The brand new Tractor Tug Patriot is a huge ship measuring 93 feet long and 38 feet wide. It can hold 38,000 gallons and it’s water capacity can fill up a typical home pool in just one minute.
Those are pretty big facts for just one ship and it is now in the Port of Tampa. Mayor Bob Buckhorn helped to commission the ship at a special ceremony Thursday night and we were there to get an exclusive tour of the boat.
Equipped with a state of the art kitchen, flat screen TVs and computers, bunks, and air conditioning, this ship is quite the luxurious water vessel.
When Mayor Buckhorn spoke about the ship, he said joked that the only reason he agreed to be a part of the event was because he was told that it was a tradition to name the ship after the mayor. Well, that didn’t happen, but he was okay with that.
“I get to do a lot of cool stuff as mayor,” Mayor Buckhorn said. “But, to come out here and help christen this ship, to help christen another amazing vessel from this company, a vessel that provides service, not only to this company, but is also provides fire prevention and fire suppression for men and women of Tampa Fire Rescue. It’s really important to remember how important this port is to us.
He went on to say that the port is one of the biggest economic engine in the Tampa Bay area and he’s happy for the new addition.
The ship has been running for the past six months and there are three crew members.
