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Built 1852 by Money Wigrams, Northam, Southampton. Wooden Paddle Tug. L100'6''. B16'7''. D10.8'. 147 grt. 400ihp 2cyl steam engine by John Stewart, London. Acquired 1852. Disposed 1855. Official No 24594.

4-1852 Completed and delivered to Watkins. 1855 Sold to owners in Constantinople.

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BRITANNIA [2]

Built 1855 on Tyneside. Paddle Tug. 97grt. Acquired 1862. Disposed 1875. Scrapped 1875.

Previous owner J Broder and Co. 1875 Scrapped. Boiler reconditioned and kept and later fitted to Express.

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BURMA

Built 1889 by Westwood Baillie, London. Iron Screw Tug. L85.8'. 94grt. 70nhp 450ihp 3cylTE steam engine. Acquired 1889. Disposed 1904. Lost 1905. ON96664.

1889 Delivered to Watkins. 1894 Reboilered. 28-9-1892 Aground on Lynn Stonebank. 15-2-1901 Assisted freeing of tanker Rion [2186grt] aground on Goodwin Sands after the tug crews had assisted in dumping 50 tons of bunker coal overside and the tanker had jettisoned 1500 tons of oil into the sea!!! 16-7-1902. Assisted towing of barque Ardgowan, Southend to West India Dock, after vessel had been in collission off Dungeness. 1904 Sold to London interests and then to Bombay. 1905 Wrecked near Bombay.

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BURMAH

Built 1876 by Hall Russell Ltd , Aberdeen. YN202. Iron Paddle Tug. L121'4". B21'6". D11'. 180grt. Acquired 1886. Disposed 1889. Official No 73663.

1876 Delivered to J. F. Gibbs, Ratcliffe London, named Ben Lomond . 1886 Acquired by Watkins and overhauled in Scotland, renamed Burmah. 1889 Sold to Bilbao interests for £3000, renamed Bilbao.

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CAMBRIA

Built 1870 by London Iron Engineering and Shipbuilding Co., cost £10,000. Paddle Tug. L138.8'. 209grt. 600ehp 100nhp Stewart 2cyl side lever steam engine. Two funnels abreast. Acquired 1870. Disposed 1913. Scrapped 1913. Official No 63623.

1870 Delivered to Watkins. 18-6-1882. Awarded £300 salvage fee after towing sailing vessel Bruce [1146grt] off East Girdler sand. 1-7-1885 1145 Passing Deal towing disabled SS Carrick Castle to London. 12-12-1889 Towed Glasgow owned iron barque Mandalay [904grt] off Goodwin Sands after she had jettisoned 200 tons of railway chairs and sleepers. 1891 Reboilered and repairs. 25-2-1896 Transported Inspector Burke of Scotland Yard and his prisoners Dr Jameson and others from SS Victoria off Purfleet to rendezvous with police vessel Watch further up river. The prisoners were accused of attempting to raise an illegal military unit in South Africa and arrested under the Foreign Enlistment Act. 25-2-1904 Assisted salvage Canadian liner Lake Michigan which was ashore near Dungeness following collission. 1912 Laid up. 1913 Sold to British breakers. One of the most successful "seeking" tugs.

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CANADA

Photo RGR Colln

Built 1880 by Thames Ironworks Ltd, Blackwall. Screw Tug. L80.5'. B16.9'. D9.6'. 72grt. 2cyl 19"x18" steam engine. Acquired 1880. Disposed 1935. Scrapped 1935. Official No. 82785.

1880 Delivered to Watkins. 13-2-1881 Towed barque Verona from the Downs to London following collission. 3-1884 Re-engined with 2cyl compound. 1885 Re-engined with 350ihp TE engine and new boilers. 1895 Reboilered. 18-1-1898 Damaged in collission with SS Flamingo in Woolwich reach. 28-8-1906 Attending Channel swimmers in St. Margarets Bay. 1911 Reboilered. 1930 Laid up at Ramsgate. 5-1935 Sold for £110 to G Cohen and Sons Ltd., Silvertown for scrapping.

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CERVIA (1)

CERVIA as TAMESA. Photo RGR Colln.

Built 1925 by J P Rennoldson, South Shields. YN326. Steel Screw Tug. L90'. B22'. D10.6'. 157grt. 550ihp 2cyl 18"x40"x26" stroke compound steam engine by builder. Acquired 6-1937. Disposed 5-1946. Scrapped 1963. Official No. 148586. Call sign MNLG.

