The Museum’s New Tugs
by Keegan Chetwynd - Museum Director
Our Museum’s founder, Jerry Yagen, has always said that “the right one finds you.” This is the kind of advice he would encourage me with while we were out looking for the next great airplane to add to our collection. While he first mentioned this to me when we were looking for a B-17 some time ago, it has reemerged numerous times in the years since. Given the unusual set of circumstances which bubbled up over the last couple days, I wanted to share with you what the phrase can actually look like in reality. This article describes how another artifact of historic significance has found its way into our collection. While an aircraft tug may not be as exciting as an airplane, I believe it is something you will all enjoy seeing in action at the Museum!
Before we go much further, I should probably explain that one of the visions which the Board and I share is the idea that our Museum should be a place where people can go back in time. Picture our ramp during a Summer of Flight event, with visitors watching and enjoying the aircraft. Now imagine the same event with the airplane surrounded by the period-correct ground equipment! I am not saying we would become the Colonial Williamsburg of World War II Museums, but such ground equipment can lend a lot to the presentation of the airplanes. It becomes a part of the exhibit in the hangar, rather than something that is just in there for the sake of expedience. It also helps bring the story of all those unsung heroes on the ground (or at sea) who helped maintain and prepare the aircraft for flight, not just the aircrew who flew them in combat.
Those of you who regularly follow our Restoration Blog will already know that this work has begun! The restoration of our 1943 CCKW Fuel Truck, for instance, is progressing well at a workshop up north, and the day is fast approaching when it will replace the modern white Chevy we currently use to refuel our aircraft. The CCKW will be a flawless, running, example of a WWII Fuel Truck, albeit with modern equipment concealed within it to follow current safety standards in fuel handling, while preserving the historical aesthetic we are going for.
World War II aircraft tugs can be difficult items to procure, although this is not because too few of them have survived to the present day. It is perhaps more accurate to say that they don’t come up for sale very often, because those which do exist have mostly become cherished pieces in Museum collections. During my time at the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), I had the privilege of working with some great volunteers, and on one occasion our group found a large number of M2 High-Speed Tractors, sometimes called Cletracs or ‘Bomber Nurses’ in a farmer’s field south of Fort Worth. These would join some fairly well-used Clarktor 6 tractors in the CAF’s collection which were routinely used to move aircraft. In England during WWII, the US Army Air Forces used Cletracs extensively when hauling heavy bombers like the B-17 and B-24 through grassy areas. This was also true in the Pacific Theatre of Operations, when the even heavier B-29 had to be moved around on the crushed coral ramps and runways of island bases such as Tinian. Naturally, the CAF ended up on a mission to get a Cletrac running for towing Fifi, the organization’s B-29. Watching that happen was a special moment for everyone involved!
Tug Troubles:
So now we fast-forward to a few weeks ago, just before I left for EAA AirVenture 2024 (Oshkosh). Our Director of Operations, Mitchell Welch informed me that our current tugs were becoming a little ‘worn around the edges’. While some may not know, our white tugs are genuine pieces of US Navy history themselves! Similar examples were in use on flight decks during the early years of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and it is not difficult to find images of them hard at work on any number of aircraft carriers. The ones depicted in the image below are being parked alongside a pair of War-Hoovers at the conclusion of a day of flight operations on USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63).
To Repair, or not to Repair:
The challenge for us, however, is that as these tugs begin to show their age, they are extremely difficult to find parts for. These vehicles were specialized for the Navy, as were the parts manufactured for them. So as Mitch explained the troubles which our vehicles were starting to exhibit, I wondered if it might be better to retire them. Maybe now was the time to begin searching in earnest for “the right tugs.”
Back when we were looking for Cletracs at the CAF, my research into the various types of WWII-era aircraft tugs exposed me to a remarkably stylish vehicle: the Moto Tug. Used by the US Navy in World War II, this modified Ford Ferguson tractor was built squat so that it could scoot around under the parked aircraft in the hangar deck. However, while flattening the vehicle’s profile, its designer added a stunning, swooping fender made from steel armor plate (in part to add weight to the tug). Once you know what they look like, it is easier to spot them in WWII flight deck pictures, where the aircraft are more often what command the eye’s attention; the tugs are iconic, but often blend into the background!
