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Tug Pegasus Preservation Project


Tug Pegasus Moving On

The tug Pegasus is looking for new leadership, new ideas and ultimately a new home. After many years of hard work and hundreds of thousands of funding raised for capital improvements, the 1907 Tugboat Pegasus has been lovingly restored to a ship-shape condition and is no longer in debt. Since 2001, under the care of the Tug Pegasus Preservation Project, the popular vessel has educated tens of thousands about the importance of the NY Harbor as a vital water highway. Tug trips and work programs taught youth about maritime jobs. Tug & Barge ports-of-call included tour visits to Hoboken, NJ and Brooklyn Bridge Park, Hudson River Park, Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Cold Spring and Hudson in New York.

However, after being awarded a berth at Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 in 2011, the organization continually experienced difficulty obtaining the necessary funds required to operate a historic boat as well as keep up with the high costs of insurance associated with getting the public onto the water. Regrettably, we are no longer able to sustain our operations.

Tug Pegasus Preservation Project is looking for exciting and creative ideas that will help transition the boat to a new leader or another organization that will continue the mission of getting the public out onto the water and informing them about vitality of New York Harbor’s maritime activity and it rich culture.

One thought we have is what the City of Baltimore has in a historic ships maritime alliance. Instead of each vessel having the arduous tasks of writing grants, raising administrative funds, insurance, etc., an umbrella organization spreads the costs and time requirements between a host of historic vessels.

As a positive solution is sought, the Board of Trustees of the Tugboat Pegasus Preservation Project welcomes serious individuals to present their ideas and proposals by contacting them at pamela@tugpegasus.org. And while our hope had been to continue operations this summer, without funding, we will not be able to do so. We thank those who have supported our project over the years.

Our mission:

  • To restore and preserve the 1907-built Tug Pegasus, a maritime icon whose very existence tells an important story about the history of the Port of New York/New Jersey.
  • To interpret the world around the Tug Pegasus, by bringing the public out into the waterways of the Port. Our visiting naturalists, historians, and marine industry personnel teach visitors about the harbor’s value as a rich natural habitat, as a historic waterway that shaped this city’s history, and as a thriving commercial port crucial to today’s economy.

Preservation timeline: 1953 is the date of her last alteration, the removal of her steam engine and the installation of her diesel engine.

Significance: Her activity in both World Wars and her survival in technological changes, from steam to diesel propulsion and from riveted to welded construction.

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