1925 Built as Tamesa for Gravesend United Tug Co. 1937 Acquired by Watkins renamed Cervia. 1-6-1940 Under Capt. W H Simmons crossed to La Panne towing small craft to assist in Dunkirk evacuation. Took crew off s/b Royalty and went to assistance of destroyer Keith. Also picked up crew of barge Duchess, and 20 troops from a motor boat. 2-8-1940 Stationed at Methil. 1941 Req by RN. 16-6-1943 Stationed at Londonderry. 5-12-1945 Departed Londonderry. 1945 Returned to Watkins. 24-5-1946 Sold to Ridley Tugs, Newcastle, renamed Monty. 1954 Sold to J H Piggott, Grimsby, renamed Lady Elsie. 1962 Renamed Lady Hazel. 1963 Scrapped by Arie Rijsdijk Boss and Zoonen.

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CERVIA (2)

Photo Ray's colln.

Built 1946 by Alexander Hall and Co. Ltd., Aberdeen. YN709. Steel Screw Tug, Foremost standard class. L105.2'. B27.1'. D11.7'. 233grt. 900ihp 3cylTE 16"x25"x42"x27"stroke oil fired steam engine by builder, eng. no 414. Acquired 1946. Disposed 1972. Official No. 180997. Call sign GDPM.

21-1-1946 Launched as Empire Raymond for Ministry of War Transport. 30-4-1946 Completed and handed over to Townsend Bros. Ferries Ltd. for onward delivery. 12-1946 Sold to Watkins for £36,000, renamed Cervia. 1-2-1950 Transferred to Ship Towage [London] Ltd. 26-10-1954 Capsized and sank whilst assisting P and O liner Arcadia at Tilbury. Skipper and four crew lost. 28-10-1954 Raised and towed to Ramsgate for repairs. 27-1-1969 Transferred to London Tugs Limited. 1972 Sold for preservation at Medway Maritime Museum. 1973 Sold back into towing to International Towing Ltd., Sittingbourne. 3-1983 Sold for preservation to East Kent Maritime Museum, Ramsgate. 2007 Still at Ramsgate,owners The Steam Museum, Faversham Kent.

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COLUMBIA

Built 1884 by Maatschappij de Maas, Delfshavn, Holland. YN60. Steel Screw Tug. L121'. B22.1'. D12.9'. 219grt. 825ihp. 120nhp 2cyl compound steam engine by builder. Acquired 1884. Disposed 1912. Scrapped 1912. Official No. 89649. Call sign JSBN.

1884 Delivered to Watkins. 12-11-1888 Assisted tow of abandoned SS Akaba from off Yarmouth to Hull. 1894 New boiler and 3cylTE engine at John Stewart and Sons. 25-3-1895 Steering chains parted whilst towing Loch Katrine off Regents Canal Dock. Both vessels went ashore with the tug wedged between the ship and Victoria Wharf. 1897 Reboilered by Stewarts. 3-2-1892 Arrived Gravesend from Havre. 19-10-1892. Towed into Plymouth two lightships, San Borombou and Bahia Blanca, built for service in Brazil. After leaving Havre, temporarily rigged as brigantines to sail to South America, they had become unmanageable in the English Channel. 1904 New rudder and sternpost. 1905 Re-engined and alterations. 1912 Sold to French breakers.

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CYNTHIA [1]

Cargo Steamer. Disposed 1875.

The only cargo steamer ever owned by Watkins.

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CYNTHIA [2]

Photo B. Hunt Colln.

Built 1892 by Eltringhams, South Shields. YN169. Cost £8000. Iron Hulled Excursion Paddle Steamer. L153.4'. B21.4'. D10.3'. . 225grt. 90nrt. 98nhp Compound Steam Engine. Acquired 1892. Disposed 1895. Lost 1933.

Ran for Watkins on London to Margate excursion trips. 1892 Delivered to William Watkins Ltd., London. 8-1894 Running excursions from Ramsgate to Deal, Dover, Walmer, Goodwin Sands and Boulogne under Capt. J. Jones.. 1896 Sold to C. E. Pollard, South Shields. 1897 H. Pollard, S. Shields. 1898 J. M. Smith, South Shields. 1899 H. C. Jones, London. 1904 Hastings, St. Leonards and Eastbourne S.S. Co Ltd., Hastings. 1907 Moville S.S. Co., Ireland. 2-1917 Req by Admiralty as Minesweeper. 24-5-1917 Returned to owner. 1927 Anchor Line, Glasgow. 19?? Stewart & Hewitt. 2-1933 Sank in severe gale in Dun Laoghaire harbour. Salved but did not return to service.

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