Type (as built): Iron Steam Twin Screw Tug Tender
Built: 1930
Removed From Service: 1986
Former Name: Galway Bay - 1964-1986

Former Owners:
Red Funnel Towage - 1930-1964
Port & Liner Services (Ireland) Ltd. - 1964-1986

Areas of Operation:
Southampton Water and The Solent - 1930-1964
River Clyde - World War II service until June 1946
Galway, Ireland - 1964-1986

Currently Situated: Southampton Docks

Official Website: www.tugtendercalshot.com

UPDATE - 10th February 2012 - The future of the tug tender Calshot seems to be in jeopardy once again. The worry comes after an announcement in the media that Associated British Ports (ABP), the owners of Southampton Docks, have withdrawn their offer of a lease to the proposed Aeronautical Museum, that was planned to open in 2015.

The reason for ABP backing down seems to be connected to the planned redevelopment of the Town Quay area of Southampton. If the redevelopment goes ahead then the Red Funnel ferry terminal may move from its existing location. Unfortunately, the new home for Red Funnel seems to be the exact same piece of land where the Aeronautical Museum was going to go. So, since the ferries are very important to Southampton, ABP have had no option but to favour them over the museum.

Whether the museum, and Calshot, are offered an alternate home by ABP will be the critical issue as to whether this story has a happy ending or not. However, land on the Town Quay waterfront will no doubt be hot property after the redevelopment, so we'll have to wait and see just how important to Southampton's heritage Calshot and the Aeronautical Museum are considered to be by the people in charge. ---

UPDATE - 16th April 2011 - On Tuesday 5th April 2011, Calshot moved to its new, permanent berth opposite the Town Quay area of Southampton Docks, where it will be restored and become part of a new Aeronautica Museum that will open in 2015. ---

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 this page (see above). ---

The tug tender Calshot is an important vessel and it has an important history. If you look at photographs of the great 1930's cruise liners in Southampton Docks then more likely than not you'll see Calshot there. As a member of the Red Funnel line, Calshot not only manoeuvred great liners such as the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mary, the United States and the France, but also acted as a luxury tender carrying passengers such as movie stars and politicians to and from these prestigious liners. Calshot even put in vital service during World War II ferrying troops to and from the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary on the River Clyde.

It's perhaps a little surprising then that the restoration of Calshot hasn't been as straight forward as you might think. Calshot was bought by Southampton City Council in 1986 after finishing service in Galway for Port & Liner Services (Ireland) Ltd. under the name Galway Bay. However, twenty-two years later, Calshot has still not been completely restored. If you bear in mind that the vessel was probably originally built in less than a year, you start to understand what a long process a restoration project can be. Of course, the restricting factor has been money. When Calshot was built in the heydey of the great liners, Red Funnel knew what a great investment the vessel was. Nowadays though, it seems like our maritime heritage isn't worth quite as much.

When Southampton City Council bought Calshot in 1986, it was intended to be one of the main attractions at the planned maritime museum in their new Ocean Village development. However, Ocean Village's mix of waterfront bars and shops never really caught on (perhaps due to being a fair distance from the city centre) and with the creation of new shopping malls closer to the originally shopping streets, Ocean Village gradually turned into office space. So, the proposed new waterfront maritime museum never happened and Calshot was left without a home.

In 1991, Calshot was moved to Southampton Town Quay and opened to the public. In some ways this was probably a bit of a compromise as the existing maritime museum was only five minutes walk up the road. It wasn't exactly the same as they'd planned for Ocean Village but at least Calshot was attracting some interest and being seen by the public, albeit in a rather less than ideal state. Finally though, in 1997, the decision was made that Calshot should be restored to full 1930's glory and so the Tug Tender Calshot Trust Co. Ltd. was set up to handle the project.

And so, for the past 11 years, the restoration of Calshot has been slowly progressing. A lot of the work is internal and so not really noticeable to the passing observer. However, one significant change is that Calshot's funnel is now back to full height again after many years of carrying a shortened funnel that was fitted when the original steam power was replaced by diesel. Whether the full 1930's restoration will include a return to steam will have to been so, as that may be rather ambitious.

A restoration project like Calshot relies heavily on donations and sponsorship and I'm sure that there are many maritime enthusiasts and members of the public interested in helping to restore such a historic vessel. However, it's also rather sad that some of the bigger companies aren't more prepared to help. I recall seeing a VT Shipbuilding banner draped over the side for a couple of years, which is quite fitting really since they were the successor of the John I. Thornycroft company in Woolston that originally built Calshot, but where are the rest? Why aren't any of the big cruise lines willing to support this little vessel?

It does seem rather sad that in these days when cruise lines throw millions of pounds into building new ships, they're also so quick to forget their heritage. They spend vast amounts just so they can say that they have the biggest cruise liner in the World... well, for about 5 minutes anyway before somebody else builds a bigger one... but they forget where their company's reputation came from. Many of their passengers' cruise experiences would've started or ended on tug tenders like Calshot so they can't overlook how important they were to passenger satisfaction. With a big resurgence in the cruise industry over the last ten years, I personally think it's time for a bit more interest to be shown in preserving our maritime heritage.

How can I help? (See update at top of article) The Tug Tender Calshot Trust is currently applying for a Lottery Heritage Fund grant and has put all restoration work on hold until the outcome of this process has been determined. The Trust has also stopped accepting sponsorship and donations until the result of the grant application is known. So, please keep and eye on their website for further news. Also, if you have photos, memories or stories about the Tug Tender Calshot then please feel free to send them to us here at Classic Tugs and we'll do our own bit to keep the spirit of this great little vessel alive.