The M.V. BARBARA H
Boat Name: BARBARA H (formerly DONALD B)
Owner: Steve Huffman 11 Ashland Cove Road Vevay, IN 47043
Home Port: Lamb, Indiana (Ohio River mile 545.9, across from Carrollton, KY).
Hull : Spoonbill or modified scow bow design. Originally rivited steel; rebuilt with 3/8" welded plate in 1958. The original rivited overdeck, guards and stringers were retained. The hull has 9 watertight compartments.
Hill Size: Hull dimensions are 80' x 18' x 3.7'. Vessel's overall dimensions are 99' x 19'. Draft is 32".
Paddlewheel : 12' x 12', 10 buckets, white oak bucket planks. Buckets have 24" dip.
Engine : Present Engine (1940 - today): 4 cylinder Fairbanks-Morse 35E10 marine diesel rated at 160 hp. 10" bore x 12-1/2" stroke. Max RPM: 400. Built at the Beloit Mfg facility between 5-11-1940 and 6-27-1940. Off the test floor 7-8-1940. Shipped to Higginsport, Ohio for Ray and Harry Brookbank on 7-23-1940. Engine Cost: $5109.00. Engine installed by Campbell Beatty in August 1940. Engine weighs approximately 10,000 pounds. Previous Engine (1925-1939): 3 cylinder Fairbanks-Morse marine diesel rated at 100 hp. (threw a rod in 1939). Previous Engine (1923-1925): Gasoline engine rated at 60 hp. Drivetrain Information: Present
Drivetrain (1925 - today): Long 6" diameter driveshaft connects the forward-mounted engine to the aft-mounted right-angle gearbox. The gearbox turns a short shaft with double cogs, which drives the double rollerchain to the paddlewheel. Previous Drivetrain (1923-1925): Sliding belts and chain drive; typical of early gasboats. Gasoline engine had a very wide pulley which powered 2 flat belts. The belts drove a large flywheel on a jackshaft which in turn powered the paddlewheel chain. One belt was fitted normally and was the come-ahead belt. The other belt was fitted with a twist, thereby providing opposite rotation, or reverse. The desired belt was slid on or off the flywheel from the pilothouse with a series of levers and pulleys controlling a simple "clutch" mechanism.
Builder : Built in 1923 by Marietta Manufacturing, Point Pleasant, WV, for Standard Oil of Ohio. Original name: STANDARD. Maiden voyage was on June 25th, 1923.
Superstructure : Wooden superstructure. Main cabin is 68' x 13' and consists of the engine room, workshop, bathroom, crew quarters (sleeps 4), kitchen and tiller room. The raised pilothouse, captain's quarters (sleeps 2) and skylight roof are on the top deck, and are also of wooden construction. The stern bulkhead is steel.
Miscellaneous: Fuel capacity: 3,000 gallons No. 2 diesel Potable Water: 250 gallons Power: 12.5kw generator Gross Vessel Weight: 55 tons
The BARBARA H (formerly the DONALD B, and originally the STANDARD) inaugurated gasoline towing on the Ohio River in 1923. Standard Oil of Ohio constructed 2 expirimental gasoline barges which were towed by the STANDARD. During the 1937 flood, the STANDARD carried relief supplies and personnel under orders from the U.S. Engineers. She carried doctors, nurses, medicine and other supplies to isolated Ohio towns from January 26th, until released from duty on February 2nd. Following an engine fire in 1939, the STANDARD was sold to Ray and Harry Brookbank. In 1940 they repowered the vessel with a new Fairbanks-Morse diesel (still in use) and renamed it DONALD B, after Ray's young son. The DONALD B operated as a commercial towboat through December 1st, 2000. Steve Huffman bought the vessel and took delivery on December 14th, 2000. The vessel towed commercially for 77 consecutive years, making it the longest running commercial towboat (ties and exceeds the commercial towing carrer of the towboat LONE STAR). The vessel was renamed BARBARA H in April, 2001. Aside from the name, the vessel remains unchanged and now runs as a operational museum, visting various rivertown festivals during the summer.