towboat

Barge-moving vessel

A towboat is a powerful vessel designed to push or pull barges on rivers and inland waterways.

Despite the name, most towboats push rather than tow, with a flat bow that locks against barge hulls: The towboat nudged a string of grain barges down the Mississippi.

The term distinguishes these workhorses from oceangoing tugboats.

vessel

hull

Outer covering or frame

bowRespectful forward inclination
sternStrict or ship's aft
deckShip's flat surface

keel · propeller · rudder · engine · diesel · horsepower · knees · bumpers · spotlight · searchlight

crew

captain

One who commands

pilotOne who steers aircraft
skipperVessel's commanding officer
deckhandShip's manual laborer

engineer · steersman · mate · watchman · cook · relief · wheelhouse · pilothouse · shift · roster

river

channel

Passage for transmission

currentDirected flow of charge
bankPlace holding deposits
bendCurve or flex

lock · dam · levee · sandbar · buoy · marker · landing · terminal · confluence · tributary

regions

Mississippi

Southern state or major river

OhioMidwestern state, major river
MissouriMidwestern state, major river
TennesseeSixteenth state admitted

Illinois · Arkansas · Columbia · Rhine · Danube · Yangtze · canal · harbor · port

operation

pushing

Applying force to move

bargeFlat freight vessel
mooringVessel's secured resting place
bollardTraffic-blocking vertical post

hawser · winch · coupling · lashing · fleeting · lockage · assist · docking · undocking · breasting

cargo

barge

Flat freight vessel

coalCombustible sedimentary rock
grainCereal plant's harvest unit
petroleumNatural underground hydrocarbon liquid

chemicals · ore · aggregate · fertilizer · steel · fleet · hopper · tonnage · draft · loading

towboat

hull

captain

channel

Mississippi

pushing

barge

towboat

Opposites

Categories

Family