TDOT Christens Mv. Summitt, Named After Late Coach
A swinging bottle of orange soda, rather than champagne, christened the new Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) ferryboat mv. Summitt.
Orange is the color associated with the University of Tennessee, and the new boat is named after the late Pat Summitt, head coach of the university’s Lady Vols basketball team from 1974 to 2012.
Fittingly, the Summitt is paired with a deck barge named the Volunteer to transport motorists across the Tennessee River at Mile 78.3 as part of the Benton-Houston Ferry service. Both the boat and barge were named as part of a statewide contest.
The 48- by 18-foot, 800 hp. boat was the first new-build in four years for McGinnis Inc. at the company’s Sheridan Shipyard in South Point, Ohio. The ferry is operated by River Marine Services for TDOT.
The new boat was delivered November 1 and replaces one built in 1957, said George Ritchie, vice president of operations for River Marine Services.
Fares vary depending on vehicle size and number of axles, but most car drivers pay $1 to use the ferry, which makes 40 to 50 crossings each day. The ferry service carried roughly 14,500 vehicles in 2023.
“There are a lot of safety features built into this boat,” Ritchie said. He mentioned the dual steering system, upgraded radar and generator and an increase in horsepower from 300 to 800 hp., meaning crossings can be completed in about half the time.
Additionally, he said, the boat will be less expensive to operate and maintain than its aging predecessor.
Fuel savings should also be beneficial, said Bill Foster, executive director-shipyard operations for McNational Inc., McGinnis’ parent company.
Both Foster and Rob Lynch, director of marine construction and projects at McGinnis, said working with TDOT and River Marine Services was an extremely smooth process, aided by openness to ideas and suggestions that benefitted the project.
In addition to the builder, operator and transportation officials, the December 13 christening was attended by Deputy Gov. Butch Eley, who serves as TDOT commissioner; Morgan Vance of the Summitt Foundation; and former UT-Knoxville athletics director Joan Cronan. The Henry County High School madrigals also performed the national anthem and Christmas music, along with a banjo rendition of “Rocky Top.”
Eley noted that Tennessee once had 33 ferry boats, but now has only two, with this one being the last remaining one in the state on the Tennessee River.
“When we say we are multimodal in Tennessee, it’s not just about roads,” he said.
Vance said that naming the boat Summitt shows a commitment by Tennessee officials both to Pat Summitt and to the Summitt Foundation, along with its mission to accelerate research for Alzheimer’s disease.
Cronan said the naming was also appropriate in other ways. With eight NCAA Division I basketball championships under Pat Summitt’s belt, Cronan said of the name, “It means powerful. It means strong. It means moving people where they need to go.”
Cronan made a quick quip from the game of tennis, saying, “It’s better to serve than receive,” before noting that the boat would be serving the people of Tennessee for a long time to come.
“I know she would be very proud, and her family would be very proud and all her players out there,” Cronan said.
Vessel Specs
The mv. Summitt was designed by SeaCraft Design LLC of Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
It measures 48 feet long by 18 feet wide with a molded depth of 6 feet, 4 inches and pilothouse eye level of 18 feet.
It is a twin-screw, Tier 3 conventional vessel powered by John Deere 6090AFM85 13.5-liter main engines from CK Power of St. Louis. The main engines are coupled to Twin Disc model MG-5091DC reduction gears from Great Lakes Power Inc., at a ratio of 3.82 to 1. These turn four-blade, 44-inch by 28-inch pitch stainless steel Michigan Wheel “Workhorse” propellers. The 3.5-inch diameter shafts were machined in-house. Mechanical seals are by Simplan. Bearings are from Duramax.
Steering is accomplished by a Skipper Engineered Products electric over hydraulic system from Donovan Marine. Ship service power is from a 30 kW. Kubota KK4 generator with G-3000, 60 Hz., single-phase controller from Power Products Inc., of Ashland, Ky. Engine coolers are R.W. Fernstrum & Co. Grid coolers.
The boat has capacity for 2,880 gallons of fuel in its forward tank and 1,180 gallons in its alternate fuel tank. Wastewater treatment is a four-man MSD-Ahead Sanitation System.
On-deck equipment includes a hand-operated, 2-ton Nabrico winch on the foredeck and a Wintech model WK-3600-08 winch on the stern for securing the boat against the barge in rough weather. A Carboline coating system provides steel protection outside from the elements.
Tufflex flooring and Distribution International ceiling panels are used inside, along with Concord sound-absorbing wall paneling. Galley equipment is from Chandler’s Custom Cabinetry of Huntington, W.Va.
Electronics and communications equipment includes a Furuno model 1935 radar. Electronics and installation were provided by Gemini Electronics of Paducah, Ky. Fire safety equipment includes a Fireboy-Xintex Elite RSM alarm panel by ProFire, Ashland, Ky.
Fendering includes McGinnis custom side fendering with Schuyler fenders on the bow.
————
Featured photo caption: The mv. Summitt, paired with the deck barge Volunteer, makes its way across the Tennessee River at Mile 78.3 as part of the Benton-Houston Ferry service. McGinnis Inc. built the 800 hp. boat at its Sheridan Shipyard in South Point, Ohio. It is being operated by River Marine Services for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, which owns it. (Photo by Shelley Byrne)
