WATUPPA
From Pier 5, East River
AUGUST 10, 1936. ABBOTT FILE 164

Watuppa, variant image

The Watuppa was built in 1906 at the Burleigh Shipyard, Port Richmond, Staten Island, for towing coal barges to New England. In 1935, the tugboat was bought by the McCarren Towing Line, reconditioned, and was used to tow oil barges on the East and Hudson Rivers. The hemp and wooden fenders hanging from the tug's sides served as buffers when it approached ships and docks.

Watuppa, variant image 2

Abbott also photographed the tugboat Bess from Manhattan's Pier 11, but she chose this image of the Watuppa, taken from Brooklyn's Pier 5, for publication. She made several exposures, capturing the tug's approach to the pier and showing its crew at dockside.

Although many of Brooklyn's piers have been demolished, Pier 5 was rebuilt and is used by M.S. Lines, Inc. The fate of the Watuppa is unknown, but several tugs of her era still ply New York's rivers.

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