Hank and Foduck were sailing one calm and lazy day when the former decided to ask Foduck a question.
"What's the deepest place in the world?" He asked.
Foduck was a smart tug, and he knew a lot of things about the world, but he did a problem coming up with an answer at first.
At last, he said: "The Mary Anne trench is the deepest trench in the whole ocean. Why, it's so deep, you could fit the tallest mountain in there upside down."
Hank laughed.
"Wow, the Mary Anne trench! You know everything, Foduck."
But the safety tug wasn't convinced.
Foduck was due to earn his 'V- word' in a few days, and he had no idea what it would be.
"Hank, what's the most special thing a tug can be?" He asked.
Hank pondered this for a while, before answering.
"Smart - that's the most special thing a tug can be."
To suck didn't mind that, but he didn't know any words meaning smart that began with V.
"Tuck your anchor in, Hank!" Foduck called as Hank set off to help with a barge.
"Oops." Hank said sheepishly. "Thanks Foduck. I'm glad you noticed that, because I wouldn't have!"
With that, he set off, after tucking his anchor in out of the way.
...
Later, Foduck was observing a piece of old dock which was deemed dangerous when George roared in.
"Guess what I found!" He boasted.
Foduck saw that George had orange crates in his lifeboat.
"Hm, must have fallen off a cargo ship." He mused.
Then Foduck noticed sparks flying out of George's smokestack.
"George, you should get your engine checked." He told his friend cautiously.
"Pooh - what's a few sparks to the strongest tugboat?" George declared arrogantly.
"Alright. So George, what's the most special thing a tug can be?" Foduck asked.
"Strong!" George replied without hesitation, and then he went away.
"Hm. Hank said smart, but now George is saying strong. Which one is better?" Foduck asked himself as he heard his radio beep. That meant a storm was coming. He would have to warn the tugs.
...
The next day, Foduck was working with Emily to tow in a cargo ship to port, and he decided to get her opinion.
"Emily, do you think being strong is the most special thing a tug can be? Or will that being smart is better?
"I think being a hard worker is important." Emily replied, oblivious to the confusion Foduck was feeling.
Poor Foduck didn't have a clue about what to think. His friends were making his choices more and more difficult.
Suddenly, Foduck' s equipment sounded. That meant there was something ahead of Emily!
"Look out Emily!" He warned.
Emily saw the danger just in time and was able to avoid it by steering away.
"Phew, thank you Foduck!" She exclaimed. "I'm glad you were there. You're always looking out for us."
As Foduck got closer to the object, he saw it was a bit of old dock.
"Hm, looks like it blew off in the storm." He muttered to himself.
...
Sure enough, when he arrived at the dock, the broken part was indeed gone. But all he could think about was which was important for a tug to be.
"Hello Foduck!"
It was Theodore. Foduck decided to ask him, as he usually had good ideas.
"Theodore, what do you think is the most special thing a tug can be?" He asked.
"Being able to work in a team!" Theodore said.
But Foduck was in disagreement.
"I usually work alone, Theodore."
The two didn't say anything for a while, until Foduck observed that Theodore was floating too low.
"Theodore, you're floating too low." He said.
"Oh of course! I forgot to empty my tank! Thanks for noticing, Foduck!"
And Theodore set off to empty his tank, leaving Foduck even more confused.
Which was the most special to be?
...
That night, Foduck went round the other tugs to ensure that they were all tied down properly before he went to sleep. He heard George revving his engine loudly, just to announce that he was off duty, as he always did before he went to sleep. Sparks flew from his smokestack.
Suddenly, a fire sprang forth from the orange crates!
Foduck watched in horror. His friend's lifeboat was on fire, and he had to put it out! He wasted no time. He switched on his siren, warning the others of the danger, before preparing himself to fight the fire.
The other tugs were frightened when they saw the fire, and stayed as far back from George as they could.
Suddenly, Hank saw something white land in front of them.
"It's snowing!" He cried excitedly.
"In the summer?" Emily asked him incredulously.
In fact, it wasn't snow at all - Foduck had used his fire fighting foam to put it out!
It did resemble snow, however, and once everyone saw George, they laughed.
He looked like a snow tug!
Even George managed a smile. He was very relieved that Foduck had been there for him.
...
The next morning, George was told off by the Dispatcher.
"That was very careless of you George!" He said crossly.
He looked at Foduck, whose back was covered by a yellow cloth.
Foduck, we now have your V name ready!" He announced.
"What will it be?" Foduck asked himself.
The cloth fell away, revealing a beautiful new name plate.
Emily read it out loud for everyone to hear.
"Foduck...the Vigilant!" She announced.
"But what does 'vigilant' mean?" Hank asked.
"It means he's always looking after others." The Dispatcher explained. "Which was exactly what he was doing last night."
And with that, all the tugs cheered for Foduck the Vigilant.