Скачать или смотреть John R. Asher - A Rare Tugboat Salute in Duluth

Here is a quick look at the tugboat John R. Asher, as seen at Rice's Point in Duluth, Minnesota on the afternoon of November 4, 2020. The Asher was built in 1943 as the "ST-71" for the U.S. Army and was transferred to private hands after the war, going through a series of owners (and names) until she was acquired by Roen Salvage in 1985, when she was given her current name. The 68-foot Asher is powered by an 850hp Caterpillar D-398-TA engine. She is mostly seen doing dredging work and contracting work on the lakes.

On this day, the Asher was moving a barge back and forth between a dredging site in the harbor and a site where the dredged material was being added to an island in the western portion of the harbor. She made the journey several times that day... and no doubt made it countless times over the summer and autumn months. Viewers to this channel will also recognize the Asher from her appearance in a video I posted showing construction of a new breakwater wall in Superior. She was working along with her fleet-mate the Chas Asher on that effort. If you haven't seen that video, you can view it here:    • Tugboats John R. Asher and Chas. Asher - B...  

I actually didn't intend to shoot footage of the Asher on this day, since I was waiting for another ship at the time. But when I saw her approaching with a barge, I couldn't resist turning on the camera for a quick look. When I waved to the tug captain, he responded with a salute... which was an appreciated gesture, as we rarely get to hear salutes from the tugboats working in the harbor. The large lake carriers get all the attention from the crowds at Canal Park, while the tugs quietly toil away in the harbor with much less fanfare. It's nice to be able to spotlight one of them every once in a while, so we don't forget the hard work they do!