TOWING THE SS UNITED STATES TO MOBILE, ALABAMA
Presented by Capt. Mike Vinik
April 11, 2025 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm EDT
Captain Mike Vinik, owner of the New Jersey-based tugboat company, Vinik Marine, captained the tugboat VINIK NO.6 on a 10-day journey from Philadelphia, PA, down the east coast and around the coast of Florida to safely deliver the historic vessel SS UNITED STATES to its new temporary home in Mobile, Alabama. The WSS-PONY Branch is pleased to welcome Captain Vinik as he provides his firsthand account of the historic 1,855-mile trip with his dedicated crew of seven using the now famous VINIK NO.6, and a half mile long 2¼-in diameter steel cable. From their departure on February 19, 2025 until their arrival on March 3, 2025, the tow continued 24/7 and included a spate of bad weather conditions off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Captain Vinik attended the Marine Academy of Science and Technology in New Jersey and later graduated from the New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler in 2003. Just over a year later, he took a bold step by purchasing his first tugboat that was in “pretty bad shape [and then] spent 10 months getting it back up and running again.” Mike has never looked back.
(Photo: Capt. Mike Vinik)