GALLERY - CLASSIC DIESEL TUGS

[Todd]

One of 3 Liverpool sisters.

Jim

[Todd]

A really nice looking little tug,

Jim

[Kieran H]

Nice looking tugs. Thanks for the photo's.

[meechingman]

Here's Meeching (1960), a good example of the hydroconic hulled tugs built by PK Harris at Appledore from the mid 1950's onwards. She has many near sisters. Seen here showing off at full speed on her first day at Newhaven.

[tugs53]

Nice 'Bone in the Teeth'!!!

Here's a great little classic!

[Kieran H]

WOW!!! all cylinders down! Cool looking tug.

[meechingman]

I think she's kinda , but I'm biased! Glad to say she's under restoration, now approaching her 50th birthday.  

[Todd]

a cross section of designs.

1) 'Ashbrooke'....built 1955....119GT....1086HP....Tyne Tugs Ltd.
2) 'Carrickfergus'....built 1958....160GT.....960HP....John Cooper (Belfast) Ltd.

At the time of writing I have no details of 'Knighton' but will post them at a later date.

Jim

[Kieran H]

I think she's kinda , but I'm biased! Glad to say she's under restoration, now approaching her 50th birthday.  

Nice to see her looking saw well taken care of at nearly the age of 50

[meechingman]

Ashbrook and Carrickfergus are also two of P K Harris' hydroconic builds, Carrickfergus a close sister to Meeching, of course.

Kieran, she's gone through a rough patch in the last 5 years or so and looked like c**p a couple of years ago, but her one-man owner(s) have since been putting a lot of time and effort in to get her back to work.

[Footski]

I think she's kinda , but I'm biased! Glad to say she's under restoration, now approaching her 50th birthday.  

Meechingman,

Wasn't your dad master of her some years back? Are you close enough to get photos of the restoration work? It would be great to see pictures of the progress....

[meechingman]

He was indeed her master from the early 60's up to his retirement in 1979. Meeching's potted life history is here: http://www.ournewhaven.org.uk/page_id__383_path__0p69p87p63p.aspx if anyone would like to look it up. Plenty of other goodies on the Newhaven/Dieppe ferries etc on that site as well as Meeching's predecessor, the steam tug Foremost 22.

I have some of photos of her restoration. Alas, I didn't take them and I don't have permission to post them. They were sent to me purely for my own collection. However, I'll send a few emails and see if they won't mind me sharing them.

[Todd]

The details I have for the 'Meeching' are as follows:::

Built....by P.K.Harris & Sons Ltd. at Appledore in 1960....2 X Lister Blackstone engines developing a total of 1320BHP....15BP....12Kts
173 GNT/51 NRT....29.27m x 7.7m x 3,118m.

For....."British Railways Board,Shipping & International Services Division" .Managing 'Sealink UK Ltd.' at Newhaven.
1990 To "Newhaven Port & Properties Ltd." part of "Sea Container Ports" part of "Sea Containers Group"
19?? To Dave Miller who had the towage contract in Newhaven until 2000. Then To Graham Jewiss managing "Tug Manning Ltd" at Gravesend.

Jim

[willowgarth]

Re meeching
Your article on the meeching's history makes interesting reading.
The behavior of Hydroconic tugs in any sort of weather is often mentioned but what I remember most about them is their poor brakes!  We had the Hazelgarth and the first Willowgarth with full Hydroconic hulls and it took ages for them to bring up, the next pair of boats from PK Harris were modified Hydroconic which were Cedar and Maple Handled normally.
Cheers Fred

[meechingman]

The details I have for the 'Meeching' are as follows:::

Built....by P.K.Harris & Sons Ltd. at Appledore in 1960....2 X Lister Blackstone engines developing a total of 1320BHP....15BP....12Kts
173 GNT/51 NRT....29.27m x 7.7m x 3,118m.

For....."British Railways Board,Shipping & International Services Division" .Managing 'Sealink UK Ltd.' at Newhaven.
1990 To "Newhaven Port & Properties Ltd." part of "Sea Container Ports" part of "Sea Containers Group"
19?? To Dave Miller who had the towage contract in Newhaven until 2000. Then To Graham Jewiss managing "Tug Manning Ltd" at Gravesend.

Jim

That's what some of the books do say....

Actually, her BP was recorded as 14 tons and she could just crack 13 kts. (Been there and done that, but not often - chief engineer came haring up the wheelhouse stairs both times demanding to know where the *?!@%* fire was!)

Fred, she'd stop fast enough, but you had to let the revs drop to make sure the gearboxes disengaged completely before going from ahead to astern or vice versa.