TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale was founded as Offshore Marine Towing Inc. in 1989 by Larry Acheson after several years of towing and salvage experience gained on the west coast of Florida. The initial operation was based in Oakland Park, FL with a single 24’ Privateer providing towing services to the North Broward County marine community. Offshore Marine Towing joined the BoatU.S. (Boat Owners Association of The United States) towing program in 1989 and, a few years later, became one of the first TowBoatU.S. companies in South Florida. |
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In 1990, a marine operations base was established at the Lighthouse Point Marina chosen due to its close proximity to the Hillsboro Inlet. This relocation allowed TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale to provide a response time frequently under 5 minutes to casualties outside the Inlet. Business expansion resulted in the acquisition of larger and additional vessels to service an ever growing customer base. Service areas were expanded north from Broward County to the southern half of Palm Beach County.
In 1994, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale established a second base of operations at the Ft. Lauderdale Marina chosen due to its proximity to the Port Everglades Inlet. Four additional boats were acquired to assure immediate response to any location in the Broward and Dade regions.
Investments in 1996 include a private high frequency radio communication system designed to assure absolute, immediate communication between each base and all vessels, and a VHF “high site” which allows both of the offices to have the capability to receive distress calls from anywhere in South Florida and well offshore. This entails a directional antenna mounted on top of a 24 story building with telephone lines routing the signal to and from each base. A second antenna, at a height of 700 feet, was added in 2002 allowing radio communications to reach the Bahamas.
Having successfully completed thousands of salvage operations, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale has accumulated an extensive inventory of salvage equipment. In 1997, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale invested in a Sunken Vessel Recovery Unit which houses the equipment used for raising sunken boats, pollution containment, and diving operations. This includes generators, compressors, tools, pumps, air tools for underwater patching, air bags, absorbent materials, dive bottles, etc. Another benefit of the Recovery Unit is its mobility. It is easily transported to any emergency scene by using any of our three ¾-ton, 4-wheel drive trucks. |
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In 2003, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale again enhanced its operation to include launch services to vessels in Port Everglades. A launch vessel and landing craft were added to the fleet and this facet of the business continues to expand to meet the needs of our growing Port operations. TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale continues to grow, opening a third port location on the New River, Ft. Lauderdale in early 2005. This expansion allows for prompt response for towing yachts to and within the premier service facilities located on the New River The tug Shillelagh, touting a specially designed wheelhouse allowing unlimited visibility in all directions and exclusively refit for this type of work, was launched in the fall of 2006. This workhorse quickly became known as the “most powerful tug on the New River”. Also in the fall of 2006, a 46’ Winninghoff equipped with a 1500 lb. knuckle boom crane and an air-conditioned wheelhouse was added to the fleet. This vessel is used for our launch operations and to compliment our long-distance towing operations. Through its continuing growth, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale provides prompt and professional services to a customer base that spans South Florida from Delray Beach south to Miami, east into the Bahamas and well beyond. |