The Diesel Elisha Woods
As with the other inland river shipyards in the United States, the Nashville Bridge Company (Nabrico), Nashville, Tenn., directed all efforts toward building vessels for the war effort during the years of World War II. The yard primarily built minesweepers and sub chasers throughout the war years. As Nabrico turned back to producing boats for the inland towing industry, the designs of the craft it produced greatly resembled the towboats built just prior to the war, such as the Irene Chotin of 1941 (see The Waterways Journal, May 26, 2025). These vessels were easily recognized as products of Nashville Bridge Company.
The second vessel to be built at Nabrico after the war was a twin-screw towboat completed in 1946 with a hull that was 112 by 26 feet. The boat was powered by a pair of GM diesels rated 1,500 hp. that were coupled to Falk 3.2:1 reduction gears. The boat was named Elisha Woods, honoring Capt. Elisha Woods, who had managed the Barrett Line interests at Cairo, Ill., for many years. He celebrated 50 years of service with the Barrett Line in 1937, and a navigation light named in his honor stood at Cairo Point on the Ohio River for decades. An earlier wooden hull sternwheel steam towboat previously had been named for him (WJ, May 16, 2022).
The new Elisha Woods had a long lower cabin with an open stern. Both the bow work deck and the open stern had awnings extending over them from the main cabin. The upper cabin was a little shorter, with a single “stovepipe” style smokestack behind it. The pilothouse sat atop the upper cabin and sported the now well-recognized rakish Nabrico style visor around the top. The pilothouse was fitted with large windows, allowing for good visibility in all directions. The gentle sheer and camber of the Nabrico hull design added to the attractive appearance of the new boat.
The Inland River Record lists the first owner of the Elisha Woods as Charles C. Smith & Company of Houston. The IRR of 1946 indicated that company had seven vessels other than the Woods, all of which were smaller tugs, some with wooden hulls. The U.S. List of Merchant Vessels recorded the Woods as first owned by Nabrico, with ownership transferring to the Smith company in 1947. In March 1948, the boat was sold to Sohio Petroleum Company, St. Louis, but the name remained the same. Some may be interested to note that the radio call sign assigned to the Woods in 1948 was AWKX. That changed in 1950 to WA 4587, which identified the boat for most of its existence.
In June 1951, the Elisha Woods was sold to A.L. Mechling Barge Line, Joliet, Ill. Again, the familiar name did not change. For the next 10 years, the boat roamed the Mississippi River system with the big white “M” of the Mechling company on her black stack. In November 1961, it was sold to Triangle Towing Company, Maysville, Ky., which operated it on the Ohio River in conjunction with Triangle’s other vessel, the City of Maysville (see WJ, October 24, 2022), until 1963, when the City of Maysville was sold, and the Woods became the only horse in the stable.
In June 1972, the Woods was sold to International Barge Inc., Milford, Ohio, whose address changed to Cincinnati in 1975. Under this ownership, the Elisha Woods was operated along with the Buckeye State. The Woods was a familiar sight for most of the next 23 years on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers as it towed Gulf Oil products.
The many captains and pilots that worked aboard the boat during this time frame included John Mormon, Clayton “Slats” Pelphry, Buck Toler, Danny Popp and Mike Russell. Capt. Russell often speaks of how well the Elisha Woods handled. As with other boats that Nabrico built in that era, the Woods had only two flanking rudders. The stern design was so efficient that Capt. Russell says it handled exceptionally well when flanking, a true testament to the builder.
The boat was briefly renamed Randy Draper from December 1989 until June 1991, when the original name was restored. In 1992, it was repowered with a pair of GM 8-567C engines of 1,600 hp. In 1995, it was sold to James Marine Inc., Paducah, Ky. The 2000 edition of IRR listed it in the Off The Record section, noting that the Woods had been sold in March 1999 to CKL Corporation, Petersburg, Ky., for scrapping.
Featured image caption: The Elisha Woods new at Wood River, Ill. Note the Charles C. Smith logo on the stack and no evidence of a radar scanner. (From the Dan Owen Boat Photo Museum collection)
