port view
O
n September 9, 1971, 13-year-old C. “Duff” Hughes was
caught in the act as he christened the 1,000-barrel
motor tanker
Duff
. The vessel was built in Warren,
Rhode Island, at the Blount Shipyard for Vane Brothers
and became a fixture in Baltimore Harbor. The
Duff
carried marine
diesel to ships, tugs, dredges, shipyards and barges as the company
expanded from its chandlery business into marine transportation.
STORY BY KATHY BERGREN SMITH
At Vane, the
Duff
is regarded as an important element in the
company’s evolution. Chief Operating Officer Tom Gaither, who ran
the
Duff
for two years, remarked, “Without the early boats, Vane
as we know it today would not exist.”
The
Duff
has left Baltimore to work the harbor in Tenants
Harbor, Maine. A grown-up Duff Hughes now serves as Vane
Brothers president.
COURTESY OF VANE BROTHERS
PLEASE SEE THE VANE BROTHERS FEATURE
ARTICLE ON PAGE 24.
[
44
]
The Port of Baltimore
September/October 2011
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