VESSEL OF THE MONTH

Vane Brothers’ 3,000-horsepower push tug Rock Hall, delivered in July 2021.

Rock Hall: Third 3,000-hp Push Tug Joins Vane Brothers Fleet

Baltimore, Md., headquartered Vane Brothers has taken delivery of the Rock Hall , the third of four 3,000-horsepower Salisbury

Class push tugs under construction for the company by Chesapeake Shipbuilding and Naval Architects in Salisbury,

Md. Vane’s newest addition is the 19th

Maryland-built towing vessel to join the company’s fleet since 2008.

Chesapeake Shipbuilding has delivered sixteen 3,000-horsepower, model bow tugs and three 3,000-horsepower squarebow push boats. Two of the Rock Hall’s sister tugs, the Salisbury and the Annapolis, were delivered in 2019 and 2020, respectively. One more 3,000-horsepower

Salisbury Class push boat, the Charles

Hughes, is scheduled for delivery from

Chesapeake later this year.

With a length of 94 feet, width of 34 feet, molded depth of 10.5 feet, and working draft of 8.5 feet, the Subchapter M-compliant Salisbury Class of push tugs is especially well-suited for working in confined, shallow-draft areas along the U.S. East Coast’s inland waterways.

Chesapeake naval architect John Womack collaborated on the design with Vane Brothers port captain Jim Demske, who has overseen construction of nearly 50 tugboats for Vane over the last two decades.

The spacious Salisbury Class tugs feature multiple independently operating heating and air-conditioning systems to enhance crew comfort, and robust fire-containment capability in case of emergency. The tugs run on two 1,500-horsepower Caterpillar 3512 engines, while service power is provided by John Deere 99 kW generators.

“Vane Brothers has once again taken delivery of a vessel constructed to the highest standards demanded by our customers,” says Vane Brothers President C. Duff Hughes. “Powerful, practical and purpose-built to maximize maneuverability where it is needed most, the Rock Hall is another exciting addition to the Vane fleet.”

The tug Rock Hall is named for a waterfront town located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The town is known as “The Pearl of the Chesapeake.”

The Annapolis, delivered in 2020, is a sister tug to Rock Hall.