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Our aim is to make ClassicTugs.co.uk the best resource on the web for past and present tugs. However, we can't do it alone so WE NEED YOUR HELP! |
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Welcome to Classic Tugs |
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Hello and welcome to Classic Tugs! We hope that you enjoy your visit here. |
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Public Service Announcements |
Update!!! - July 2010The most important thing to let you know is that I'm finally doing something about tackling the backlog of photos that I have to add to the site. I've finished writing my novel (Here, if you're interested), so I can now afford to spend a bit of time on site updates. The other is that I've added some videos to the Tugging on Southampton Water page. My videos have been on YouTube for a while, but I never got around to embedding them in the page. Take a look. Thanks! Jason |
Tug Tender Calshot Update - 6th March 2010
Good news... I received an email this morning from James Delderfield, Trustee/Director Tug Tender Calshot Trust Ltd., regarding the vessel. The news is that they're awaiting confirmation of their Lottery Heritage Grant application that is currently under consideration. There is also a plan to move Calshot to a new berth near Town Quay that will provide easier access for volunteers working on the vessel and for members of the public once the vessel is fully restored. The project also has a new website so I've updated the links on the article page. Jason |
Classic Tug For Sale: Dido - 57ft ex. M.S.C. - Built 1957
Classic tug ‘DIDO’ 57 foot X 14 foot 6 inches X draft 5 foot 6 inches approx. Built 1957 for Manchester Ship Canal dredging fleet. Now in need of a caring owner. A project for completion for transformation to house boat or re-engined to become a cruiser. Shaft cut but still has prop. Original engine removed and some internal work started. Structurally in good condition. Lying Southampton. Towage can be arranged. £12000 Contact: Kevin Harvey - Tel: 07984330154 (please mention that you saw it on ClassicTugs.co.uk) |
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Latest Tug Updates |
Port Shipping MovementsFrom looking at the tracking statistics for ClassicTugs.co.uk, I've noticed that quite a few people end up here whilst searching for lists of shipping movements for various ports around the UK, particularly the port of Tyne (since, I mention it in my article, A Day Tugging on the Tyne). So, I thought I'd do those people a favour and list a few of the shipping movements sites here. I've not included every port here, just the main ones that I tend to use often. I will add more as I come across them though..... read more... |
Hobby Engine Southampton 1:36 Scale RC Model Tug Boat
As I've been busy with work lately, progress on my Rowangarth model tug has been slow. So, at Christmas, as a little treat to myself, I decided to buy the 1:36 scale ready-to-run (RTR) Hobby Engine Southampton Tug. In case you're not already aware, Hobby Engine's Southampton is a model of the tug Wyeforce that's operated by Itchen Marine on Southampton Water, hence the name. In the run-up to Xmas, I'd seen an advert in RC Boat magazines advertising the Southampton tug for a bargain £99! However, when I went to the website to order, I found that they were out of stock. Not surprising really at that price. In the end, I ordered mine for £149 via CML Distribution. Delivery of the tug was fairly quick and it came about a week before Xmas but, since it came wrapped in brown paper, I decided to leave it wrapped up until Xmas Day as a bit of a present to myself. Imagine my surprise when I unwrapped it and found... read more... |
Yokohama & Kure, Japan Tugs
For the last few weeks, I've been on a much anticipated return trip to Japan. As well as doing the usual things like seeing the temples and shrines of Kyoto and the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, I also did a bit of tug spotting. This is a brief photo log of some of the tugs that I saw on my trip. On my second day in Japan, I travelled from Tokyo down to Yokohama for a few days. I worked in Yokohama for two months in 2005 at the US Army's North Dock base, so I already knew the waterfront area quite well.... read more... |
A Day Tugging on Southampton Water
After my trip out on the tugs of the River Tyne earlier this year (read about it here), I was keen to get a trip out on my local waterway, Southampton Water. I've lived by Southampton Water for about 34 years and have seen all manner of ships come and go but had never been out on a tug in the docks. Luckily, the good people at Svitzer Marine were more than happy again to help me out. I'd been saving this trip up for a while in the hope that I could pick a sunny day that would help me get some good quality photographs. However, as mid-August approached, and with the British weather just as unpredictable as ever, I decided to go for it. I selected Friday 14th August as the day for my trip as I had the day off work anyway and the shipping schedules looked pretty busy. To my surprise, the weather looked ideal at 7am as I walked down Hythe Pier to get the ferry across into Southampton. The sky was clear and there didn't appear to be much wind at all. As I got to the end of the pier, I was even treated to the sight of Adsteam Surrey and Svitzer Sarah bringing a vehicle carrier into the docks... read more... |
Svitzer Bentley
Type: Twin Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) |
Shannon (formerly Eldergarth)
Type: Twin Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) |
Project: Rowangarth RC Model Tug Boat - Part 2
It's been a couple of months since the last progress report on my Rowangarth radio controlled model tug build so I figured that an update was long overdue. To be honest, I seem to have found that I get so caught up in the actual build itself that taking photos and writing reports is the last thing on my mind so I apologise if the photos aren't as "step-by-step" as you might have liked. Anyway, on with the report... In my previous project report, I mentioned that the next critical task that I had to perform was the installation of the running gear. More specifically, I need to fit the kort nozzles, propeller shafts, and motor mounts. This was a critical task as those three items needed to be lined up perfectly so some thought needed to go into the order in which they'd be installed. Finding the correct positions for the kort nozzles was fairly easy as they been marked by small indentations in the hull during the moulding process. However, a double-check and exact measurement was still required to ensure that they were... read more... |
A Day Tugging on the Tyne
For any tug enthusiast, there's nothing better than being down by the water watching the tugs at work taking vessels in and out of the port. Apart, that is, from actually being on one of the tugs seeing first hand how they go about handling a towing operation. So, when the good folks at Svitzer Marine gave me the opportunity to visit their tugs on the River Tyne, I was like a kid at Christmas. One of the problems with arranging my visit to the tugs was that I needed to select a day when there were some shipping movements to observe. I must admit that the people in the Svitzer office were very helpful and basically said that if I just rung them the day before then they'd let me know if they had any towage operations that day. So, I carefully studied the Port of Tyne Shipping Movements webpage and tried to decide which day would be best. Unfortunately, I didn't make things easy for myself due to the fact that I only had one week left on Tyneside before returning to my home in Southampton and it appeared that I'd also chosen a quiet week for shipping on the Tyne with only a few small ships coming and going that didn't require tug assistance. However, after a couple of false starts, I finally phoned the Svitzer office on Wednesday 29th April 2009 and got told "yes, we have a Nissan car carrier coming in at 2.15pm so get yourself down to the quay by 1pm to meet the tugs before they head down river to meet it."... read more... |
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