Hello
John your are the happy owner of my dream when I was young (20 years ago) Yep I was dreaming for a Thyssen at that time ! Now thanks to Graupner Voith i've built a Voith tractor tug then I've built my own Voith units !
Vincent, the
Baut don'y have the Voith at stern as you suggest on your hull, in fact there are not a new and there is some tugs like that since more than a decade in Norway, Sweden (
Bob,
Bess,
belos,
Baut ...) and even in US with the Crowley
Response Class
The name of this kind on Voith tractor tug is stern first or sked first tractor tug. Excepted the quite flat forward the underwater arrangement is very similar to any Voith with the propeller under the hull on the 1/3 forward and a sked on afterside.
Picture, info and GA of the Response
http://www.maritimejournal.com/features101/tugs,-towing,-pollution-and-salvage/tugs,-towing-and-salvage/crowley_introduce_the_response