Featured Image Credit: X
Topics: Travel, World News, Social Media, Twitter
Jess Battison
Right, I’m not going to play it up, the very idea of a tugboat really isn’t that exciting.
They’ve hardly got a glamorous function, they’re literally just vessels that help to move other boats.
But while tugboats might not be the main characters, they do have their own way of adding a bit of a sparkle. I mean, you can’t deny it is at least a little bit exciting when they spray a load of water into the air. And yet not everyone knows why they actually do this.
Typically, the small but mighty tugs will help a watercraft when it gets into a spot of bother in the likes of a narrow canal or busy harbour. They also tend to double up as salvage boats and ‘ice breaks’ as well as carrying a load of emergency equipment.
Navigating other ships in and out of port, as well as moving barges and rigs, tugboats are pretty important vessels. But still, it comes back to their spray of water that people are bothered about.
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A clip of a tugboat leading the way for a huge cargo ship while blasting out water went viral on X as it led people to discover the reason behind the flamboyant display.
Known as a 'water salute', it’s a way for tugboats to either welcome or bid farewell to whichever large vessel is moving in or out of port - which surprised a few viewers.
One social media user said: "I never knew this was a thing."
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Another joked: "You have to water the ocean so that it grows!" while a third added: "Finally, an answer that makes sense."
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A fourth wrote: "Same thing is done for planes too, but with fire trucks."
While a fifth joked: "What a waste of water!"
It turns out that this spectacle is actually a sort of sign of respect in the maritime industry, which only happens on rare occurrences and is purely ceremonial.
Fire-fighting vehicles positioned on the side of the tug spray out plumes of water as a nod of appreciation.
The tradition is believed to have originated in the US in the 1950s and would be performed when military ships and planes departed or arrived.
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It is most often used nowadays to commemorate the first voyage of vessels or the first flight of a new airliner, while organisers sometimes even add a dash of colour to the water to really make it stand out.
One user also pointed out showering water everywhere helps to 'keep the bilges of the boats clean'. The spectacle also helps wash away debris from the deck, cool the tugboats engines and increases stability.
It can also act as a means of communication to the ship it is towing, or could even be used as a distress signal to alert others the tug is in danger.