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O.J. (an abbreviation for Old Jones) is Captain Star's third and oldest tug. He is indeed capable of a variety of tasks, but is sometimes restricted by his age and mechanical condition. He speaks with a South Welsh accent.
Bio[]
O.J. is the only one of his kind in Bigg City Port. He can be described as "slow, but versatile". As Captain Star once said in "Quarantine", "He had given many years of good service, but time was catching up on him".
Prior to an overhaul during the year of the heat wave, O.J.'s aged engine was the cause for a number of mishaps, including an accident that resulted in the sinking of the Fultan Ferry. O.J.'s weakness and age has often placed him on the receiving end of jokes and insults from both the Star Fleet and Z-Stacks alike. For a period, he was the primary target of Burke and Blair, the evil-minded scrap dealers who attempted on a number of occasions to persuade Captain Star into selling O.J. and his engine for a cheap price. Luckily, after O.J.'s quick thinking prevented Ten Cents from having to enter Quarantine, Captain Star sent him to Lucky's Yard and the scavengers on their way.
O.J.'s whistle is particularly deep, and has a distinct 'warble' in it (sounding very much like a distress klaxon sounded for short bursts).
As the Star Fleet's 'wise elder', O.J. possesses unbeatable wisdom. He has extensive knowledge and experience of harbour life and manoeuvres, and because of this, Captain Star often places him in charge of large operations; such as ocean liner docking manoeuvers. On various occasions, O.J. has demonstrated his ability to devise swift and clever strategies to help himself and his fellow Stars out of predicaments. He does not stand for nonsense, and is quick to correct the younger tugs if they make mistakes. Despite his occasionally harsh approach, O.J. cares for his brothers as a grandparent would for their grandchildren.
O.J. is always seen with glasses on in the TV series. In "Mistaken Identity", it is revealed that his vision is limited without them. In the annual story, he loses them and bumps into a solid object. The fact that it's dark out and foggy doesn't help matters. He decides to stay put as he can't seem to get around the obstacle, and falls asleep only to be towed to Burke and Blair's scrapyard by Zip and Zug by mistake! Fortunately, everything turned out fine, thanks to Zorran albeit unknowingly.
Livery[]
O.J. is painted in the Star Fleet's corporate livery. This consists of a black hull, a yellow superstructure, brown mast, white paddle-wheel housings, and an American flag-styled red, white, and blue funnel. His name is painted on the sides of his bow in white and has the number "3" on his funnel. He also wears a light brown beater hat with a red band, and a small pair of glasses.
Behind the Scenes[]
A possible basis for O.J. is the Eppleton Hall, built by Hepple & Co of South Shields in 1914. Eppleton Hall originally worked in 1914 for the Lambton and Hetton Collieries Ltd. She later worked for France Fenwick, Wear and Tyne Ltd until 1964, and after fifteen years was donated to the USA National Park Service. She is still afloat at Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, to this day.
According to production crewmember Chris Tulloch, his name is short for "Old Jones".
Voice Actors[]
- Timothy Bateson (TUGS)
- Ian James Corlett (Salty's Lighthouse)
- Masaaki Tsukada (Japan)
- Pauli Virta (Finland)
- Unknown