On a summer morning in San Diego, the Crowley Maritime tugs Scout and Tioga slipped their moorings at the Crosby Street pier and headed under the Coronado Bridge to await the Pasha Hawaii 692-foot con-ro vessel Marjorie C. In late 2014, the 105-foot, 4,800-hp, cycloidal-drive Scout and the 79-foot, 4,400-hp, azimuthing stern drive (ASD) Tioga were moved to San Diego from Los Angeles, replacing the twin-screw, 3,500-hp tugs Saturn and Spartan. The change signaled a significant upgrade. Aboard Scout, Capt. Sherman Sakatani praised the maneuverability and quick response of the tug. "It is nimble and quick," said Sakatani. "Coming from conventional tugs, it is much easier to learn on a cycloi-dal drive man a z-drive. They are more like a twin-screw with a bow thruster."
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