Stories of Chesapeake Bay Tugboats and Crews
Captain Bill Eggert spent 20 years working in Baltimore Harbor running charter boats and water taxis. All that time, he dodged tugboats guiding huge cargo ships and tankers in and out of the industrial port and tugs towing barges piled high with everything from coal to sugar. In that time, he came to know these legendary boats and the men who captain and crew them. Now he shares their history in his new book, Gentlemen of the Harbor: Stories of Chesapeake Bay Tugboats and Crews.
“Tugboats evoke an emotional response,” Eggert writes in the foreword, and the rest of the 80-page book does just that through well-researched historical vignettes illustrated by crisp black-and-white photographs. Many of these photos were taken by Hans Marx, the award-winning Baltimore Sun photographer. Others have emerged from the Sun archives. These blend well with the contemporary images by the author.
He held a 100-ton Coast Guard Merchant Marine Officer’s certificate. He served in the U.S. Navy as a petty officer on the destroyer USS Bigelow (DD-942) and the guided-missile cruiser Albany (CG-10).
To order copies visit:
www.gentlemenoftheharbor.com
(As published in the August 2013 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News - www.marinelink.com)
