Why tug boats spray water into the air when towing ships as legendary wreckage is found by fisherman

When you break down on the road, it's a fairly straight-forward process. You call recovery and you get towed - and it turns out it's not too dissimilar for boats either. A tug boat comes along and tows you to safety, all while blowing out massive jets of water like a majestic steel whale. But why?

Tug boats are small, but extremely powerful little vessels which are designed to help ships needing rescue from peril, and in some cases, they double up as salvage boats too.

But what's with all the theatrics? Do they really need to send water spraying up into the air?

The spray has had people confused for years (Getty Stock Images)

The 'water salute' explained

The large spray is known as a 'water salute' and is a way of welcoming large vessels as they come into port as well as bidding them farewell as they leave.

The spray comes from people working on tug boats using fire fighting vehicles which are located on the side of the tug, which then spray out large jets of water as a nod to other vessels.

Although, it only happens on rare occasions as it's considered a ceremonial sign of respect in the maritime industry.

Legendary tug boat 'J.C Ames' found by fisherman

It's not just this display which makes tug boats much more impressive than you might think, it's also their raw power and ability haul or tow massive items across the ocean.

One great example of their power is the J.C Ames, which was situated on the Great Lakes, Wisconsin.

The legendary tug boat was built back in 1881 and was considered one of the largest and most powerful in the region.

J.C. Ames was one of the most powerful tug boats in the region (Tamara Thomsen / Wisconsin Historical Society)

The J.C Ames alone could pull five barges worth of timber, as well as railroad barges between Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois.

In 1923, the ship was decommissioned in epic fashion; by setting it aflame.

It remained at the bottom of the Great Lakes for more than 100 years, until it was finally found by a fisherman this month.

The fisherman brought the discovery to the attention of local authorities, which led to an investigation by Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association, who later identified the legendary tug boat as the J.C Ames.

The legendary wreckage was found by a fisherman before being identified (Tamara Thomsen / Wisconsin Historical Society)

'Shipwreck Alley'

The Great Lakes is home to 'Shipwreck Alley', an area which is known for its hard to navigate waters.

It's not uncommon for shipwrecks to be found in this area, however, to find one as impressive as the J.C Ames is quiet a rarity, and helps bring back a piece of the region's history to light.