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The Online Magazine of Clyde shipping, shipbuilding and the Clydeside area itself. Past, Present and Future Articles both new and gleaned from our sister site, Clydeshipping, added frequently - do check back often! |
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For part one see: Steel & Bennie - Part One For part two see: Steel & Bennie - Part Two Part Three - Depression, then Prosperity, then War The port was still comparatively busy and the tugs were quite well employed in normal towage but launches were fewer. Although the future did not look too clear the firm faced up to the situation confidently and in 1920 took delivery of two screw tugs VANGAURD and THUNDERER, both of 172 grt and built by Bow McLauchlan and Company of Paisley. By this time the fleet was almost entirely composed of screw tugs. However the remaining paddle-tug BRIGADIER, which remained in service until 1936 when she was broken up at Preston, was sometimes on charter to the Hon. Mrs Platts and was used as a yacht during the shooting season. An interesting feature was the ornate bath installed in the tug. The fleet was further augmented by the WRESTLER, (built 1916 by Scotts, Bowling), STRONGBOW (1927 Scotts, Bowling, became LOWGARTH, scrapped June 1964) and CHIEFTAIN (1930, Scotts, Bowling. Still in existence as ST EVAL). The world-wide depression of the early thirties dampened spirits considerably as ships were laid up all over the world. The Clyde in common with many other rivers has unhappy memories of these despondent days; the many ships rotting in the Gareloch and "534" on the stocks at Clydebank. As in many other periods there were incidents of interest. In March 1931 the C.P.R. liner MONTCLARE ran ashore on the South side of the Little Cumbrae in fog and bad weather. Some of the passengers were taken by the ship's boats to the Cumbrae and werre conveyed thence to Largs by the WRESTLER. The next day at high water the MONTCLARE was refloated by the combined efforts of THUNDERER, STRONGBOW, WRESTLER and CHIEFTAIN, assisted by tugs of the Clyde Shipping Company and Ardrossan Harbour. Later on in 1941 the MONTCLARE was taken over by the Admiralty and eventually became a submarine depot ship and lay at anchor in Rothesay Bay. Work restarted on "534" late in 1932 and in 1934 her late Majesty Queen Mary launched the ship which was to carry her name so proudly. This was the turning point for the Clyde, day by day the yards became busier and the Gareloch gradually emptied as the depression disappeared. The corner was turned; the WARRIOR was launched from Scott's yard in Bowling and was in commission in 1935. This tug had an eventful carrer. She was used frequently for the coastwise towages which the company began to undertake more and more. One remarkable voyage which showed the flag all around the United Kingdom was a tow from Ardrossan to Blyth, northabout, then sailing South light to Portsmouth and taking in tow an obsolete cruiser to Troon for breaking. The WARRIOR assisted the salvage operations of the ill-fated submarine THETIS late in July 1939 after the submarine had tragically sunk in Liverpool Bay during her trials with great loss of life. During the Second World War the WARRIOR was sunk and extensively damaged by a mine during an air raid, but after a complete refit was brought back into service. Although there were ominous undertones in world tension the late 'thirties were relatively prosperous for the Clyde firms and the tugs benefitted from the activity of the port. At the outbreak of the Second World War the fleet consisted of eight screw tugs (coal burning) CAMPAIGNER, CHIEFTAIN, CRUISER, STRONGBOW, THUNDERER, WARRIOR, WRESTLER and VANGUARD. When war was declared in September 1939 it was immediately and fully realised that the part to be played by the Clyde would be of vital importance to the overall effort. Accordingly without delay the full resources of the two towing companies Clyde Shipping Co. Ltd., and Steel and Bennie Ltd., were amalgamated under one control. At once the towing managers of both companies at Glasgow and Greenock, M.B. Orchardson for Clyde Shipping Company and William Paterson for Steel and Bennie, worked in harmony to allocate tugs for the prodigious amount of shiphandling which was required. The combined fleets were later augmented by tugs from the Thames and tugs which had managed to get clear of Holland and Belgium before the occupation. The THUNDERER was despatched to Scapa Flow under Admiralty orders. Owing to the conspicuousness of the funnel colours, the white band was severely abridged leaving only a narrow band of white, and the alterations continued until some months after the end of the war, when it was pleasing to reinstitute the well-known proportions of equal parts black, white and black.
There was still a shortage of suitable harbour tugs throughout the United Kingdom and the Ministry of War Transport cast around for a type to meet its requirements. David F. Bennie offered the Ministry the plans of the WARRIOR (built by Scotts in 1935). This offer was gratefully accepted and a large tug building programme was set in train with the WARRIOR as the prototype. In the meantime the London tugs SUN XI, SUN XV, CONTEST, OCEAN COCK and RACIA were sent to the Clyde via Inverness and the Caledonian Canal. These tugs came under the company's management. A similar number of tugs were placed under the management of the Clyde Shippig Company. The arrival of these tugs during the summer of 1940 was a great assistance in relieving the congestion in the port. The first Warrior-class tug, EMPIRE PINE (1941 EMPIRE PINE, 1946 VANGUARD, 1961 BATTLEAXE, 1961 DUNFALCON) built by Scotts, Bowling came into service in Spetember 1941 under the management of the company. A number of these Warrior-class tugs were bought by the firm and other companies after the war. By 1944 the number of tugs operated by the Clyde towing companies was in excess of 40 excluding the tenders CALCHOT and ROMSEY. The ROMSEY was sunk tragically off Gourock in September 1942 with the loss of 17 lives. However, she was lifted and after extensive repairs resumed service in August 1943, when her first assignment was to act as tender to H.M.S. RENOWN, bringing back the then Mr Winston S. Churchill from the United States. The large number of tugs under the firm's management during this period placed a heavy strain on the staff. Equally arduous was the life of the tug crews, and the overall responsibility on the company's superintendent, Mr. R. Beattie. (who was appointed to the Board in 1955.) The blackout created additional hazards to the tugs and their crews and accidents were not infrequent, fortunately without the loss of life, except in the sad case of the ROMSEY and the Clyde Shipping Company's FLYING KITE. Part Four continues tomorrow.... For part one see: Steel & Bennie - Part One For part two see: Steel & Bennie - Part Two |
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