Harbor Tugboat Kingston II

Harbor Tugboat Kingston II. .

Built: 1937 , Builder: General Dynamics/Electric Boat Division , Designers: E.B. Wheeler and Robert C. Simpson , Location: Groton, Connecticut , Engine: General Motors 12V-71 500hp diesel engine , Length: 44 feet , Beam: 14 feet , Draft: 6 feet 9 inches , Displacement: 25 tons

, Construction , Mystic Seaport’s beloved tugboat Kingston II was among the earliest all-welded vessels. Built in 1937 to train apprentice welders before they qualified to work on U.S. Navy submarines, she was made of scrap steel and finished in four months at a cost of only $15,000. Her four-blade, 44-in. propeller can move Kingston II up to 10 knots (11.5 mph). , , Career at EB , For 42 years Kingston II worked the docks at Groton’s Electric Boat (EB) plant. She attended the launch of many U.S. Navy submarines, including the world’s first nuclear submarine, Nautilus, and guided subs into and out of repair docks. This tug also shuttled equipment to other EB locations, helped with the construction of the Thames River’s Gold Star Memorial Bridge, kept the docks clear of ice, and responded to fires on the Thames and Mystic Rivers. , , Working Life at Mystic Seaport , After Cold War-era nuclear submarines grew too large for Kingston II to handle, she was declared surplus and donated to Mystic Seaport in 1979. Even before joining the Museum’s fleet, she had helped move the Museum’s historic ships in the 1950s and 1960s. after her arrival, she spent 20 years shifting vessels to and from the Museum’s restoration shipyard, ice-breaking, restoring bulkheads, delivering derrick barges, and standing ready in case of fire. Her ceremonial duties have included leading river parades of antique boats and welcoming visiting vessels from other nations., Today, Kingston II needs major repairs to her 73-year old hull before she can return to work at the Museum. She is stationed here as a proud ambassador of the Museum’s watercraft collection and a symbol of this region’s important maritime contributions.