WILLIAM WATKINS LIMITED
FLEET LIST
HIBERNIA - LIBERIA
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HIBERNIA [1]
Built 1874.by Westwood Baillie, London. Iron Paddle Tug. L139,2'. B21.1'. D12.4'. 238grt. 38nrt. 500ihp 130nhp 2cyl 34"x60" compound side lever steam engine by John Stewart Ltd. Acquired 1874. Disposed 1884. Scrapped 1917. Official No. 70651.
1874 Delivered to William Watkins Ltd. 1883 Reboilered and repairs £2760. 1881 Went to assistance of S.S. Ganges in the Downs after her cargo of Iron railway chairs and sleepers had shifted whilst on passage Middlesbrough to Calcutta. The tow was passed but Hibernia could make no headway against the conditions and the ship grounded on the Goodwin Sands and was lost along with three of her thirtyfive crew. 1884 Sold for £7000 to Societe Havraise de Remorquage, Le Havre, renamed Tourville. 1898 Sold to George Petrie, Middlesbrough. 1910 Owners Watkins Petrie and Co., Middlesbrough. 1913 Owners Tees Tug Co., Middlesbrough. 1917 Scrapped.
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HIBERNIA (2)
Photo Ray's Colln.
Built 1884 by Maatschappij de Maas, Delfshavn, Holland. YN58. Iron Screw Tug. L121'. B22.1'. D12.9'. 219grt. 825ihp 120nhp 2cyl 28"x47"x24" stroke compound steam engine by builder. Boiler fired from foreside with bunkers forward of bridge. Acquired 1884. Disposed 13-4-1961. Scrapped 1961. Official No. 89622. Call sign JPWG later MGSR.
1884 Delivered to William Watkins Ltd. 12-12-1888 Departed Madeira towing disabled liner Tartar for Southampton. 20-12-1888 Arrived Southampton. 1895 Boiler ex Columbia fitted. 1905 Repairs by Eltringhams and then to Belfast for new boiler. 2-8-1914 Req by RN, renamed HMS Carcass. Served with Downs Patrol, based Dover and Ramsgate. Served at Gallipoli, taking part in the second Suvla landing, and one of the last vessels to leave Anzac Cove during the withdrawal, and in Persian Gulf. 1915 renamed HMS Hibernia III. 1919 Returned to Watkins renamed Hibernia. Refitted at Grimsby £7000. 22-9-1922 Shortened by cutting 15' off bow to L107' by Claxtons, Ramsgate. 5-1940 Worked out of Ramsgate during Dunkirk evacuation under Skipper B Youseman. Worked on Thames throughout WW2. 1-2-1950 Transferred to Ship Towage [London] Ltd. 1961 Scrapped by T W Ward Ltd., Grays, Essex.
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INDIA
Photo RGR Colln.
Built 1875 by Westwood Baillie, London, cost £9,245. . Paddle Tug. L136.9'. 218grt. 90nhp 2 x Stewart independent side lever steam engines. Two funnels athwartships. Acquired 1875. Disposed 1894.
Ran regular excursion trips London to Margate 1890 - 1893. 1875 Delivered to Watkins. 10-1880 Departed Falmouth to search for derelict barque Soridderon, reported 120 miles SW of Lizard. Located and towed to Plymouth. 28-6-1884 Towed disabled SS John F Best, Dover to Hamburg. 1891 Run down and sunk by collier showing no lights off Shoeburyness. Salved. 1894 Sold to Constants for £1000. 1894 Sold to Tees Lighterage Co. After 1894 worked for Spicers on the Thames. 1896 Chartered to Mr J Taylor of Portsmouth for excursions to Isle of Wight. 1897 Chartered to Cosens of Weymouth before returning to Tees. 1904 Hulked.
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IONA
Photo R. Stanford colln.
Built 1876 by Hall, Russell Ltd., Aberdeen. YN201 Paddle Tug. L121.7'. B21'6". D11'. 180grt. 138nhp Steam engine. Two funnels, fore and aft. Acquired 1886. Disposed 1920. Scrapped 1928. Official No 73659.
1876 Delivered to J.F. Gibb, Ratcliffe, London named Ben Nevis. 1886 Acquired by Watkins renamed Iona. Overhauled in Scotland. 1891 Modernised for £3000. 1899 New steel boilers by Stewarts. 9-1920 Sold to G Alder, Middlesbrough. 1928 Scrapped. The last paddle tug to operate on the Thames.
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JAVA (1)
Photo P. van Damme colln.
Built 1900 by Mordey, Carney and Co. Ltd., Southampton. YN404. Steel Screw Tug. L31.64m. B6.16m D3.40m. 154grt. 500ihp 3cylTE 13"x22"x35"x27" stroke steam engine by builder. Acquired 1900. Disposed 2-1901. Scrapped 1967. Official No. 112731.
1900 Delivered to Watkins. 2-1901 Sold to URAG - Unterweser Co., Bremen renamed Unterweser XV. 1909 Owners Svenska Statens Jernvager, Treleborg, Sweden renamed Trelleborg SJ. 1967 Scrapped.
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JAVA (2)
Photo P. van Damme colln.
