Delaware

Large sailing vessels carrying cargoes of lumber, wheat, fertilizer, and coal were common on the Chesapeake Bay until the 1930s. Because the Bay's narrow, winding rivers and shallow harbors were often difficult to maneuver, tugs like Delaware met the larger vessels and towed them nimbly into port or up rivers. In doing so, tugs prolonged the economic viability of large sailing vessels on the Bay. Today, with the expansion of coastwise trade, most freight is carried by tug and barge. Delaware was built in 1912 at Bethel, Delaware, by William H. Smith and measured 39 ft, 8 in in length and 11 ft, 4 in in beam.

St. Michaels, Maryland · United States