Detroit- Slow and powerful’two key tugboat characteristics that inspired Brandon Township resident Paul Vassall to sail off on a lifelong dream.
‘They’re like the little engine that could,? said Vassall, 55, an on-call Brandon Firefighter for the past nine years and Detroit native.
Vassall, who served in the Navy during the early 1970s, was first assigned to a destroyer tender, then to a tugboat in the Mediterranean Ocean from La Maddelana, near Sardinia, Italy.
‘We pushed nuclear submarines around when they came into port,? said Vassall, who served on the Navy’s 109-foot Ocala, a tug named after a Florida Indian tribe. ‘There was nothing we could not push.?
Years later, Vassall’s attraction to tugboats prompted him to purchase one of his own. So in 2002, Vassall purchased the Elizabeth, an 80-ton, 61-foot tugboat with a 17-foot beam, then docked in New Bedford, Mass.
‘You’re not going to go fast in a tugboat,? said Vassall. ‘The Elizabeth is mostly an original tugboat, the engines are new, but the appearance is pretty classic. For example, the steering is via a cable with a four-foot helm. You get a real good workout.?
‘It was in good shape when I bought the tug, but you just never know what will happen when sailing home from the coast.?
The tugboat was laid down at the Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company of Mobile, Ala. in 1936 for the Army Corps of Engineers, and moved to a port near Philadelphia. During WWII the tug, then named ‘Chester,? was used for salvage and ship rescue operations on the east coast area.
Powered by twin-GM 6-110, 400 hp diesel engines turning one 5-foot propeller, the Elizabeth was sailed by Vassall and five friends from the east coast past New York and up the Hudson River through the Erie Cannal before docking in the Detroit River.
‘Sailing through New York Harbor was incredible,? said Vassall. ‘Hundreds of boats all going in different directions in a small area.?
Vassall laughs about an encounter with an attack submarine off the coast of New London, Conn. on the trip to Michigan.
‘The sub surfaced about 100 yards off our bow,? said Vassall. ‘It was not long after Sept. 11, and anything that moves along the east coast was tracked, not to mention we were from out of the area.?
The skipper of the Navy submarine let Vassall’s tugboat and crew pass after a few questions regarding his intentions and destination.
Today, Vassall and the Elizabeth travel the Detroit River and participate in the annual Tugboat race during the July Freedom Festival.
‘I’ve never won the race, but it’s a lot of fun,? he said. ‘About 25 tugs participate. Some are working, others are private, like us.?