U.S. Revenue Cutter CALUMET

[MastersMate]

Over with the Navy topics at the other site is very interesting bit on Revenue Cutter Service, Early Coast Guard, and US Navy history is about ready to go to the scrap/junk yard.

It concerns the Revenue Cutter CALUMET, later the CGC TIOGA. A Revenue Service tug from the Spanish American War and looking like the same type/class as the USRC HUDSON.
 

Compare the photos. they sure are similar enough to be the same class of cutter.

Presently she is a dockside derelict in Homer, Alaska. If anyone is in that "quaint Alaska drinking village, with a fishing problem", perhaps they can get around the harbor and check this out. Present name is the "Spanky Paine"

The Coast Guard missed the BEAR 40+ years ago, but perhaps another Revenue Cutter for possible restoration might be an appropriate project.

From the folks over on the US NAVY topics

"You can find the story with a picture of the boat on the "Homernews.com" web page (you have to look under local stories since it was originally posted about a week or two ago."

Anyhoo, wrote a letter to the editor of the Homer paper, and am presently playing phone tag with a fellow up there looking for more info on the old Cutter. Will pass on any information as it develops.

Additional  info:

Talked with the fellow up in Homer, Alaska. His curiosity was aroused by the letter to the editor, and he's looking at throwing in a bid and re-doing the cutter as a live aboard. Put him on th a site with access to the original plans. Will see what develops.

[BuoyJumper]

DANA .... You've probably already seen this but notice when it was last updated.



Story last updated at 8:27 PM on Wednesday, January 14, 2009

114-year-old tug among Homer's homeless boats
By Aaron Selbig
Staff Writer

At the Homer Harbor, homeless boats -- or "derelict vessels" as they're officially known -- face an uncertain future. Some of them are rescued at the last minute, their overdue moorage fees paid by owners old or new. Others are auctioned off by the city, although that hasn't happened for several years.


The Spanky Paine, a 115-year-old steel tugboat that fought for the U.S. Navy
in the Spanish American War, sits abandoned in the Homer Harbor.
Aaron Selbig, Homer News Photo

The fate of many of them lies in a scrap metal heap.

"They're the equivalent of junkyard cars," said Harbormaster Bryan Hawkins. "We've been looking for a viable contractor who would be interested in scrapping them, but the price of scrap has dropped and now they're not returning my calls."

A vessel is first considered derelict, said Hawkins, when its moorage fees go unpaid for 90 days. At that point, the city sends a letter to the boat's owner, giving 30 days to pay before the vessel is impounded.

An impounded boat still belongs to its owner, but will be tied up in the harbor and have its doors sealed by harbor staff. If another 30 days go by with no response from the owner, the vessel officially becomes the property of the city, which then has the right to put it up for auction.

Hawkins couldn't remember the last time the city held such an auction, and said he tries everything he can to avoid that scenario.

"With some of these vessels, I don't know if we'd have a really good result from an auction," he said. "Say we've got a vessel that owes $50,000 in back moorage and charges against it and the boat is worth $10,000. That means I'm authorizing a loss of $40,000. I would need council approval for that."

Sympathetic to boat owners who may have gotten in over their heads financially, or may have had a personal tragedy get in the way of their plans for their vessel, city officials usually try to pair up potential boat buyers with delinquent owners.

That's relatively easy to do with smaller craft, said Hawkins, but gets tricky with the big boats.

"There's no market for, say, a steel tugboat that's completely outdated," he said. "Nobody wants a 160-foot processor that's been stripped out."

Presently, there are six derelict vessels taking up residence in the harbor, said Hawkins, but one of them, a 94-foot steel tugboat tied up near Ramp 7, stands out for its uniqueness.

The M/V Spanky Paine, believed to be the oldest boat in the Homer harbor, has a rich history. Built in 1894 in Buffalo, N.Y., the Spanky Paine is a veteran of three wars, having been commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. It has gone by several different names in its 114 years - the Calumet, the Tioga and the John F. Drews among them - and has had at least seven different owners. In 1990, then-owner Fred Paine, who named the boat after his son, brought the boat to Alaska. Homer Harbor officials have been unable able to reach its current owner, Kenneth Bozinoff, for two years.

So the M/V Spanky Paine, older than the city itself, sits in the Homer Harbor, its hull rusted and its fate uncertain.

