Limpiar VI (ex. Port Haywood) was one of a series of Small Harbor Tugs Type V2-M-AL1, built in 1944 as part of a contract for 35 boats. All but one was transferred to Britain under the terms of the Lend/Lease Program. The single one to go into private hands was Limpiar VI. She was YTL 718, built at Fields Landing, CA., transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal in 1947, transferred to California Ship Service in 1947 and then to California Salvage Company in Los Angeles in 1951. She was purchased by Northern Corporation of Alaska in 1964. Length 29.1 meters, beam 5.79 M, Draft 2.44 M. Propulsion 240 HP direct reversing White-Superior diesel, single screw.

The Great Alaska Earthquake happened in 1964. Northern Corporation won a contract from the Alaska District Corp of Engineers to reconstruct the rock breakwater in Seldovia, Alaska, so immediately started gathering the equipment necessary to quarry rock, transport it by barge to Seldovia and reconstruct the breakwater. Northern Corporation found Limpiar VI in San Pedro, California.

After completing the breakwater we obtained the contract to build a new City Dock at Homer, Alaska. When that project was nearly complete oil was discovered in Cook Inlet and we converted our barge into an offshore drilling rig to take undisturbed core samples at the proposed location for the Drift River Tanker Terminal. Those cores were so urgent that the oil company flew each piling location cores to Dallas for dock leg design. Each day they were helicoptered from the barge and a private jet flew them to Dallas.

Following that Northern Corporation worked for years drilling for oil platform design information, other docks, proposed bridges, ore deposits, offshore mining for barite at Castle Island in SE Alaska, moving a cannery and an entire town from one island to another, as well as many other adventures. When the type of work we were doing for the oil companies slowed down Northern Corporation sold Limpiar VI to a tow boat company in Seward, Alaska.

They also eventually also sold her. She was re-powered and converted to a crabber, but we got into financial difficulties an ended up with a U.S. Marshall tag posted on her. The Homer harbormaster towed her to the beach, where she was vandalized and finally broken up. above: Limpiar VI seen in Seldovia. Photo below: Limpiar VI getting her marine survey in San Pedro, California prior to our purchase of her.