J. Dornbos was built in 1901 as a fish tug for Verduin Brothers (William Verduin) of Grand Haven, Michigan, by Johnson Brothers Shipyard and Boiler Works of Ferrysburg, Michigan as Yard No.11.[2] As built, she was 63feet long, with a beam of 15feet and depth of 8feet, and measuring 44 gross register tonnage.[3]
Canal service
She was purchased for service on the New York State Barge Canal system in 1922 and was in regular use until the 1980s.[4] She was altered in several stages through 1949. She is 73feet in length, 14feet in beam and in depth. She is registered at 45 gross tons. She has a molded steel frame, deck beams, and riveted plates.[5]
In 1991 the Urger was reactivated "to educate school children and adults about the importance of New York's historic Canal System." As of 2013 the Urger is "the flagship vessel in the New York State Canal Corporation's fleet." Urger was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.[1]
The New York State Canal Corporation again retired Urger placing her in drydock at Waterford in 2018, with a view to transferring her to a visitor centre in Montgomery County as an onshore static exhibit.[6] [7] In September 2021, the tug was towed to the corporation's maintenance shops at Lysander, Onondaga County, for engineering survey and review of her future.[8]
Notes and References
- Web site: Urger . National Register of Historic Places . 9 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211109010831/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=9057ce17-19bb-4927-96c2-9ec52ece9f23. 9 November 2021.
- Web site: Johnston Boiler . Shipbuilding History . Tim Colton . 9 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211109002211/http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/19thcentury/johnston.htm . 9 November 2021.
- Book: Blue Book of American Shipping . 1913 . Penton Publishing . Cleveland, Ohio . 39 . 9 November 2021.
- Web site: About the Canal Corporation: Tugboat Urger Educational Program . New York State Canal Corporation . 19 July 2013.
- Web site: National Register of Historic Places Registration: Urger . July 2001 . 12 October 2010. Mark L. . Peckham . New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Web site: Accompanying 20 photos.
- News: Grondahl . Paul . Canal fans not ready to give up the ships . live . subscription . https://web.archive.org/web/20201206084138/https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Canal-fans-not-ready-to-give-up-the-ships-12935559.php . 2020-12-06 . 9 November 2021 . Times Union . 22 May 2018.
- News: Liberatore . Wendy . Preservation League wants to keep the historic tugboat Urger on canal waters . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180916154635/https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Preservation-League-wants-to-keep-Urger-on-canal-13121497.php . 9 November 2021 . Times Union . 2 August 2018 . 16 September 2018.
- Web site: Tug URGER on the Move!. Preservation League of New York State . 9 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211109022405/https://www.preservenys.org/blog/tug-urger-on-the-move. 9 November 2021 . 21 September 2021.
