Page 30: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2001)

M antime Ilistorv

Circle 267 on Reader Service Card or visit www.maritimereporterinfo.com 30 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

The tug Helen McAllister, ex Admiral Dewey, was built in 1900 at Port Richmond, N.Y. for the

Berwind-White Coal Co. The tug spent the next 55 years as the stalwart of the Berwind-White fleet, towing coal barges to bunker the myriad of ships In New York Harbor. As coal bunker- ing diminished, the tug was sold to a tug operator in Charleston, S.C. When it was launched, the vessel represented the very latest in technology, much as the new Janet M. McAllister (pic- tured right) does today. Originally powered with a triple expansion compound steam engine developing 900 hp at a working pressure of 150 psi, the tug was repowered after WWI with a 1930s Fairbanks Morse Diesel engine. In the 1980s McAllister towing acquired a

Charleston tugboat company, which owned the vessel. The tug was renamed the Helen McAl- lister, and continued to work in the ports of Charleston and Georgetown, S.C. In 1992, the vessel was brought to New York Harbor for Operation Sail. Helen retains the characteristic tall stack and the original bell system used to transmit orders to the engineer. Helen's life continues today, as it is now part of the permanent collection of the South Street Seaport

Museum. The vessel is available for charter, as are the Seaport's other historic vessels, including the schooner Pioneer and the tug W.O. Decker.

Photo Credit: Stephenie Hollyman worked harder than ever to solidify its core competency — ship docking — while adding the vessels, technologies and services that will sustain it for the coming decades. Brian McAllister takes the company's future very personally, and in the twilight of his career he seeks to re-solidify its foundation to ensure its durability for generations of McAllisters to come. The aggressive approach employed by Captain McAllister in the mid-70s has been replaced by a more calm rationale, ultimately guided by the desire to see his company transcend another five generations. "When people are young there is an insatiable desire to become big and grow, but you have to (Continued on page 33)

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Janet M. McAllister — which was recently built by Eastern Shipbuilding — embodies the company's comittment to investing in the latest technology to stay competitive. See related story on page 32)

Photo Credit: Stephenie Hollyman 2090 Thornton Street, Ferndale, WA 98248 {T} 800.227-7673 / 360.384.4669 {F} 800.299.9246 / 360.384.0572

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