Defiance was constructed in 1982 as the ocean-going tugboat April T. Beker for Beker Industries’ subsidiary Beker Transportation. The tug and her paired barge were built under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970. The tug was paired with the self-unloading barge Erol Y. Beker, with which she remains, paired presently as the barge Ashtabula. The tug/barge combo was constructed to operate on the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Mexico coal trade. The tug was originally designed to fit into a notch in the barge’s stern, lashed in by cables running between the vessels, with the option for the tug to tow the barge on a wire if necessary. April T. Beker was also fitted with an upper level pilothouse for a better view over the consort. The tug was delivered to the shipyard that the barge was being constructed at on April 23, 1982, and the pair entered service that summer. The tugboat is 145′ 01″ long, 44′ wide, and 21′ deep, and is powered by a pair of General Motors EMD 20-645-E7 diesel engines, providing 7,200 BHP.
The tug/barge pair April T. Beker / Erol Y. Beker soon fell into their usual trade route, carrying coal from the New Orleans region to power plants in Tampa, Florida. The barge ran aground in the Gulf of Mexico on January 21, 1983, requiring drydocking.
In 1985, Beker Industries filed for bankruptcy, and the tug/barge pair was acquired by Tampa Electric Company’s subsidiary Gulfcoast Transit. The tug was renamed Beverly Anderson while the barge was renamed Mary Turner. The tug Beverly Anderson suffered a major engine room fire while on Tampa Bay on April 16, 1992.
Gulfcoast Transit was reorganized as TECO Ocean Shipping in 2002, with the pair remaining under their ownership and operation. In 2007, the pair was sold to the United Marine Group. Operation of the tug and barge was taken over by their subsidiary, U.S. United Ocean Services. The pair was retrofitted with a Bludworth Articulated Tug/Barge connection system, making them an official ATB unit.
On December 6, 2011, Rand Logistics announced they had purchased the tug/barge combo Beverly Anderson / Mary Turner and their fleetmate Tina Litrico (eventually renamed Tecumseh) as part of a $25 million deal. The tug/barge pair made their way up the St. Lawrence Seaway in April 2012, stopping in Port Colborne, Ontario, where the Mary Turner‘s old 80′ self-unloading boom was removed and the 250′ boom from the scrapped vessel Joseph H. Frantz was placed on her deck. The pair sailed to their builder’s yard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for a 6-month refit, drydocking, repainting into Lower Lakes Towing/Grand River Navigation fleet colors, and installation of the unloading boom on the barge.
They departed the shipyard on October 23, 2012, heading for Sand Products Corporation’s loading dock in Brevort, Michigan, to load sand. The pair then sailed for Sarnia, Ontario, where the tug was christened Defiance and the barge was christened Ashtabula on October 27, 2012. After the christening ceremonies, they proceeded to Buffalo, New York, to unload their cargo of sand.
The tug/barge pair Defiance / Ashtabula remains an active member of the Grand River Navigation fleet, serving the ore, coal, stone, sand, and salt trades.
Written by Brendan Falkowski.
| Tug Particulars | |
| Length | 145′ 01″ (185.93m) |
| Beam | 44′ 00″ (23.77m) |
| Depth | 21′ 00″ (15.54m) |
| Engine Power | 7,200 bhp diesel |
| Previous Names | |
| April T. Beker | 1982 – 1987 |
| Beverly Anderson | 1987 – 2011 |
| Defiance | 2011 – Today |
| Barges paired with tug | |
| Erol Beker | 1982 – 1987 |
| Mary Turner | 1987 – 2011 |
| Ashtabula | 2011 – Today |