Lori B gets new knees after snag takes out prop near Longview

Tyler O’Brien welds on the push knee of the Lori B tugboat at Bernert Barge Lines in the Port of The Dalles this morning, Jan. 18, Martin Luther Kind Day.

The push knees, outfitted with layers of old tires, are used to push barges up and down river. They are replaced every 10 years.

But there is more than that to complete on the Lori B. The tug was operating last summer near Longview, Wash. on the Columbia when a sunken snag hit the V drive and propeller, breaking the propeller off and sending the $200,000 stainless prop to the river floor, said Travis Linville of Bernert. It took SCUBA divers several days to locate the prop. And a new drive had to be ordered from Germany.

Bernert is awaiting its arrival so that they can complete the work on the tug.

Ouch - Here is a picture of the snag that ripped the propeller off of the Lori B near Longview, Wash., several months ago. The propeller alone is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The tug hit the snag which was laying several feet below the waterline.

Here is the Lori B in action. Photo Coutesy Gary Elkinton, MarineTraffic.com