Title
Parker Towing Company Propeller, The Parker Wheel
Subject
Towing
Propellers
Parker, Tim Sr., 1904-1992
Description
Photograph of the propeller developed by Tim Parker for his towing boats and the description accompanying the display at Parker Towing Company in Northport.
Text of the sign:
The Parker Wheel
Parker Towing Company founder, Captain Tim Parker (1904-1992), began his career on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River working on and later piloting paddlewheel steamboats. In 1946 he built his first diesel powered, propeller driven boat, M/V R.G. Parker. After putting it into service, he discovered the propellers or “wheels” available at that time were designed primarily for pushing ahead and did not provide sufficient thrust when the boat was in reverse or “backing”.
With his years of experience piloting paddle wheelers, he knew how critical “backing” was to safely navigate the narrow bends between Tuscaloosa and Mobile. Captain Parker worked with a propeller manufacturer in Mobile, Alabama to design a propeller to increase its thrust in reverse or “backing”. That propeller design became known as the “Parker Wheel”.
The propeller on display here is of that design. It was used on the M/V Dallas, a diesel powered, twin propeller driven towboat owned by Parker Towing Company and operated for many years moving barges on rivers throughout the southeast. This propeller is made of bronze and is 72 inches in diameter with a pitch of 67 inches, manufactured by Doran Alabama Propeller Company.
Text of the sign:
The Parker Wheel
Parker Towing Company founder, Captain Tim Parker (1904-1992), began his career on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River working on and later piloting paddlewheel steamboats. In 1946 he built his first diesel powered, propeller driven boat, M/V R.G. Parker. After putting it into service, he discovered the propellers or “wheels” available at that time were designed primarily for pushing ahead and did not provide sufficient thrust when the boat was in reverse or “backing”.
With his years of experience piloting paddle wheelers, he knew how critical “backing” was to safely navigate the narrow bends between Tuscaloosa and Mobile. Captain Parker worked with a propeller manufacturer in Mobile, Alabama to design a propeller to increase its thrust in reverse or “backing”. That propeller design became known as the “Parker Wheel”.
The propeller on display here is of that design. It was used on the M/V Dallas, a diesel powered, twin propeller driven towboat owned by Parker Towing Company and operated for many years moving barges on rivers throughout the southeast. This propeller is made of bronze and is 72 inches in diameter with a pitch of 67 inches, manufactured by Doran Alabama Propeller Company.
Creator
Elizabeth Bradt
Source
Elizabeth Bradt
Date
2023
Contributor
Elizabeth Bradt (Description)
Type
Photograph
Identifier
2640
Coverage
Alabama
Original Format
Photograph