Tugs in France

[xtian29]

Hello

I'm starting this topic with pictures taken yesterday (March 24th) of the French Navy Malabar in dry dock at Concarneau.











A+ Xtian

 

[tugs53]

Great pictures Xtian!!!!

Looks like they've covered the windows facing fwd, just below the bridge.

She's a sistership to the 'Amsterdam', is she not??

Is that the 'GM' marking right above the nozzle??
The 'two-tone' bottom paint is interesting as well.........

[xtian29]

Hello

Yes, she's a sister-ship to the Hamburg (later named Amsterdam) The french navy have ordered two from the same builder : Tenace and Malabar a third was built in France the Centaure.

Actually the first two still in service - The third was sold to the turkish navy.

Around 15 years ago the Tenace "received" a big wave during North Atlantic bad weather and all front windows were broken. It was repaired with steel !

No more front window for the captain (right side) and chief engineer (left side) since then the Malabar is sailing most of the time with protecting plates



What means GM ?  (Sorry for my english  )

A+ Xtian   

[-Martin-]

Great pictures Xtian!!!!
Is that the 'GM' marking right above the nozzle??
The 'two-tone' bottom paint is interesting as well.........

I belive that is just a 6 meter draught mark.

Brgds Martin

[Footski]

Xtian,

Great pictures. reminds me of my trip to Concarneau 18 months ago. This is a good topic...Keep them coming..

Barry

[xtian29]

Hello

Yes on the last picture it's 6m above the kort nozzle. Concarneau : nice place excepted to much tourists during the summer ... when there is sunny summer in Brittany 

A+ Xtian

[tugs53]

Not much 'fore-foot' below the water up front huh??
I seem to remember reading that this class of tug weren't the best 'Sea-Boats'.......is that true??

[xtian29]

Hello

In fact they are good ship at sea. Good for long distance towing from harbour to harbour but very bad rescue tug to give a tow line at sea as only one screw - fixed prop - no transversal thuster. When the engine/screw is engaged that means 7 knots minimum.

To start slowly you have to play with engage for one or two seconds and disengage.

Of course there is some tugs like that in 50's but those ones are supposed to be modern  >  At the end of 70's : twin screw, variable pitch, transversal thrusters already exist !

One of my oncle who was in charge of the Tenace in the 70's said that he prefer the steam tug Rhinoceros from WWII as with steam you have better manouvrability and you don't brake the tow line when starting to tow. 

The best job for those tug is fishery patrol, I've served aboard of Malabar for 1 month during this kind of job.       

A+ Xtian
   

[xtian29]

Hello

Following the quizz with the French Navy chartered Albacore...

http://modeltugforum.com/index.php?topic=1513.210
 
In France after the Amoco Cadiz 1978 with 233 000 tons of crude oil on the brittany coast, the French governement adopt a regulation to avoid any discussions prior taking a towing line.  

The Amoco Cadiz disater was the result of 2 days of discussions between the tanker owner and the German salvage tug Pacific

Since then ships are henceforth obliged to take the towline that gives them the French government chartered tug.
 
Thoses French navy chartered salvage tug where at that time the Abeille Normandie and Abeille Provence for Brest and Cherbourg.

Later replaced with Abeille Flandre and Abeille Languedoc + Abeille Normandie at Toulon -

This situation was the beginning of the ETV concept (Emergency Towing Vessel) now "copy and paste" by many other nations. Some time later they start to chartered supplies for pollution recovery, the Albacore was one of those ships

In 2004 all those ships received the "AEM" stripes, the coast guard lines on the hull
  
Actually for polution recovery there is Ailette + Carangue at Toulon (mediteranean sea) and Alcyon + Argonaute at Brest (Brittany - Atlantic side) )









The ETV are the Abeille Liberté (Cherbourg), Abeille Bourbon (Brest), Abeille Languedoc (La Rochelle) and Abeille Flandre (Toulon).


The Abeille Liberté here in dry dock at Concarneau







Actually, all are from the Bourbon compagny (Bourbon off-shore for supplies and Les Abeilles for salvage tugs) but for long time it was Surf (Alcyon- Ailette) Les Abeilles International (Abeilles Flandre, Abeille Languedoc, Abeille Provence, Abeille Normandie) and Feronia International Shipping (FISH) for Mérou, Girelle, Albacore, Carangue)

During chartered time the FISH ships where renamed after french name of fish (it's not a translation from the english name to french name) Mérou is the former King Fish, Girelle former Moon Fish, Albacore former Beryl Fish, Carangue former Pilot Fish  

For the past,

the Abeille Normandie (IMO 7518965) was renammed SALVOR GENERAL (Progemar). then MAGDELAN SEA (1990 Secunda Marine Services Ltd). She's now ZOUROS HELLAS Panama flag  (Maritime Consortium of Thessaloniki).


Picture from Marine-Marchande.net

The Abeille Provence is now the Canadian Ryan Leet

http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=851711

The Mérou former King Fish was repalced at Toulon with the Abeille Flandre . Then the Mérou stay for a long time at Lowestoft and is now in India under Merou name and Indian flag.



The Girelle, former Moon Fish was later replaced by Carangue, then she was again Moon Fish and later Bahara in the Persian Gulf

http://www.shipphotos.co.uk/pages/girelle.htm

The last one is the Albacore, former Beryl Fish then Beryl Fish again. Some one said that she's on the Capian Sea and something like Azerbaïdjan flag ... (?)



All pics are mine except for Abeille Normandie, Ryan Leet, Girelle and Albacore (I have only slides and paper pics - no digital for thoses ships ...)   

A+ Xtian

[britcardoc1]

Where are the pictures xtan posted? Thank you.

[olscuzbut]

Gone to never never land.  Shades of old Forum idiosyncracies.