Old Boat Column

A look back into the rich history of the inland waterways transportation industry. From the earliest steam paddlewheelers to the grand sternwheel and sidewheel packets, and the eventual transition from steam to diesel, you’ll find fascinating stories and photos of a different steamboat every week.

The Odd Towboat Pioneer The Pioneer on the Lower Mississippi River for ABL in 1936. (From the author’s collection)

The Odd Towboat Pioneer

August 23, 2024

One of the oddest towboats ever to grace the Mississippi River system was a vessel named Pioneer. Not the Dravo-built, single screw of 1934 (The Waterways Journal, March 23, 2022)… Read More

Engines and More Engines Fairbanks-Morse & Co. ad on the front cover of the March 2,1940, issue of The Waterways Journal. (From the author’s collection)

Engines and More Engines

August 16, 2024

Engine manufacturers have long displayed large front cover ads in The Waterways Journal. Diesel engine ads came to prominence in the 1920s, and throughout that decade it was almost certain… Read More

Huck Finn: One Of The Last Steam-Prop Towboats Christening of the Huck Finn at Slidell on March 14, 1939, from the March 25, 1939, issue of The Waterways Journal. (From the author’s collection)

Christening of the Huck Finn at Slidell on March 14, 1939, from the March 25, 1939, issue of The Waterways Journal. (From the author’s collection)

Huck Finn: One Of The Last Steam-Prop Towboats

August 9, 2024

While Dravo had its innovative new diesel prop boats—such as the Wm. Penn and Ductillite—on the drawing boards, the Inland Waterways Corporation (IWC) was engaged in having three prop towboats… Read More

The Str. Jason: End of an Era The Jason in Union Barge Line service. (From author’s collection)

The Str. Jason: End of an Era

August 2, 2024

In the July 22 and July 29 issues of The Waterways Journal, this column detailed the innovative new diesel towboats Wm. Penn and Ductillite that Dravo built in 1940. At… Read More

Radical New Design From Dravo A shipyard glamour shot at Dravo Neville Island, taken September 23, 1940. (Dravo photo from the author’s collection)

Radical New Design From Dravo

July 26, 2024

In late 1939, a brief announcement was made in The Waterways Journal and other publications that Dravo Contracting Company was working on designs for a towboat that would be much… Read More

Wm. Penn: The Rest of The Story The mv. Midland downbound on the Kanawha River August 6, 1971. (Photo by Jeff Yates)

Wm. Penn: The Rest of The Story

July 19, 2024

The Dravo Contracting Company was justifiably proud of the towboat Wm. Penn that the company had built for the Dravo subsidiary Union Barge Line (UBL) in 1940. In the September… Read More

A True Missouri River Towboat Returns Home Huffman Towing’s mv. R.H. Huffman in 1980. (Jeff Yates photo)

A True Missouri River Towboat Returns Home

June 9, 2024

Those who peruse the Missouri River Daily Boat Report put out Monday through Friday by the Corps of Engineers noticed something curious in mid-May. A little digging, research of the… Read More

Inland Shipyards Turned Out Hundreds Of LSTs LST 157 launch at Evansville in 1942. (Evansville Shipyard Collection, Evansville Museum photo)

Inland Shipyards Turned Out Hundreds Of LSTs

June 3, 2024

This column is being written as we observe Memorial Day and remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. A photo recently shared with me prompted the… Read More

This Nashville-Built Boat Operated Nearly 80 Years New at Nashville in 1940. (Author’s collection)

This Nashville-Built Boat Operated Nearly 80 Years

May 26, 2024

Since the Inland Marine Expo (IMX) produced by The Waterways Journal is taking place in Nashville, Tenn., this week, this column will detail a boat that was built there. This… Read More

The Ewd. B. Warner Was Built At Memphis But Had Nashville Ties The new Ewd. B. Warner in a Busch-Sulzer ad in the November 19, 1938, WJ. (Author’s collection)

The Ewd. B. Warner Was Built At Memphis But Had Nashville Ties

May 19, 2024

Since this is the IMX issue, it is appropriate to feature a boat that has ties to the host city of Nashville, Tenn. The boat selected was not built at… Read More

First
Previous
1
2
3
4
5
…
33
34
Next
Last