Grouper

Type: Single Screw Tugboat
Year Built: 1912
Builder: The Great Lakes Towing Co., Cleveland, OH
Hull No.: 21
Engines: 1 Kahlenberg 6-cylinder
Length: 74&#8242; 00&#8243;
Breadth: 19&#8242; 06&#8243;
Depth: 12&#8242; 00&#8243;

Photo by Isaac Pennock

This tug was built in 1912 by the Great Lakes Towing Company of Cleveland, OH as their own Gary. In 1934 she was sold to the C. Reiss Coal Company and renamed Green Bay. She was converted from steam to diesel in 1957. North American Towing purchased the Green Bay in 1981 and renamed her Oneida. In 1987 she was sold to Wellington Towing of Sault Ste. Marie, MI and renamed Iroquois. The Great Lakes Towing Company purchased the tug in 1990, and renamed her Alaska for her second stint in the Towing Company’s fleet. In 1999 she was sold to Florida Marine Terminals and renamed Grouper, but was abandoned on the Erie Canal at Lyons, New York on her delivery voyage to Florida. The Grouper has remained at Lyons ever since, passing through the hands of several owners, including the State of New York. In 2021 the tug was auctioned by the state back into private ownership, and remains laid up in Lyons.