Osage Marine Christens Mv. Capt. Mike Rushing

Named in memory of a longtime friend, Osage Marine Services welcomed the mv. Capt. Mike Rushing into its fleet February 2 in a christening ceremony in St. Louis harbor.

The boat is named in memory of the late Michael W. Rushing of Jackson, Mo., founder of Rushing Marine Service, LLC, a provider of consulting services and training of U.S. Coast Guard and OSHA regulations. Rushing passed away March 5, 2023, at the age of 79.

Mark Patterson, president of Osage Marine, said he brought the idea of renaming the mv. Coal Express as the Capt. Mike Rushing to the company’s management group shortly after Rushing passed and as the boat was nearly completion of an extensive refurbishment.

He said there was no hesitation form anyone, instead getting a “resounding yes.”

Osage Marine and Rushing Marine had a 27-year history he said.

“There are few finer individuals who have done so much for our industry as Mike, so naming our boat after him was our honor.”

The ceremony included tours of the boat, which received new paint, entirely new electric, replacement of a significant amount of steel throughout the vessel and a new galley and full head, among other changes. All of the underwater work took place either at JB Marine Services or Mike’s Inc.

Todd Rushing, Mike’s son, performed bottle-breaking honors and gave brief remarks. The christening also included a catered meal from Nubby’s BBQ on Telegraph, owned by Todd and Tina Dinsmoor, formerly with JB Marine Services. Tina is the daughter of George Foster, president of JB Marine.

Todd Rushing told the crowd gathered for the ceremony that Rushing Marine wouldn’t be where it is today without Osage Marine.

It was fitting that a harbor boat be named after his father, he said, because, “Dad was always the guy who got the hard work done. He got up early and stayed late and did not want any credit for what he did. That kind of reminds me of the life of a fleet boat in St. Louis harbor. They work hard all day and night to make sure the big line boats and docks have what they need to move commerce up and down the river. They are the unsung heroes of our industry. That was just like my dad and it is how he would like to be remembered.”

Rushing told The Waterways Journal that Patterson told him about Osage Marine wanting to name the vessel after his father at the 25th annual Capt. Woody Golf Tournament back in October.

“That day was already emotional for my family and me since it was the 25th anniversary of the tournament, and it was the first one without my father,” Rushing said. “It didn’t take long for our family to accept this honor on behalf of my dad.”

He added that Osage Marine did a very nice job refurbishing the vessel, which the Rushing has been around for a long time. It was once owned by Missouri Barge Line, another company that Rushing Marine had a deep connection with, he said. “It will serve Osage and the St. Louis harbor well for a long time,” he said.

Originally built in 1967 by Missouri Valley Bridge, the mv. Capt. Mike Rushing is 75.2 feet long by 26 feet wide with a depth of 7.7 feet and a pilothouse eye level of 28 feet.

The main engines for the twin-screw vessel are Mitsubishi S12A2 engines from Laborde Products and are rated at 940 hp. each.

Coupled to Twin Disc 540 reduction gears with a 6.18:1 ratio from Palmer Johnson, the engines turn 70- by 63-inch propellers on 6-inch shafts.

The engines are cooled by the Fernstrum Gridcooler system and monitored by SIM-VUE Engine Monitoring alarms provided by Baton Rouge Electronics. Rivertronics Inc. provided the steering system.

Auxiliary power comes from two John Deere 45kW generators from Mike’s Inc. Electronics are by Datatronics with a pilot alerter system provided by Gmeni.

The mv. Capt. Mike Rushing has 16,000 gallons of fuel tankage and can carry up to 2,350 gallons of water and 125 gallons of lube. Wastewater treatment is from Sea Horse MSD by Humco, which also provided the Fire Lite Fire system. Air conditioning and heating are via a Mitsubishin Ductless Mini Split System installed by Coolaire Mechanical.

On deck are 40-ton Wintech winches.

Inside, the vessel features three staterooms and one full head. Galley equipment is from Samsung Appliances. Tuflex flooring runs throughout the vessel, with NuFiber paneling for walls and ceilings.