The Search:
So I spent last Thursday preparing a Wanted List for tractors to be found - dead or alive! (As far as the dead tractors go, I reasoned that our guys are almost done restoring the Link Trainer, so there might be space for a project anyway…). I decided to share my list with a local tractor collector named Ashton Lewis who is heavily involved with the excellent Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum up in Petersburg, Virginia. I first met Ashton following an introduction by Delegate Barry Knight, and it seemed to me that if anyone could help us track down some of the more exotic military aircraft tugs, it might be someone who collects in the adjacent tractor space.
To my amazement, just a few hours after I emailed Ashton, he replied with a pair of tractor listings he’d found. That looker of a tug, the Mighty Moto Tug, was what he had discovered. Amazingly, an auction was taking place the very next day to sell off items from a Ferguson Tractor collection. The sale included not one, but two of these beauties… and they were scheduled to cross the block on Saturday, August 17th.
The collection, belonging to Charles Plott Jr., was attached to Charlanne Farms Country Meats in Southington Ohio. Other members of the family had owned a Ferguson dealership, which is what gave birth to the collection. The meat shop closed suddenly in December 2019, but it was said during the auction that the tractors had brought great joy to the family, which hoped that they would now join other collections or Museums where they could continue that mission.
The operational Ferguson-built B-NO-40 Moto-Tug which the Military Aviation Museum bought at auction on August 17th, 2024. (image via RES Auction Services)
The operable Moto-Tug which the Military Aviation Museum bought at auction on August 17th, 2024. This vehicle has an incorrect engine cowl and is missing some of the armor plated shields, but it will be restored back to original condition. (image via RES Auction Services)
After reviewing the details provided on the auction lots, and talking to the auction house, I spoke with our team on Friday, determined what we were in a position to enter as a max bid. I keyed this number into the proxy-bid system, knowing that there just wasn’t time to drive to Ohio to be there in person. I left for home on Friday night thinking about everything that could go wrong. Should we really buy things sight unseen? Probably not. Do the brakes work? No idea. That second one really does look suspect! However, as I sat thinking about it, my thoughts moved to what important pieces of equipment these tugs really were. To convey this significance, I want to share some of the WWII images I found depicting these tugs in action (well, their siblings at least) which I found on Friday / Saturday.
The final image above is the one which I found most compelling. Museum Volunteer Billy Friend often tells stories about how being able to sleep almost anywhere is an experience common to all sailors. Reflecting on this photograph, and the one where sailors appear to be drag racing on the flight deck, it occurred to me that we could neither exhibit these airplanes faithfully, nor conclude our efforts on the aircraft carrier exhibit, without having one of these tugs be a part of it.
As Saturday rolled around, we realized that whatever was going to happen, these two tugs were going to be auctioned at exactly the time we at the Museum would be launching our Corsair for a Summer of Flight demonstration. Could we trust that our Max Bid was high enough? Did we want to run the risk of missing these tugs simply over the difference of $100? Heck no! But who could we assign this important mission to?
While many of you probably know Jay Bess for his work helping us with sponsorships and marketing, some of us know of his career before joining the Museum. He has years of professional experience in automobile auctions! In 2022, Jay purchased some $10 million worth of vehicles at auction, transferring them on to dealerships. Over the past six years, it is fair to say that he has purchased in excess of 3,000 cars at auction!
Buying equipment is what Jay does when he isn’t helping the Museum, so Zack Baughman (our Curator), Mitch and I decided to leave him in charge. I told Jay what our maximum was, but gave him a little extra to go deep if necessary (these tugs are important pieces of history after all.) Another factor on this willingness to run a little over, if needed, was the fact that during a conversation with the auction coordinator on the day before, I had heard the first tug running in the background - and that makes all the difference sometimes.
