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WITTE III
Pictured as: the Fournier Girls (McAllister Towing) Photo by: Birk Thomas

Built in 1966, by St. Louis Ship of St. Louis, Missouri (hull #2536) as the Helen McAllister for McAllister Brothers Towing Company of New York, New York.

In 1983, while towing a barge into Portland, Maine. The tug was "tripped" and sunk. She was later raised, and salvaged.

In 1984, she was acquired by the Eklof Marine Corporation of Staten Island, New York. Where she was renamed as the Scandia.

On Friday January 19th, 1996 the Scandia suffered an engine room fire while towing the unmanned barge North Cape. 4.5 miles off Point Judith, Rhode Island.

About 0830, the tug grounded with the towing hawser remaining intact. When the Scandia grounded on Moonstone Beach on the Rhode Island coastline. Nearly all of her combustible interior, from the fidley grating upward through the galley, crew accommodations, and wheelhouse, was consumed by fire.

The fire on the originated near the center of the engine room fidley grating. However, the cause of the fire was never precisely determined.

All six crew members abandoned the tug amid ten foot waves, and twenty-five knot winds. The barge grounded at about 1800 on the rocks off of Nebraska Shoal, near Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. With the tug declared a constructive total loss, she was salvaged by the DonJon Marine Company of Hillside, New Jersey.

The DonJon Marine Company refurbished the tug, and placed her into service. Where she was renamed as the Witte III.

In 1997, the tug was acquired by Captain Arthur Fournier of the Portland Tugboat and Shipdocking Company of Portland, Maine. Where she was renamed as the Fournier Girls.

In 2001, the Portland Tugboat and Shipdocking Company was acquired by the McAllister Towing and Transportation Company of New York, New York. Where the tug retained her name.

In 2021, she was phased out of active service and was "laid up" at McAllister Towing and Transportation's yard in Fall River, Massachusetts.

In 2021, she was scrapped at East Boston, Massachusetts.

Powered by a single, EMD 20-645-E5 diesel engine. With a Falk reduction gear, at a ratio of 6.552:1. Her propeller is fitted in a kort nozzle, with a flanking rudder. She was a single screw tug rated at 4,000 horsepower.

The tug's capacities were 48,000 gallons of fuel oil, 700 gallons of lube oil and 1,500 gallons of potable water.

The tug was outfitted with a 3(in) diameter fire monitor, rated at 500 Gallons Per Minute. Her towing gear consisted of a Markey Single Drum towing winch was equipped with 2,500(ft) of 2.25(in) towing wire. However, in 2011 her towing machine and "texas" bar was removed.


  • Vessel Name: WITTE III
  • USCG Doc. No.: 517785
  • Vessel Service: TOWING VESSEL
  • IMO Number: 6921359
  • Trade Indicator: Coastwise Unrestricted, Registry
  • Call Sign: WDD4563
  • Hull Material: STEEL
  • Hull Number: 2536
  • Ship Builder: ST. LOUIS SHIP
  • Year Built: 1968
  • Length: 111.5
  • Hailing Port: WILMINGTON, DE.
  • Hull Depth: 10.5
  • Hull Breadth: 30
  • Gross Tonnage: 198
  • Net Tonnage: 135
  • Previous Vessel Names:
    Helen McAllister, Scandia, Witte III, FOURNIER GIRLS
  • Previous Vessel Owners:
    McAllister Bros. Towing Co., Eklof Marine Corp., DonJon Marine Inc, Portland Tugboat and Shipdocking Co., MCALLISTER TOWING AND TRANSPORTATION CO INC