"In my opinion, its only future is to be scrapped out," said Hawkins.

Although harbor officials have cracked down on derelict boats in the last few years and did not add any new ones in 2008, Hawkins said increased moorage rates, which went into effect Jan. 1, could exacerbate the problem.

According to the new rate plan, a 94-foot boat like the M/V Spanky Paine would pay $3,508.65 annually to moor at the harbor.

"This is a problem that all harbors have," said Hawkins. "We have an advantage here in that we get to know the owners and the boats. There's always going to be some that get into trouble. We just have to do our best to stay ahead of it."

As for the six derelict boats in the harbor, including the M/V Spanky Paine, Hawkins is open to hearing from potential buyers.

"Come on down to Fairly Honest Bryan's Used Boats," he said with a chuckle.

Original Article

[BuoyJumper]

From the records of Bell's Steam Engine Works it appears that they only built two tugs with a gross tonnage of 190 tons, 94'6'' in length and 20'6" in beam.  The CALUMET (WYT ?) was delivered in 1893 and the TIOGA (WYT 74) was delivered in 1894.

Here's the CALUMET as the tug William J. Dugan



It looks like navsource got it wrong in saying CALUMET was renamed TIOGA.  From Bell's records that does not appear to be the case.

The HUDSON built by John H. Dialogue, Camden, NJ was also 94'6'' in length and 20'6" in beam and Commissioned USRC Hudson 17 August 1893.
Being that it was the same length and beam as CALUMET and TIOGA it probably was the same class of WYT.

[pachesma]

http://www.congressionalgoldmedal.com/FrankHNewcomb.htm


-JRC

[MastersMate]

An item that has me head and ass scratching is the listed displacement tonnage.  Hudson is listed as 128 tons, but the others at 190 tons. I wonder if there is an error in transcription years ago, and HUDSON should be 182 vs 128.  For the size vessel, that is a lot more appropriate.

Great catch in the Bells shipyard records.  Now it would be nice if this even caught a passing interest at CGHQ. A restored actual Revenue Service Cutter moored at this new museum that keeps being bantered about would be a nice addition.

[BuoyJumper]

An item that has me head and ass scratching is the listed displacement tonnage.  Hudson is listed as 128 tons, but the others at 190 tons. I wonder if there is an error in transcription years ago, and HUDSON should be 182 vs 128.  For the size vessel, that is a lot more appropriate.

Great catch in the Bells shipyard records.  Now it would be nice if this even caught a passing interest at CGHQ. A restored actual Revenue Service Cutter moored at this new museum that keeps being bantered about would be a nice addition.

DANA ..... According to the records of  John H. Dialogue & Son, Camden NJ  hull #312
the U.S. Revenue Cutter HUDSON was 174 gross tons delivered in 1893.

[BuoyJumper]

This gross tonnage thing is kind of interesting. 
According to the USRCS In The Spanish American War  it lists both the CALUMET and the HUDSON at 174 gross tons.

Here is a better profile photo of the USRC HUDSON
(I've done my best to try and restore the badly damaged photo)



Here is a better photo of the USRC CALUMET



Here's a photo of USRC TIOGA also built by Bell

[MastersMate]

Ron

Fantastic clean up on the photos !!!   You should send copy along to the historians office. Maybe they'd include them in the write ups on the cutters.

Gross tonnage is a measure of internal hull volume, being the same I'd go with the same class cutter. Same time frame and you can bet the same basic plans. Can clearly make out that the pilot house in HUDSON has one extra window. But even to the eagle on the pilothouse, the same tug.

Cripes, I'd hope someone connected with CGHQ is picking up on this topic. Here is probably the LAST Revenue Cutter of any type afloat and in re-storable condition. There has to be a few bucks somewhere to get this historical class vessel restored.

[BuoyJumper]

Thanks Dana .. They sure look to be the same class of tug even down to the skylights admidships.  I sent Admiral Allen a message tonight about the USRC CALUMET being located in Homer along with a link to this discussion.  Let's hope he passes the message along to someone at CGHQ.

[BuoyJumper]

DANA ... Great news. 
I heard back from Admiral Allen and he's forwarding the info and this url to the CG Historians Office ......  

