A salvage tug, known also historically as a wrecking tug, is a specialized type of tugboat which is used to rescue ships which are in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships which have already sunk or run aground.
Overview
Few tugboats have ever been truly fully dedicated to salvage work; most of the time, salvage tugs operate towing barges, platforms, ships, or performing other utility tugboat work. Tugs fitted out for salvage are found in small quantities around the globe, with higher concentrations near areas with both heavy shipping traffic and hazardous weather conditions. Salvage tugs are used by specialized crew experienced in salvage operations. Their particular equipment includes:
extensive towing provisions and extra tow lines/cables, with provisions for towing from both bow and stern and at irregular angles
The total demand for salvage tug services is significantly down from its peaks in the years around World War II. The increasing sensitivity of societies and legal systems to environmental damage and the increasing size of ships has to some extent offset the decline in the number of salvage operations undertaken. Accidents such as major oil tanker groundings or sinkings may require extensive salvage efforts to try to minimize the environmental damage such as that caused by the Exxon Valdezoil spill, or the Amoco Cadiz and Torrey Canyon disasters.
In 1943, Jacques Cousteau's team made the film Épaves.
Ghost Ship is a film about an ocean liner which disappeared in mysterious circumstances and is discovered by a maritime salvage contractor.
In television
Shipwreck Men is a reality TV series that follows crews who salvage and raise wrecked vessels.
In literature
Farley Mowat's historical booksThe Grey Seas Under and The Serpent's Coil detail North Atlantic salvage operations in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s by salvage tugs operated by the firm Foundation Maritime.
Wilbur Smith's novel Hungry as the Sea is a tale about the master of a salvage tugboat and her operations
