Western Towboat Celebrates Its 75th Anniversary
Bob Shrewsbury Jr. was just five years old when he took his first trip aboard a tug in Puget Sound. The experience began a lifelong love of working on the water, as he followed in his father’s footsteps.
Bob Shrewsbury Sr. was a man of his word, committed to holding himself to the highest standards while juggling the roles of business agent, captain and engineer. His hands-on, honest work ethic has been passed down to the growing generations of his family, evidenced by the company’s solid reputation for providing quality service.
In 1947, Bob Sr. acquired a 38-foot wooden-hulled tug, N.D. Tobey, built in 1901 and powered by a single co-diesel engine. With the vessel in hand, he officially launched Western Towboat the following year.
Today, the company boasts a fleet of 22 custom, in-h...