Usual operations for a tugboat in US domestic inland waterways (Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois Rivers & Intracoastal waterways) is to push a string of 15 barges (3 across, 5 long). A standard inland waterways barge is 195x35 feet and carries 1750 tons of dry bulk cargo (grain, ore, coal, scrap steel, etc) if a hopper barge or 27,500 barrels of liquid cargo (petroleum or chemicals).
For the recovery plan, I'm going to have a standard configuration for Milgov-controlled inland waterways of a tug (see Pirates of the Vistula for ideas what to do with a tug!) and a 15 barge string - 13 cargo barges and 2 deck barges (the front right and front left in the string) as gun barges, with an embarked security team and array of weapons to suppress resistance ashore. They will probably be accompanied by at least one smaller, faster converted civilian boat (or if it can be found) a police or coast guard patrol boat as an escort, scout and landing craft for the embarked troop's landing detachment.
The 13 barges will carry the equivalent of 208 railcars or 910 trucks (dry cargo) or 598 railcars or 1872 trucks (liquid cargo), using 39.5 gallons of diesel per mile (vs. 55.1 gallons by rail or 146.8 by truck).
And travel along the waterways would arguably be safer than by road or rail. All will require infrastructure work - clearing obstacles, fixing bridges and general maintenance (dredging/potholes/fixing rails). It takes a little more ingenuity for a marauder to become a pirate vs blocking a road or a rail line.
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I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory. Someday this war's gonna end...
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