Mauna Loa (tug)

A powerful towing unit was added to the fleet of Washington Tug & Barge Co. (James Griffiths & Sons) of Seattle, with the purchase of the 116-foot, 2,150-horsepower tug Mauna Loa, built in 1963. Renamed Alapul, the newly acquired vessel replaced the company's tug Tartar on the Seattle-Sitka run, towing the barges Griffnip and Griffco and in charge of Capt. Joel Kristiansen. On her initial voyage north under the Griffiths houseflag she towed one of the fully loaded barges from Seattle to Sitka in just 88 hours running time. Gordon Newell, Maritime Events of 1968, H. W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest 1966 to 1975, p.44.

Citation: Tacoma Public Library