For other uses, see Tug (disambiguation).
The Buckingham[1] Tug is a tugboat featured in Grand Theft Auto IV and later returning to Grand Theft Auto Online as part of the Further Adventures in Finance and Felony update.
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Tug is similar to the real-life Janice Ann Reinauer tug boat, evident by the similar shape and layout.
The Tug is designed as a large industrial tugboat, which is by far one of the largest watercraft in the game and also one of the largest controllable vehicles in the series (being much larger than the 3D Universe iterations of the Tropic). The Tug has an obvious industrial use in Grand Theft Auto IV, and it is most likely used to move the large garbage barges dotted around the city's waters, although this cannot be utilised in-game since all barges are fixed structures.
The vessel boasts a huge and sturdy hull with a large fender-like structure on the bow and various old tyre fenders on the port and starboard sides, while the gunwales/barriers have small cleats and open sections. There are various yellow-tipped bitts situated around the deck and two large towing winches on the stern area, while the rearmost section has a slightly elevated platform with a single lifebuoy. Below the vessel, there is the large propulsion system, consisting of a tail shaft, a ducted propeller/Kort nozzle and dual rudder blades.
The deck is large and carries a three-storey superstructure, with access ladders on the back, tall hand rails around, additional lifebuoys and a tall funnel with a single tube. The bottom cabin has numerous circular opaque windows and unusable access doors on the rear portions, while the middle cabin has transparent windows with unusable access doors and a fully-visible interior. The bridge sits at the top and is the only accessible area of the vessel, having an open-door design and the helm inside where the captain stands behind it (in a similar way to the Reefer). The roof mounts the radar mast and a single circular lamp, while a tall mainmast is situated behind, with cables attached to the roof of the same bridge and a headmast light/antenna on top.
The Tug is only seem in a rusty colour, with the hull mostly being black and the superstructure being of a brownish/reddish colour.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Returning to Grand Theft Auto Online as part of the Further Adventures in Finance and Felony update, the Tug has a similar design to the Janice Ann Reinauer and Cape Romain tug boats.
The Tug possesses the same design and features as the Olifantus prop found in the game, which in turn is a smaller variant of the GTA IV iteration. The hull remains largely similar to the previous iteration, but there are large access ladders that allow easier access to the vessel from the water, fewer tyre fenders on the port and starboard sides, numerous cleats painted in yellow, and loose cables on the mounted winches and rearmost platform, alongside the yellow-tipped bitts. The propulsion system below the hull has an enclosed shaft and a single rudder blade.
Changes to the superstructure have been made as well; the top cabin was removed and the funnel has a sloped shape with dual tubes on top, while the lifebuoys are mounted beside the lower cabin and on the side hand rails. The former middle cabin becomes the main bridge and adopts an open-door design with an enlarged rear and side boxes derived from the top cabin, while the roof retains most of the features from the GTA IV iteration (albeit with a simplified radar mast). The mainmast has various cables/ropes and bears the LSPA flag and two maritime signal flags (specifically "I" and "P"), while a non-functional anemometer can be seen on top. The interior of the bridge has the corresponding helm/steering wheel and instruments, including analogue "Truck" dials and a functional interior light.
The Tug still has a rusty appearance as it did in Grand Theft Auto IV, but gains an updated scheme, consisting of a red/blue scheme with waterline/Plimsoll line markings on the hull, and a white/blue scheme for the superstructure (which wraps the entire vehicle, as the files indicate it spawns in a white primary colour).
Current Design Gallery[]
Version History Gallery[]
Performance[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The boat is very large, and as expected for a vehicle of its size, is very slow, even more so than a Reefer. The Tug also possesses heavy control and very poor stopping power (due to the vehicle being a watercraft, coupled with its weight). Because of its obvious size, the Tug can easily flip other boats. The Tug can take numerous impacts from explosives or rockets before it is completely destroyed, since the water will set off any flame coming from the rear (where the propulsion system is located).
Whilst on the Tug, the player cannot run, but the player may move faster if they aim with a pistol. Pressing the correct button to board the ship will also cause the player to automatically walk to the wheel of the boat. This vehicle can only properly contain one person in multiplayer (the driver), although others can still stand on the deck; however, these players will lose some control of their characters.
When the boat is moving, they will also begin to glide off slowly; if anyone stands at the front of the boat, they will actually pass through the superstructure and see the water beneath. It is possible for passengers to stay on the boat by hanging onto the side of the boat's hull without letting go.
