File:87i017 M V Cole (7298297264).jpg

Towboat "M/V Cole" (doc. # 635318) upbound. This boat did a lot of harbor work here at Louisville. Martin Marietta sand yard at left. Belknap Hardware warehouses at right.

The twin-screw towboat "Cole" (doc. # 635318) was built in 1981 by Mississippi Marine Towboat Corp., Greenville, Mississippi. .. Quoting from Maritime Reporter : . "Mississippi Marine delivered the M/V Cole, the first of three for the same owner, within 90 days after receipt of contract. It is a 56-foot by 20-foot by 7-foot, 6-inch workboat designed for fleeting service.

"The M/V Cole is powered by two GM Detroit Diesel 16V-71 main engines [producing a total of 1000 hp] coupled to a pair of Twin Disc MG-518 (4.5:1) reduction gears. [May have later been repowered with Cat diesels, accd. to 2005 Inland River Record.] The gears turn two 5V2-inch-diameter shafts. The Coolidge propellers are 50-inch by 46-inch, four-blade, stainless steel, especially designed with extra heavy edge thickness and increased blade area ratio. The main engine cooling is provided by Fernstrum grid coolers and engine controls are provided by Morse MD-24 cable controls.

"The vessel is equipped with two steering rudders and four flanking rudders. The mechanical over hydraulic system is main engine driven. While the vessel is equipped with a pair of 12-kw, model # A2D 12000 Dieselec, aircooled generator sets, a separate 12-volt system also is provided permitting the M/V Cole to operate without the generators. Navigation lights, searchlights, and other necessary lighting is dual 12 v dc and 120 v ac. The two power winches are Skipper Hydraulic, 25 ton, powered by the main engine driven hydraulic pumps and reservoir package which also allows for operation of the vessel without the use of the generator sets.

"The M/V Cole's raised pilothouse provides a 25-foot eye level and 360-degree visibility. A catwalk and stairs provide good access to both empty barges as well as the vessel's main deck." .. The boat was originally owned by H/C Leasing, Greenville, and operated by River Equipment and Supply Co., Greenville until Dec. 1988, then by American Boat Co., Cahokia, Illinois. In 1995, the boat was sold to Jeffrey Sand Co., Little Rock, Arkansas. Still operating in 2019. .. As an aside, the "M/V" in the boat's name stands for "motor vessel" (as opposed to "steamer"), but since all towboats nowadays are diesel-powered (and thus are motor vessels), the "M/V" is not really necessary. ____________________

Ohio River mile 604. Louisville, Kentucky Sept. 1987. File # 87i017. . 35 mm Kodachrome slide. scanned with Plustek OpticFilm 7600i and Silverfast 8.