"It was frigid on Thursday when the Shoofly - a 64-foot 1941 tugboat forged with American steel - set out along the Newtown Creek to carve up the ice sheets blocking barges from getting through. The ice parted soundlessly before the 78-ton vessel as it made its way past the Kosciuszko Bridge, which connects industrial stretches of Brooklyn and Queens, through a stretch of creek that isn't as busy as its mouth near the East River."
"The U.S. Coast Guard's three icebreaking tugs - Penobscot Bay, Sturgeon Bay and Hawser - are working 12-hour shifts focused on the Hudson River and the New York Harbor. The Hudson has to be kept clear for fuel deliveries upstate and is much quicker to freeze because it's mostly fresh water, compared to the East River's saltwater. That's left the Shoofly to embark on its first ice-breaking mission - at least since Captain N.D. Austin took the helm in 2017."
Frigid temperatures froze Newtown Creek and blocked barges carrying heating fuel to thousands of Brooklyn and Queens homes. The Shoofly, a 64-foot 1941 tugboat with a sturdy steel hull, plowed through ice sheets to clear a passage for fuel deliveries. The U.S. Coast Guard concentrated its three icebreaking tugs on the Hudson River and New York Harbor, leaving the Shoofly to handle the creek. The Shoofly operates under the Tideland Institute and more often supports waterfront art projects than fuel logistics. Icebreaking relies on ramming with a heavy hull, and the tug moved methodically at about four knots.
Read at Brooklyn Eagle
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