The Tug is powered by dual inboard engines powering a single propeller, similar to most real-life tugboats. They emit a generally low-revving and noisy sound, unique to this vehicle.
GTA IV Overview[]
| Acceleration (0-60mph / 0-100km/h) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh / knots) |
Engine (Inboard / Outboard) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 25 / 40 / 22 | N/A | 50000 / 110231 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | Twin inboard engine | Cannot be observed |
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
The boat retains most of its characteristics of being a heavy, slow and large boat. It is very sluggish and somewhat underpowered in the water, and slowing down may become problematic in high currents. It is the only watercraft in the game that can only seat one occupant (excluding the Blazer Aqua, which is amphibious), but other players can stand on the boat's deck, allowing them to use any kind of weapon while the boat is in motion. However, the Tug's slow speed and decreased durability (it cannot survive a single explosion) do not make it a very useful vehicle in combat. The Tug is completely immune to damage from collisions.
Again, the Tug is powered by dual inboard engines powering a single propeller, which emit a generally low-revving and noisy sound.
GTA Online Overview[]
| Acceleration (0-60mph / 0-100km/h) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh / knots) |
Engine (Inboard / Outboard) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
Fuel Tank Size (litres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 11 / 18 / 10 | N/A | 12200 / 26896 | 2 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | Twin inboard engine | Cannot be observed | Cannot be observed |
Rockstar Games Social Club[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Gallery[]
Static Variants[]
Clean Tug[]
In Port Tudor, there is a docked Tug inside a warehouse. It has much cleaner bodywork than those the player can use.
Olifantus[]
Main article: Olifantus
Olifantus is the name for a tugboat based on the Tug, appearing as a prop in Grand Theft Auto V. The design is unchanged from the Tug, with the exception of a different paint job and the lack of the 3rd floor cab. The Olifantus serves as the livery for the Tug featured in Grand Theft Auto Online.
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- May appear as obstacles in the mission Buoys Ahoy, during the chase sequence.
- Located in the little channel of water that separates Tudor from Acter Industrial Park, near the dilapidated bridge.
- Located in the water north of the Alderney State Correctional Facility.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Special Cargo[]
- May appear as the delivery vehicle during Special Cargo sell missions.
Mobile Operations[]
- Used by a Merryweather salvage team during the Mobile Operations mission Offshore Assets.
Air Freight Cargo[]
- Tug boats may appear in certain Air Freight Cargo steal missions:
- Used by a salvage crew that must be taken out.
- Seen at an enemy base located in Terminal, which must be destroyed.
- Used by a trash haulage network, which the player may destroy to reveal the location of the cargo.
The Cayo Perico Heist[]
- Appears as the last target to destroy during the preparation "Disrupt Armor", carrying a small crate with the last armour shipment.
- Seen near the Buzzard Attack Choppers transported by sea, which the player must destroy in the preparation "Disrupt Air Support".
Locations[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- Located in the water just west of Colony Island (between Colony Island and Algonquin).
- Located in the little channel of water that separates Tudor from Acter Industrial Park, near the dilapidated bridge.
- Located in the water north of Alderney State Correctional Facility.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Trivia[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- If the player is in the water and they want to board the ship, they will have to go in front of it and press the enter vehicle button. Note that this will only work if the engine is turned off.
- Sometimes when the player starts the boat, the radio will delay turning on for about three seconds.
- In Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, the Tug lacks tyre fenders.
- Despite having an ample deck on the stern area, vehicles cannot reach it, as there is an invisible "slope" that keeps the vehicles away. It is still possible for them to stay on the invisible barrier, resulting in a vehicle floating in mid-air.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
- Wrecks of the Tug can be seen partially submerged. They appear to retain the characteristic features from the GTA IV iteration.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- A wrecked version can be found on the seabed in Elysian Island.
- Docked Tugs can be found around the Port of Los Santos: not rusted, they are white and green, one in a covered dock, and they are not able to be driven or used, but the player can access the decks.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Its website description was erroneously shown as ** Placeholder Tug description **. It was most likely a developer oversight, since the description appeared as intended on foreign versions of Grand Theft Auto V. This was fixed in the Cunning Stunts update.
- The Tug has a unique horn in both of its appearances, which is loud and low-pitched. In GTA Online, it has a much lower-pitched sound.
- The rear half of the bridge reuses the same panels as the front half, though with no instruments or other features over them. This is because the GTA IV iteration was smaller due to the access ladder on the back and was later copied from the front half when the same cabin became the bridge.
Oversights[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- If the Tug is beached, there will be a severe framerate drop that persist until the vessel returns to the sea or despawns.