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By STEVEN L. TOEDTER (Published 8/03)
Welcome. The scene is a friendly neighborhood tavern. At the bar, A column by Steven L. Toedter
Growing up along the Texas Gulf Coast, for me there has never been much of a chance to admire the beauty of an old wooden tug boat pushing a ship, cruising along the Sabine Neches Rivers, Houston Ship Channel or Galveston waterway.
Being a third generation mariner all my life I've always either operated, restored, repaired or surveyed vessels of all types and sizes. With all of the vessels I've seen there has always been a special place in my heart for wooden boats, especially the "wooden workhorses of America's waterways"
Throughout my high school years in the late '70s and early '80s, when not in school, I spent most of my days around the Kemah / Seabrook waterfront. At the time the area was somewhat picturesque, littered with wooden fishing boats, boat builders, seafood shacks and baits shops. The area has now given way to amusement parks, upscale hotels, restaurants and yacht clubs. But during the era of commercial fishermen and shrimpers this quaint little community thrived and as in all fishing communities when new boats were brought in or built, old boats were discarded so the area was not without its share of derelict and project boats.
Hanging around the yards and docks looking for a new project that I knew my parents would object to, but came to be proud of, I came across a small and intriguing wooden vessel that looked something like a harbor tug. The vessel was covered in old marine growth, had a broken mast, a few broken and rotted planks, dry rotted tires hanging over the gunwales, short stubby pilot house and what remained of a rope fender over the bow. Although the vessel was in somewhat sad shape and lying on her starboard side in a field behind a seafood processing plant she still had a beauty about her. A beauty that I admired so much that I knew I had found a treasure that at least deserved an attempt at restoration if not research.
I climbed aboard to discover that the vessel was well built, strong and sturdy. She had double sawn oak frames with mahogany planking, a fairly intact teak deck and a yellow pine tongue and groove pilothouse. The entire look and makings of a tug boat. Once I took a look around I scraped off what must have been 10 years of dirt and marine growth from the bow and stern in hopes to find a name or homeport. After about an hour of scraping, cussing and attending to scrapped knuckles, the name "Port Commission No. 1" appeared with a homeport of the Port of Houston. I at least had a place to begin.
Making inquiries to the Port of Houston Authority, I learned that the vessel was no longer on their inventory of equipment or on any of their records. Little was known about her. I was able to locate a couple of crewmembers that had served aboard her several years earlier. The crewmembers informed me that the vessel was sold out of service sometime in the late '60s to a local fishing company, but not before having a somewhat distinctive career with the Port.
In speaking with these crewmembers, I learned that the vessel served in multitasks roles such as harbor tug, maintenance barge, pilot boat, as well as a ferry boat for the Port of Houston staff and officials. The vessel also served as a patrol boat for the State of Texas. After interviewing the crewmembers I took what information I had plus an etching of the vessels official number to the Texas Parks and Wildlife to continue my research and track down the current or past owners. Talk about opening a can of worms!
In my inquiries made to the Texas Parks and Wildlife, I learned that the vessel was a part of multiple on-going lawsuits involving the Small Business Administration, a defunct seafood processing plant and multiple local fishermen. I couldn't touch the vessel until the lawsuits were settled. In my frustration I said my goodbye and departed knowing that I may see the vessel in a few years.
In the months that followed, I kept tabs on her as well as the status of the law suits. I would drive over the Seabrook bridge and glancing down to see her still lying on her side. Then about a year later she was gone.
In asking the former owners and local fisherman about her whereabouts I got the standard answer "I remember an old boat, but I don't know what happened to it." Once again I left in my frustration knowing that it was most likely a lost cause. I put the vessel in the back of my mind, every once in a while wondering what became of her.
Twenty years went by and after serving a stint in the Coast Guard, working as a ship's agent and barge inspector. I took up ship and cargo surveying. While conducting a survey on a vessel at the Port of Houston, I had a little spare time in between ships and decided to take a stroll in and around some old warehouses at the port. I walked into one and immediately noticed an old pilothouse above a stack of steel coils. As I got closer my curiosity and memory started to peak. There, behind the steel coils and a pile of steel wide flange beams was "Port Commission No.1," the 36' harbor tug I had seen and wanted 20 years earlier.
She was reposing on a heavy-duty steel cradle and blocked with 12" x 12" wooden timbers. I thought to myself, "restorable or not, I won't let her go so easily this time". Remembering that she was sold out of service years ago, I once again retrieved her official number from a timber under the pilothouse and took it back to the Texas Parks and Wildlife to track down the new owners. There were none listed.
I returned to the Port of Houston Authority to make further inquiries as not to step on any toes. I learned that the Port of Houston was interested in preserving a part of history and gave full support. Going back to the Texas Parks and Wildlife, I was finally able to obtain ownership of her.
Continuing my research of 20 years ago I discovered the vessel was built in 1941 in Galveston by Gulf Marine Ways and certified by Master Carpenter Francis Brander. The vessel was built for the Harris County Navigation District (Port of Houston). She serviced the port from 1941 to 1968 and was sold out of service to the aforementioned seafood processor. The vessel failed as a fishing boat and was subsequently tied to the dock and forgotten about. After a few years she was involved in a collision and sunk near her dock. She remained under for sometime and subsequently raised by the Corp. of Engineers to make room for a new Seabrook bridge.
She was landed in a vacant lot behind the seafood processor and cannibalized by the local fisherman. The seafood processor went out of business and the law suits began. Once the law suits were settled it was my understanding that a retired Port Commissioner saw her from the road and had her moved to the port a year after I had first seen her. The port plan was to restore her but apparently the plans fell through and she was once again forgotten about.
In the warehouse she has been kept out of the elements high and dry. On the steel cradle she has not lost her shape and after cleaning out 20 years of warehouse dust, dirt and the remaining marine growth I found a vessel in somewhat fair shape, there is some rot throughout but nothing that can't be repaired or replaced. In the '40s she was well constructed, strong and built to last. This was evident in her current condition although she sustained many years of neglect and abuse.
Her restoration has subsequently begun under the organization American Seaborne Heritage Society. The Port of Houston Authority has graciously donated the warehouse space where she has resided for the past 20 years for her restoration and local businesses from surveying companies to steel fabricators have provided their generous services to her restoration as well as a hand from the Boy Scouts.
Although she is a vessel with no real national historical significance, she wasn't instrumental in fighting a war, no historical documents were signed aboard her and no president ever slept on her. She is an integral part of Houston history and is a strong tribute to the average working man and a lasting symbol of strength on America's waterways.
Publisher's Note: In addition to his day job as ship and cargo surveyor, Steven L. Toedter is director of the American Seaborne Heritage Society. The ASHS is a new organization dedicated to the restoration of the area's work and rescue boats.
It is Toedter's wish to turn the restoration of Port Commission No. 1 into a community project for the Bay Area and to start a membership drive for the ASHS so "everyone who supports her can take part in her ownership." The goal is to have her floating for the 2005 or 2006 Wheels and Keels Boat Show.
The Port of Houston Authority has donated a workspace for the restoration, Capt. Trevor O'Brien and Associates has donated a generator and some materials and Coastal Pipe Services has fabricated a funnel (smoke stack) for the vessel.
The ASHS is now looking for further donations of materials such as a Cummins 250 diesel engine, running gear, used tugboat parts, hardwoods, canvas, paints, epoxies, stories, photographs of the vessel and anyone familiar with the vessel.
But more needed are volunteers.
For more information, contact:
American Seaborne Heritage Society
1615 3rd Street
League City, Texas 77573, 281-332-3267.
- John Ennis
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