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Retired Tug Moves To Florida |
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Friday, 15 June 2007 22:05 |
West Palm Beach welcomed one more retiree this week. The tug Huntington was officially decommissioned in 1994 after 60 years of dedicated service at the Newport News Shipyard in Virginia. The 109-ft vessel was towed to Palm Beach, FL this week to begin a stint as a museum exhibit and classroom for the West Palm Beach Maritime Museum. The tug's new assigment is expected to begin next month, joining the Kennedy Bunker and the abandoned Coast Guard Station on Peanut Island.
The Huntington began its service in October 1933 as a steamer and was converted to diesel power in 1952. Considered the best of the best, the Huntington moved more than 40,000 vessels in its career including everything from aircraft carriers to luxury liners, and every submarine built at the Newport News yard until 1992. Upon retirement from active duty in 1994, the Huntington was converted to a museum in Newport News by the waterfront authority there. Recently it acquired a larger ship, and donated the Huntingon to the West Palm Beach Maritime Museum.
The Huntington was towed into port by the Amanda K. The trip from Newport News took more than a week at a pace of just 5 knots per hour, in part because the Huntington is heavily encrusted with oysters, from its time in Newport News.
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