Icebreaking by Tow on the Mississippi River

A field investigation of icebreaking by the motor vessel Renee G, operating on the Mississippi River between Alton, IL, and Fort Madison, IA, is reported. The operation encountered a wide variety of ice conditions and was performed with a variety of barge configurations and arrangements. Important qualitative observations of the nature and difficulties encountered while icebreaking were made; and, by instrumenting the propeller shafts and using load cells between the towboat and the barges, quantitative information was obtained on the resistance encountered while icebreaking. Also described are the effects of repeated passage through an ice cover, navigation procedures peculiar to icebreaking, and minor damage sustained by the towboat. (Author)