Garth Foss photos by C. Kelly Nowicki

One nice thing about our Lummi Island ferry commute is that there is always something interesting to see. That is why I always have a camera with me. This photo is of Garth Foss, a green and white tug known within the industry as an enhanced tractor tug, she was designed and built to be primarily responsible for providing escort and vessel assist services to oil tankers as they transit Puget Sound. She is 155 feet long, has a 46-foot beam and is powered by twin EMD diesel engines generating a combined 8,000 horsepower which drives a dual propulsion system known as the Voith Schneider System. Unlike the typical configuration where the props are at the rear of a vessel, on the Garth Foss, the propulsion system is located about 50 feet aft of the bow. Two sets of five vertically oriented hydrofoil-type blades arrayed on a circular plate hang beneath the boat and rotate around a vertical axis. The captain of the vessel is able to control the velocity of the rotating plate as well as the angle of attack of the paddles.

Garth Foss Tugboat & Escort

Voith Schneider Propulsion