Built: 1900 Burlee Dry Dock, Port Richmond
Length: 112.12, Breadth: 29, Depth: 15.4 Gross Tonnage: 488, Hull: STEEL
Original Use: Towing coal barges
Present Location : South Street Seaport, Pier 16, East River, New York
The tug, Helen McAllister, ex Georgetown, 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 Harbour. As coal bunkering diminished, the tug
was sold to a tug operator in Charleston, South Carolina. In the 1980s,
McAllister Towing and Transportation Co. acquired the tugboat company in
Charleston, and renamed the tug the Helen McAllister.
She continued to work in the ports of Charleston and Georgetown, South Carolina.
In 1992, with its tall steam stack rebuilt, the vessel was brought to New York
Harbour and used to help dock tall ships during Op Sail at the South Street
Seaport. In 2000, McAllister Towing donated the Helen McAllister to the South
Street Seaport Museum.
When she was launched as the Admiral Dewey in 1900, the Helen McAllister
represented the very latest in technology. Originally powered with a triple
expansion compound steam engine, developing 900 HP at a working pressure of 150
psi, the tug was repowered after WWII with a 1930's Fairbanks Morse diesel
engine. Of the 500 tugboats that at one time worked in New York Harbour, the
Helen McAllister is the only remaining tug of that generation. With her
characteristic tall stack and original bell system to transmit orders to the
engineer, she reminds us of an age that takes us back to the 19th century.
In 2000, McAllister Towing donated her to the South Street Seaport Museum.
The image on the stamp shows her as she would have looked in 1975, before her
restoration.
Two photos, from the internet, of her have been added to Peter C's 2nd Album.
The first was taken in 1975 and the second shows her as she is today.
Written by Mr. Peter Crichton.
Djibouti 1982 25f MSsg?, scott?
Sources: various internet sites