Front:
Tugboat 1900s Tugboat 1900s
15
15
BEACH
JUL
12
1988
90809
Onn
Bril
LONG
Back:
TUGBOAT
First Day of Issue: July 12, 1988
First Issue Location: Long Beach, California
The sturdy tugboat, smoke billowing from its stack, is the
working ship of harbor, coast and river. It is also a vital part
of modern sea transportation. Before the tugboat was
invented, seagoing ships were at the mercy of weather and
tide whenever they approached or departed port. Maneu-
vers in harbor were performed with chains, ropes, pulleys
and hooks. So when the first working tugboat in the U.S.
was introduced in 1825, its revolutionary potential was
immediately apparent. By the early 1900's, a slew of
different tugboat types had been pressed into service.
There were tugs for harbor, for coast, for salvage, for
rescue, and for barge hauling. Usually, the harbor tugs
berthed near oceangoing ships, and their skippers spent
much of their time in port saloons, drumming up business.
Fees were negotiated. So were distances. Shrewd bargain-
ing was the rule. Idle tugs would frequently cruise near the
harbor entrance in the hope of meeting an incoming ship,
so that speed as well as power became a key to tugboat
survival.
No. 88-41
©1988 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by Basil Smith
