Vane Brothers has taken delivery of the tugboat Baltimore. The 100’x34’x15’ Baltimore is the third of eight vessels in Vane’s Elizabeth Anne-class of 4,200-hp tugs contracted through St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Fla. The fourth in the series, the Delaware, is scheduled for completion this fall.
The Baltimore bears the name of the Maryland city where Vane is headquartered, and is the 30th vessel completed for Vane Brothers under the supervision of senior port captain Jim Demske.
“While most people are immediately drawn to the elegant exterior paint and joiner work of our new tugs, the quality of the underlying steel work is truly incredible,” Demske said. “Saint Johns Ship Building is doing all of their own cutting using a new CNC (computerized numerical control) machine, as well as their own fit-up and welding of these vessels. The attention to every detail is what makes this end product so beautiful.”
Designed by Frank Basile of Entech Designs LLC, Vane's Elizabeth Anne-class tugs are close cousins of the company’s Basile-designed Patapsco-class tugs, 15 of which were built between 2004 and 2009.
The model-bow Baltimore utilizes two Caterpillar 3516 Tier 3 engines, each generating 2,100 hp at 1,600 rpm. Two John Deere PowerTech 4045 generator drive engines power two 99-kW generators that deliver service power to the boat. A third John Deere 4045 teamed with an Allison transmission drives the chain-driven Intercon DD200 towing winch. The Baltimore features the latest in solid-state, Simrad electronics and mahogany upper and lower pilothouses, as well as accommodations for up to seven crewmembers.
Primarily tasked with towing petroleum barges engaged in the North Atlantic coastwise trade, the Baltimore has joined the Hudson and the Elizabeth Anne as part of Vane’s Delta Fleet based in Philadelphia.