[captjamie]

According to Donald L. Canney in his book "U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue
cutters 1790-1935"
Hudson was built by John H. Dialogue in Camden NJ Commisioned 15 Sept 1983; Decommisioned 3 May 1935; Displacement tons 128;Dimensions 94'6.25"oa X20'6" X 10'3" (8'4" draft); Machinery- Triple-expansion steam W/ 13", 20" & 31.5" X 24" stroke 160 PSI 12 kts max; crew 11; armament 2; The Hudson was the service's first vessel with a steel hull and triple-expansion engine. She was assigned to the harbor of NYC before coming under naval direction for the Spanish-American War. She was sent for dispatch duty off Cuba. Where on 12 May 1898, under heavy fire from shore batteries, she towed the Navy gunboat Winslow to safety. For this act the vessel was voted the thanks of Congress on 27 June. She subsequenlty returned to NY and paryicipated in the life-saving efforts following the "Black Tom" munitions explosion in July 1916. She remained in NY until her decommissioning.

Calumet (tioga; WYT-74) was built by David Bell of Buffalo NY Commisioned 18 Oct 1894; Decommisioned 14 Oct 1946; sold 22 March 1947;Displacement tons 190; dimensions 94'6"oa (87"wl) X 20'6" X 10'3" (9'6" draft);Machinery Compound-expansion steam 18.5" & 32" X 26" stroke, 11 kts max; crew 14; The Calumet, an Iron hulled tug, served on the Great Lakes until 1898. She was ordered to NY and remained there when the emergency ended; she stayed on the East coast and participated in coastal patrol duty dyring WW1. Her name was changed to the Tioga in 1934, and she served in the 5th naval district during WW2. She was sold 22 MArch 1947.

No picture of the Calumet, but one of the Hudson which is one of the above pics. Interesting to note that the Calumet drew 14" more of water than the Hudson, could partly explain the tonnage difference.

Ron your CG knowledge is unfathomable, you are the man. 

[BuoyJumper]

Here's some more information on the Revenue Cutter CALUMET aka the tug Spanky Paine.

A decade later, father and son are still in Dutch Harbor.

''We used Spanky Paine to get us here,'' Paine said. ''We kept hoping to use her again, but we just haven't had any of those long expeditions in years.''

He was tickled to learn the hull got new zincs and a coat of red paint to match the wheelhouse.

It's all part of the 107-year history of the steam-powered tugboat that David Bell built in Buffalo, N.Y., and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service commissioned into service as the Calumet.

According to the marine research center at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, the Calumet did coastal patrol duty for the U.S. Navy in the 1898 Spanish-American War and was temporarily attached to the New York Division of the U.S. Coast Guard during World War I before returning to work for the U.S. Treasury Department in August 1919.

The Coast Guard changed the vessels name to Tioga in 1934 and she served in the Fifth Naval District in World War II. The New Haven Towing Co. bought the tug in 1947 and renamed it the John F. Drews a moniker that stuck even though the vessel changed hands three more times in the next two decades.

Finally in 1967, Dunbar & Sullivan Dredging Co. of Detroit got title to the vessel and named it William J. Dugan.

Like many steam-powered vessels east of the Mississippi, the Spanky Paine didn't convert to a diesel engine until after World War II. The tug caught fire in 1950 while being towed to Groton, Conn., and lost its wooden cabins and superstructure. A 12-cylinder EMD engine was installed as part of the repairs.

Bad luck continued to dog the tug, which sank in the Elizabeth River at Norfolk, Va., while handling a prefabricated tunnel section. The vessel was resurrected once again, and in 1952 it headed to the Great Lakes region to work on the St. Lawrence Seaway project.

SOURCE

[BuoyJumper]

Harbor officials meet on derelict vessel issue

A 120-foot landing craft called the Sound Developer sank in Cordova's harbor three winters
ago, leaving it broken in parts and leaking whatever hazardous fuels were aboard.


Spanky Paine, the former U.S. Revenue Cutter CALUMET

By NAOMI KLOUDA; Homer Tribune
Published: 10/22/11 11:18 pm

HOMER -- A 120-foot landing craft called the Sound Developer sank in Cordova's harbor three winters ago, leaving it broken in parts and leaking whatever hazardous fuels were aboard.

The craft was abandoned by its owner, who is nowhere to be found. A consortium of agencies trying to deal with the problem, and $5 million later, the landing craft and its pieces remain on the harbor floor. Its wheelhouse is partially above water, creating a navigation hazard, with a promised removal coming soon.

