jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

With houses on the Kentucky side, shot from the Riverwalk in Madison, Indiana.

The dl is sharper.

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plumbbob1

Interesting, great picture of a great river, but it looks like a pusher, not a tugger.

plumbbob1

Interesting, great picture of a great river, but it looks like a pusher, not a tugger.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Saigon Loc: Atlanta, GA

Mighty river - Is it a sharp right turn? My wife was from Mekong river area (Tien Giang) so we visit every time coming to VN.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Nice shot.

I am from Ballard County Kentucky, were the Mississippi and Ohio merge. Everywhere I have been along the rivers people called them "Tow Boats" even though they push the barge strings. That would be St Louis down to Memphis and east to past Paducah and the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers flowing into the Ohio.

Late Winter early Spring from the Kentucky side by the US 51 Cairo Bridge looking south across the Ohio, past the tip of Illinois, across the Mississippi to the Missouri shore you are looking across aprx 1 1/2 miles of water. Then when the snow melts up north and the heavy spring rains come it can flood and spread out much wider than that over the flood plains on both sides (River Bottoms to people in Kentucky and many other places.).

The Ohio is much bigger when they merge and you can see the line between the muddy brown Mississippi water being pushed against the Missouri shore by the clearer Ohio water for some distance down stream before they mix to one shade.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

nice
If you didn't flip the image that Towboat and barge string are headed upsteam.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

I think I even see a little kitchen sink on the deck. Awesome shot of a vessel that seems to stretch forever
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Sort of a floating barn, John? (LOL)

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Great shot. I wonder what's under those covers?

Paul B. Loc: North Carolina

Nice shot👍👍

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Something that needs to be kept dry, could be anything from grain to ore, lumber, bulk dry fertilizer etc. Those things haul everything.
Depending on the type of cargo the barges range from 195x35 feet for dry cargo to 295x50 feet for liquid. They are each designed for the type of cargo so they have a 9 foot draft. There are many types and sizes of barges including car carriers and railroad car carriers. Since few shipping companies seem willing to send container ships up the Mississippi they are consdering a special large class of container barges.

The barges are fastened together up to 1500 feet in length and up to 5 or 6 barges wide. Then the "Towboat" is fastened at the rear so in effect you have an erector set ship as big or bigger than the largest ocean going vessels and just like those big ships where the propulsion and rudders are in the rear the Towboat is the propulsion and has the rudders. Modern boats have diesel engines whose power rivals or outdoes multi locomotive freight trains. It steers and handles just like a large seagoing ship. Just with the crew's quarters, mess hall, etc. all in the Towboat.

Of course on some smaller tributary rivers the maximum size is smaller. I have seen one small Towboat with one barge going under the interstate bridge I was on. The river (name actually said: "xxx creek" on the bridge) was about 50 yards wide.

Modern towboats rang from 35 to 200 feet long and 21 to 56 feet wide with a draft of 8 feet. The largest I have ever heard of is the US Army Corps of Engineers "MV Mississippi" at 241 X 58 feet and 2600 tons with three Caterpillar 3606 diesels having 2100 HP each for propulsion. It also has three Caterpillar 3408 diesel generators and one Caterpillar 3306 diesel generator as emergency backup to supply electric power for both the boat and its equipment. I have heard that it can also tie up and supply emergency power to shore facilities. That boat has accomidations for 78 day/night crew and passengers or 175 day passengers and a "hearing room" that seats 200 people. The boat operates 6-7 months of the year and hauls passenger/workers 10% of the time and as a towboat with equipment and cargo 90% of the time.

No I don't have all that memorized, 35 years of writing lessons plans leaves you with some "fair to middling" research skills.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Thanks, and you are probably right; they are all tugboats to me.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Thanks for taking a look.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Yes, it has just come around a rather sharp turn.The Mekong is one I’d like to see, but probably won’t. Perhaps you could take me there through som e photos someday.