As we all worked to put our Corsair in the air, with a record crowd enjoying the flight demonstration, I couldn’t shake thoughts about the tug from my mind. Did we win it? Would next week’s Summer of Flight event feature a Skyraider pulled into position by “The Right Tug”?
The Right Tug:
When the Corsair display concluded, I was almost afraid to look at my phone. I had 27 text messages. Had we won? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know if we hadn’t. So I called Jay for the story. He quickly exclaimed that we had placed the winning bid on both tractors - but that it was a very near run thing! Mister “years of experience in the auction world” had been sitting by his computer watching the auction live for 5 hours, watching lot after lot go by waiting, amping himself up. Our cool and capable actor had been reading about the tugs while waiting and had come to share the opinion that the Museum was the right home for them, bar none!
The morning lots were mostly made up of a wide and impressive range of Ferguson Tractor collectibles, shelves full of parts manuals – some of which we might now need – but nothing seemed to be commanding especially high prices. A few other online bidders joined the action on Lot 131, bidding it up to around $3,000 by proxy before it showed up on the block. It seemed as though we might get it for much less than expected. But as the live bidding began, someone in the room said “Didn’t they use those on aircraft carriers?” There went the hope of getting out cheap!
The bidding started to ramp up, the excitement was palpable (according to Jay). He had gone from pacing the room waiting for our tugs to take their turn, to sitting in front of the computer, phone in hand, palms sweating, fearful that we might not leave with a tug at all. As the price skyrocketed, it became clear that there was another bidder who appreciated this little industrial wonder for the piece of history that it actually is, and the bid increments started jumping up by a thousand dollars each time. We were still in the running, as we hadn’t crossed the maximum bid, but then it happened. What now? There is no time to get anyone on the phone from the Museum! Jay adjusted our maximum bid, but it got topped, once more it was adjusted, and as he entered a revised bid for the third time, he heard the sound of the auctioneer’s hammer slam down. Just how fast is the internet connection? Well it turns out, just fast enough! We had won Lot 131!
Now on to Lot 132, not a looker by any stretch. I told Jay, “Get that for a parts tug if it goes cheap.” As Jay’s eyes were refocusing from the wild ride that was the previous lot, he saw something unexpected. The “Parts Tug” was being driven across the block by one of the auction team. Sure it had the wrong hood cover on there, but the auctioneer said they had the right hood. In the auction preview it had looked like it was further gone than it actually was! The biggest missing piece is the armored fender. Jay snapped up lot 132 for a few hundred dollars. What a catch!
As it stands right now, it seems that the right machines may have found us. For us to have procured these rare machines in the span of just three days seems almost surreal, and that is why I wanted to share the story with all of you. Every one of us can contribute to the growth of this collection, and it is impossible to know which opportunities are going to hit just right.
Richard, Zack and the AIC team will no-doubt begin a research project that will tell us more about these fascinating vehicles, but our most pressing need at the moment is to actually get them home. The auction requires they be picked up in Ohio on Friday, August 23rd between 9AM - 5PM. If you have a way to help in the collection of these items, please let Zack or Keegan know right away.
The fully equipped tug is thought to weigh between 5,000 and 6,000lbs, and both need to be picked up during that time window. I can’t get them myself, unfortunately, as I have some Museum business to attend to on the West Coast, but I can tell you - I absolutely can’t wait to get back and see these machines in person!
A Big Thank You
A few big thank yous are owed here, and no doubt more will be needed as we get stuck into these tugs.
Thank you to Ashton Lewis for pointing us in the right direction, and for introducing us to the nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat world of vintage tractor auctions!
Thank you to Jay Bess for doing the required nail-biting, and seat-edge-sitting all morning!
Thank you to all our Museum Volunteers, Staff, and Local Tractor collectors who knew what we were working on, and who sat with their fingers crossed between 1pm and 1:30pm on Saturday!
But this final thank you is more personal… I want to thank John Sprouse and the members of the Camp Howze MVPA for the effort they put in to helping us keep a year-round eye open for the Military Vehicles we have been adding to the Museum’s collection! We are still out looking for an ambulance, and these tugs are by no means the last of the tugs we are seeking!