This was one of the cautionary tales highlighted by Municipal Attorney Holly Wells at a recent gathering of state harbor officials. The Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators chose Homer for its annual conference. The session on what to do about derelict boats engaged the group into overtime.

Expect the problem of derelict vessels abandoned in harbors to worsen in the next decade. An aging fleet of fishing and transportation vessels is approaching the end of its useful life, Wells told the gathering.

"In 10 years, you will be overwhelmed," Wells said.

She suggested solutions that ranged from new laws to protect harbors to good networking among harbor officials.

The economic heyday of commercial fisheries brought many vessels north. Old state ferries, tugs used for hauling freight, World War II transports transformed into floating processors - many are still out there. Downsized fisheries left many of them obsolete, and Alaska's harbors became their last stop.

Homer Harbor Master Bryan Hawkins calls it "the hot potato problem" when one of those ships is evicted from one harbor only to go rest in another.

"The hot potato plan sucks when you get stuck with a derelict. We managed to get four of our derelicts broken down, two changed owners and one is still in the harbor," Hawkins said. "The problem is that most left to other places in the state. I'm not proud of that. I don't like it; it's not a solution."

With the help of a phone tree, harbor officials can alert one another when a derelict is limping in their direction. Wells recommended the harbor officials immediately establish a communication tree.

There are legal pitfalls that can be avoided, Wells advised them. Armed with strong city tariffs and codes spelling out a list of safety requirements, cities can prevent problem boats from becoming an economic and environmental nightmare like the Sound Developer. Hawkins, who believes that Homer is "an overachiever in the derelict vessel problem," set out to find solutions. Hawkins and Deputy Harbor Master Matt Clarke wrote letters and spoke with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

If old tugs like the Spanky Paine (aka USRC CALUMET) or the Honcho, now being salvaged for scrap metal, were to sink in the harbor, whatever waste oil and other pollutants that remained aboard would also sink.

"I was embarrassed to ask, is there a federal or state plan to help with these boats? ... But, no, in the end I found we're on our own," Hawkins said. "We will continue to push for, number one, them to recognize the problem, and number two, find a workable solution before the costs to the public reach the millions like they have in the case of the Sound Developer."

Hawkins began taking legal steps, working with Wells, to rid the harbor of boats that represent "clear and present danger."

Wells, in searching case histories, discovered an ancient role of federal protection stretching back to the 18th and 19th centuries. While collecting on debt, placing liens or evicting owners, harbors must avoid actions that could be deemed unconstitutional. Harbors also can't reasonably exclude a ship or boat seeking refuge, outlined as the owner' legal rights under admiralty law.

But cities can create legal means to protect their waters.

"The law requires a city to act 'rationally' in regard to vessels. That means having it spelled out in tariffs and code ahead of time. Here is an itemized list of things you cannot do; here are the requirements you must meet in order to remain in the harbor," Wells said.

Homer passed a law that requires each boat in the harbor to be moved on its own power twice per year at least 60 days apart. This helps to identify boats too broken down to move or those abandoned by their owners. So far this has been a valuable tool, Hawkins said.

A harbor official from Ketchikan asked Wells what can be done if an ailing ship is escorted into the harbor by the U.S. Coast Guard.

"You have control. If the ship is falling apart at the seams, you can talk about the 'clear and present danger' it presents. The Coast Guard can be your ally," Wells answered. "This threat can help you immediately get that vessel out of the harbor."

Unpaid moorage fees from abandoned boats mount into the thousands of dollars, representing a double loss to cities since they can't rent the space to a working boat.

Hawkins found that by working with owners, offering to forgive half the moorage fees on the condition of getting the boat out of the harbor, he can achieve the desired results.

In the cases of the Spanky Paine and the Honcho, Homer handed over both tugs to Peninsula Scrap and Salvage, receiving no monetary compensation.

"But the way we look at it, we get back 180 feet of moorage space, and we've mitigated an irritation and prevented a future disaster," Hawkins said.

Of the 14 ailing vessels that formerly inhabited the Homer harbor, all the large derelicts are gone. Now there are a few smaller, 40-foot class vessels on the radar.

