Abstract: A skeg unit mounted on a raked barge stern counter is a box lattice structure including an athwartships row of upright generally parallel vanes having their upper ends connected by an athwartships upper horizontal tie plate and their lower ends connected by a horizontal lower tie plate. The box lattice structure is mounted to the barge stern counter by struts spaced athwartships of the barge of a length to locate the upper tie plate below the loaded waterline of the barge. The vanes are of airfoil cross section and the outboard vanes are toed out. The horizontal tie plates are of airfoil cross section and have negative angles of incidence, the negative angle of incidence of the upper tie plate being greater than the negative angle of incidence of the lower tie plate.

Abstract: A row of dagger skegs projects downward from the aft portion of the raked counter of a nonpowered, nonsteered barge hull at each side of the longitudinal center line of the hull for stabilizing the barge directionally when towed by a towline trailing a towboat. The upright skegs are of airfoil cross section, and they are tapered downwardly. The leading edge of each skeg, which extends over the major portion of the height of the skeg, is substantially vertical and is spaced rearwardly from the stern counter. The lower end portions of adjacent skegs can be connected by an elongated horizontal bridging member which also is of airfoil cross section having a cambered upper side and a negative angle of incidence.