TUFF-E-NUFF, the Tug

The vessel now sits in St. Mary’s Georgia and TISIRI members are presently cleaning her for placement as an artificial reef within the next month.

If you know or have any history or any paperwork on this vessel, please contact Larry Davis under the contact page.

Tuff-E-Nuff, was originally known as Thomas Cunningham Sr. A late 19th-century tugboat which has had a remarkable 112-year commercial career. She was still operating as a working tugboat as recently as  2010.

Thomas Cunningham Sr., was built in 1895 by Neafie & Levy of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the Army Corps of Engineers. She was operated by the Harbour Board of the Port of Richmond, Virginia for more than eighty years.

After 45 years of service, Thomas Cunningham Sr. was sent to Newport News for the annual inspection where she was placed into “durance vile”—meaning the vessel was considered unsafe to operate. ^[4]Her papers where seized and she was suspended from duty until repairs where made. The main complaint was deck issues. ^[5] The Richmond City Council quickly approved the budget extension for $8,000 to get the repairs completed ^[6] and get their tug back.

Starting in late 1948, Thomas Cunningham Sr. finally got a much needed major refit. The wooden pilot house and deck were replaced with steel versions, and a 500 horsepower (370 kW) Cleveland 8-268A diesel engine was installed to replace the original steam engine. The entire cost of the project, including sending two maintenance people to the Cleveland factory for training, was $65,927.02. ^[7] Out of the 9 bidders for the work, Dunn’s Marine Railway, Inc. of West Norfolk won the bid and completed the work approximately $11,000 under budget. ^[8]

In 1977 the vessel was sold into private hands,^[9] and reportedly became a salvage tug in Florida.^[3] In May 2007, the tug was placed on the market by her owners, a salvage company, who were hoping to sell her to restorers. As of 2008, she was registered as a recreational vessel according to the U.S. Coast Guard‘s Port State Information eXchange. ^[10]

As of November 2010, Tuff-E-Nuff is on a sandbar in Georgia and an organization is working to sink the tug as an artificial reef. ^[11]

Mariners Museum collection

In 1951, the ship’s original engine was acquired by the Mariners’ Museum at Newport News, Virginia. The engine has since been restored to working order—albeit powered by electricity rather than steam—and is on display at the Museum.^[12]

The engine is a two-cylinder compound type with an 18-inch (46 cm) stroke, and 206 indicated horsepower (154 kW). The high-pressure cylinder is 12½ inches (32 cm) in diameter and the low-pressure cylinder is 24 inches (61 cm). The engine weighs approximately 14 tons and stands 10-feet-1½-inches (3.09 m) high.^[12]

In addition to the engine, the Museum also has on display a handcrafted 1:24 scale cutaway model of the Thomas Cunningham Sr.,^[9] as well as the original builder’s plate for the engine.^[1]

Source

Source

Here is a picture I found taken by Ted Petrovits taken in Deland, Fl

Where and what she’s been:

I found this on the net,

1)   Justin Turpin writes:

Is the little tug Tuff e Nuff or something like it ,known for
decades as the city run Port Of Richmond , VA’s tugboat Thomas
Cunningham Sr., still for sale in Florida. It has an 1890’s Swedish
Iron hull ,but in 1948 had a steel deckhouse fitted to replace the
wooden one . Durring the replacement of the deckhouse, a diesel motor
was fitted. The tug was sold by the city in the 1980’s and became a
salvage tug in Florida. I contributed information about this tug a
while ago to the group in response to post of a few other people

Sincerely,

Tyler Turpin of Richmond, Virginia

2) On June 3, 1997, the Lindsey Jeanette, a 45’ commercial fishing vessel, capsized about 30 miles off Brevard County within the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone following a collision with a freighter. International Towing responded to a Coast Guard Marine Assistance Request. Captains Ryan Moore and Konrad Birchfield set out in the Neon Moon, their rescue vessel. They arrived at the Lindsey Jeanette around 2:30 p.m.

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.

The Neon Moon was met outside Port Canaveral by International Towing’s salvage tug, the Tuff-E-Nuff. Moore and Tuff-E-Nuff’s captain dove the capsized vessel, restabilized her, and prepared her for entering the port.

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READ MORE

Larry

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