Original Article

[BuoyJumper]

Last docking for Spanky Paine, Honcho
Historic, but derelict, ships to be salvaged for new recycled use of steel

By Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune


Peninsula Scrap and Salvage foreman Kevin Hatten stands before the M/V
Honcho with the M/V Spanky Paine in the background. Both are set for salvage
by the company in the coming weeks.

HOMER -- Work began Monday cleaning the M/V Spanky Paine and the M/V Honcho to prepare them for scrapping and eventual recycled use on the international metals market.

Peninsula Scrap and Salvage are the new owners of the derelict ships, after the City of Homer handed over the titles in an agreement to salvage materials on the ships. It’s a good deal for the Homer Port and Harbor, and the end of a long quest to rid the harbor of derelict ships whose moorage fees aren’t paid even while they claim prime dock space.

“We’re getting the last commercial value out of them by breaking them down,” said Harbor master Bryan Hawkins. It also means the ships’ salvageable parts aren’t going to be wasted.

Hawkins is asked why the harbor doesn’t scuttle old ships, but explains that’s not always an option.

“Scuttling is a long process, and they have to be certified clean. That’s pretty tough when there are lead-based paints, not just oils. It’s pretty extensive what you have to go through,” Hawkins said.

Kevin Hatten, the project foreman for Peninsula Scrap, said people interested in the ships have stopped by for a last look. A few have asked for the antique portholes.

“I tell them, if they want a porthole, make a donation of $99 to the Pratt Museum or the Sea Life Center, and I will save them one,” Hatten said.
The Homer Playground Project is interested in one of the Spanky Paine’s giant cleats, which Hatten said they will try to salvage for them.

The Spanky Paine, originally called the USRC Calumet, had a grand history stretching 117 years. The Honcho is more of a mystery.  “I was told she barged vehicles between Seattle and Honolulu at some point. It would be good to find out a lot more about her,” Hatten said.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard registry of ships, the Honcho was built in 1943. Where and why isn’t recorded.

The Spanky Paine was one of the steel-hulled steamships by celebrated shipbuilder David Bell of Buffalo, N.Y.

The Calumet was sold to the U.S. government for $38,500 and was commissioned Oct. 18, 1894 for service on the Great Lakes, stationed out of Chicago. The ship was then transferred to the Navy during the Spanish American War in 1898. There, she served with the North Atlantic Squadron, shouldering two mounted guns in her main battery.

She was commanded by 1st Lt. W. H. Cushing of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, operating on vital coastal patrol duty to guard against the possible approach of enemy ships.

The vessel was commissioned for service with the Navy again during World War I, where she hauled war supplies and troops. Following the war, she was transferred back to the U.S. Treasury Department in 1919 and renamed “Tioga” in 1934. Tioga was transferred to the Navy for a third time during World War II.

The Navy decommissioned the Tioga on Oct. 14, 1946, and sold it months later to the New Haven Towing Co. of New York. There, the tug was then given its third name: the “John F. Drews.”

The “John F. Drews” sold again into private ownership in 1950 to the Whaling City Dredge and Dock Corp. of Groton, Conn. That same year, she caught fire off New Haven, Conn., in Long Island Sound while being towed to Groton. The wooden cabins and the superstructure were completely burned, and in the rebuild, the steam engine was converted to diesel. The ship was then sold in 1958 to C.A. Pitts General Contractor, Ltd. of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Four years later, he sold it to the Merritt-Chapman and Scott Corp. of Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1967, the ship was sold again, this time to the Dunbar and Sullivan Dredging Co. of Detroit, Mich. It was renamed the “William J. Dugan,” and then bought at auction by Bob Billington. Billington sold the vessel to its Alaska owner after being renamed “Spanky Paine” by Fred Paine of Superior, Wisc. “Spanky” is believed to be a son’s nickname.

The ship left for Alaska in the late 1980s, where it worked a clean-up contract for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

After that chronology, not much on the Spanky Paine survives of its original. The steel hull looks like its been mended many times over. “See all those seams? That shows how many times they had to go over it for repairs. The hull is likely the only thing original still there,” Hatten points out. “Not many of the bells, lights or anything else remain.”

So far, about 300-400 gallons of waste oil are identified for removal on the Honcho. The Spanky Paine hasn’t been assessed yet. The winches from each tug is going to a local for refurbishing at a discounted price.

Hatten figures the project will take about a month to complete.

Original Article