These are the reviews from the backs of the video cases. You'll notice that there are secondary titles
to some of the episodes due to the names of the photobooks.
There is no specific order of the episodes, this is how the episodes came out on VHS.
Sunshine
It is the 1920's:
Rival tug fleets compete
for work in Bigg City Port. Captain Star briefs his Star Tugs - he's trying the regular contract to dock The Duchess ocean
liner. It'll be a difficult job but to help out, the captain has recruited Sunshine, a small switcher.
The rival Z Stacks are encouraged by their devious Captain Zero to sabotage
the operation. Zorran, their leader runs Big Mac aground, and nudges Sunshine into The Duchess's bow, swinging her
dangerously. Captain Star orders Sunshine's dismissal, but he runs away, and is lost in the harbour in a thick fog...
Pirate
Ten Cents delivers his last cargo barge to the Old Quay after a very buisy
day. As night falls, it is towed away by a mysterious boat. Captain Star is cross to hear that one of his customer's deliveries
is missing & puts Ten Cents on dredger detail - not a pleasant task. But Grampus, a small submarine, sees another barge
being stolen at night so Captain Star & Captain Zero join forces to find the theif....
Trapped
The Z-Stacks must must share the upriver jobs with the Star Tugs. When a
tramper Zorran and Zug are towing goes out of control blocking the river and trapping the Stars, Zorran tries to take advantage
of the situation to get more work for the Z-Stacks. However, Zorran's scheme does not go as he planned.
Ghosts/ Ghost Fleet
Old sea stories - especially about ghosts are favourites amongst the tugs
of Bigg City Harbour. No one will admit to taking them too seriously; so when Big Mac rushes back to the Star Pier one foggy
night the other tugs laugh when he tells them he actually saw the "Ghost Fleet" looking for lost tows. However, mysterious
things happen the very next night that make the Star Tugs uncertain as to whether the Ghost story is true or not.
High Winds
An old dirty tramper suspected of smuggling lurks outside the limits of
Bigg City bay. It is the notorious Johnny Cuba. When bad weather suddenly comes, he forces Zebedee, one of the Z-Stacks, to
tow him into the safety if the harbour and into hiding. Normally, Zebedee would have been glad to help out an old friend but
this time - things are different.
Jinxed/ The Unlucky Tug
In the estuary late one evening Ten Cents and Sunshine came across a tug
named Boomer, who was just drifting along hoping to be run down by a big ship and sunk because he was extremely unhappy. Things
were always going wrong for Boomer and he felt sure that he was jinxed.
Ten Cents and Sunshine do everything they can to help Boomer but the jinx
always stirkes and nothing goes right. One day Captain Star's pateince runs out and he orders Boomer to be taken to Lucky's
Yard, where tugs are either repaired or scrapped. As Boomer no longer needs any repairs Ten Cents and Sunshine fear the worst.
Quarantine/ OJs Bad Day
It has been one of the hottest weeks of the summer. In such hot wearther,
there was a greater danger that ships might be carrying diseases. If this was the case, the ships would have to go into quarantine
for several days and wait out in the estuary, away from the harbour. Under no circumstances should any of the tugs go near
the ships in quarantine.
Ships in quarantine fly the yellow flag, When the old tramper, Nantucket,
lowers its flag, a great deal of confusion is caused and only wise old O.J. understands why.
Up River
Towing huge piles of logs was always a very dangerous operation. When
the snows began to melt and the rivers swelled it added to the danger because the sudden rush of water could cause log jams
had to be carefully untangled.
One day, a particularly nasty log jam had occured and Big Mac was being
helped by Sunshine to try and clear it. Before Big Mac could stop him, Sunshine rammed into the high log jam and found himself
trapped. Ten Cents arrives to help Big Mac free Sunshine, but one false move could spell disaster.
Warrior/ Warrior's Longest Day
Warrior had always had a reputation for being a bit clumsy,
but on this day he sets out to prove to Captain Star that he is capable of working without causing accidents.
However, on his usual trips between the quarry and the old
quayside he is as clumsy as ever and is told to report to Captain Star to answer to the many complaints about the damage he
has caused. On his way to see Captain Star, he hears that Ten Cents is in danger, so he goes to help him straight away.
The day has been a disaster so far but will it end that way?
High Tide
The Stars and the Z-Stacks are both competing for a big steel
contract. the fleet which can transport the most steel in one day, wins the contract.
The canal is a short cut through
Bigg City but Big Mac of the Stars decides to go round the bay and let Zeb and Zak of the Z-Stacks take the short cut through
the canal.
At first Warrior of the Stars is confused by Big Mac's idea for both of them to go
round the bay, but as you'll see the short cut through the canal wasn't necessarily the best route.
Munitions
During the annual manoevers, both Bigg City tug fleets service the navy.
It is a dangerous job, handling ammunition, & explosive barges. All is going smoothly until Bluenose, a bossy naval boat
demands immediate priority with a barge-load of gasoline barrels. O.J., the oldest of the Star Tug fleet, warns that it's
dangerous to stop the operation half-way through, but Bluenose insists, & pushes in roughly. The movement knocks barrels
of gasoline off the barge, & they split open, spilling their dangerous contents. A spark from Bluenose's stack starts
a series of fires & explosions which puts all the tugs in great danger....
4th of July/ Regatta
Lillie Lightship is sad. Moored out of the harbour to gide boats & keep
them out of danger, she never gets to see the Regatta. In spite of Lillie's warnings, a tramper sees her too late & hits
her, making a large hole in her side. The Star tugs rescue her, & she is towed into the yard to be mended, from where
she sees the exciting, colourful regatta parade, with barges decorated by dockland firms & cranes & buildings festooned
with banners.
Bigg Freeze/ Bigg City Freeze
Every winter the big liner Vienna would come to
Bigg City Port to pick up supplies and re-fuel. This year however, the harbour was frozen over, so the Tugs have to take supplies
out as far as Lillie the Lightship, as this was as near as a big ship like Vienna could get to the harbour. Problems begin
when Lillie the Lightship runs out of fuel and things just start getting worse when the Z-Stacks show up.
Many people think that Bigg Freeze is the final episode due to the final song.
