Visitors can still see the tug Delaware at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Built in Bethel, Delaware in 1912, tug Delaware hauled lumber scows on Broad Creek, and towed ram schooners to and from Laurel, Delaware. She was donated to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in 1991, where she became a part of the museum’s floating fleet of historic vessels.

The museum is currently performing a full stem-to-stern restoration of the river tug Delaware. The restoration began in October 2018. Working in view of the public, CBMM’s shipwrights and apprentices began work on Delaware’s keel, stem, and horn timber in early 2019.

During spring 2021 the museum is offering an “Apprentice for a Day” program that allows visitors to take part in the ongoing restoration. Participants will work with CBMM shipwrights, learning the fundamentals of boatbuilding by assisting in the removal, milling, and replacement of floors and frames that make up the backbone of the boat. To register and for a full list of program dates, visit cbmm.org/shipyardprograms.

These drawings were created as part of the Historic American Engineering Record, a project of the National Park service. The drawings were delineated by Todd A. Croteau in 2012. More information can be found in the Library of Congress, HAER call number MD-182.