Built 1905 by Cochrane and Sons, Selby.YN353. Steel Screw Tug. L94'. B19.6'. D10.9'. 128grt 500ihp 3cylTE 13"x21"x34"x24" stroke 160psi steam engine by G T Grey and Co., South Shields. Acquired 1905. Disposed 1965. Scrapped 1965. Official No. 120611. Call sign MCGX.
1905 Delivered to Watkins. 10-4-1907 Aground Barnard Sands whilst on passage Dover to Hull. Kessingland lifeboat stood by, but tug refloated on next tide. 21-7-1915 Req by RN renamed HMS Carcass. Based at Ramsgate. 14-5-1919 Returned to Watkins renamed Java. 12-9-1939 Working at Brest. 15-9-1939 Working at Lorient. 16-9-1939 to 30-10-1939 Working at St. Nazaire. Returned to Devonport. 1940 Req by RN, Downs patrol vessel. 29-5-1940 Under Master W Jones towed drifter and motorboats to Dunkirk. 30-5-1940 Used own lifeboat to ferry troops from beaches. Recorded as bringing home 270 troops. 2-6-1940 Destroyer Whitshed collided with the tug in Dover Harbour at 1435hrs. 6-1940 Based at Milford Haven. 1941 Based Belfast. 1-8-1945 Departed Belfast. 1945 Returned to Watkins. 1-8-1945 to 1-1946 Based at Harwich attending troopships. 1-2-1950 Transferred to Ship Towage [London] Ltd. 7-1965 Sold to Canvey Island shipbreakers and stripped. 10-1965 Hull sold to Metaalhandel En Sloopwerken, H P Heuvelman NV Krimpen A/D Ijssel, Holland. 3-1966 Hull resold again to Belgian breakers at Brugge for demolition.
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JOHN BULL
Built 1849 by William Watkins, Millwall. Wooden Paddle Tug, carvel built. L93.5'. B16.9'. D9.7'. 103grt. Later remeasured to L96'. B18.2'. D9.7'. 115grt. 60nhp 2cyl steam engine. Acquired 1849. Disposed 1878. Scrapped 1893. Official No 22036. Call sign NJTB.
1849 Delivered to Watkins. 1853 Ownership transferred to Mr John Watkins Jnr. to work on River Mersey. 1859 Transferred back to parent fleet. 1859 Re-engined, reboilered and hull repairs. 1866 New 120ihp 2cyl side lever engine by John Stewart, Blackwall. Overhauled £2500. 1878 Sold for £1150 to J Jackson, London. 1889 Believed hired by contractors building Tower Bridge (William Arrol). 1893 Scrapped.
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JOHN LEE
[Saucy Jack 1850 - 1862]
Built 1844 by Andrew Woodhouse, South Shields. Wooden Paddle Tug, clench built. L90'2''. B17'. D9'. 28t registered. Acquired 1850. Disposed 1866. Scrapped 1866.
1844 Owned on Thames by Mark Melville. 5-1845 Sold to Southampton Dock Co. Ltd. 12-1850 Acquired by Watkins renamed Saucy Jack. 1862 Renamed John Lee. 1862 General overhaul and replacement boiler ex American. 1866 Sold to Messrs Beech and Castle for scrap £175.
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KENIA
Photo Ray's colln.
Built 1927 by Cochrane and Sons, Selby. Steel Screw Tug. L100'. B25.1'. D11.8'. 200grt. 760ihp 3cylTE 14"x23"x38"x27" stroke steam engine by Crabtree and Co., Gt. Yarmouth. Acquired 1927. Disposed 1964. Scrapped 1964. Official No. 149891. Call sign GQCX. Passenger licence for 200
1927 Delivered to Watkins. 12-5-1936 Towing barque Abraham Ryberg 30 miles south of Isle of Wight, for London. 1939 Towed training ship Vindicatrix from Gravesend to Sharpness, River Severn. 8-1939 Req by RN for examination service. 27-5-1940 Working off Dover and Ramsgate as inspection vessel during Dunkirk operation under Master W Hoiles. Following Dunkirk based Falmouth for three weeks. Rescue tug at Harwich until 1945 (Pennant No. W47). 21-11-1941 Refloated freighter Bostum, aground on Shipwash Sand. 20-4-1942 With tug Superman towed mined destroyer Cotswold from position off Aldeburgh and beached her on Shotley Spit. 1944 Assisted in cargo removal from SS Richard Montgomery aground off Sheerness. 1945 Returned to Watkins. 1-2-1950 Transferred to Ship Towage [London] Limited. 12-10-1964 Sank off Tilbury Dock whilst assisting Maashaven. Raised and beached. Sold to Metal Recovery Newhaven Ltd. 12-11-1964 Towed to Sheerness and scrapped by Lacmots Ltd.
 Kenia on the River Severn at Sharpness after towing T. S. Vindicatrix from Gravesend 1939. Photo Harold Russell Colln.
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LIBERIA
(Also chartered 1915-1918)
Photo B. Hunt colln.
Built 1905 by Cochrane and Sons, Selby. YN354. Steel Screw Tug. L94'. B19.6'. D10.9'. 128grt 500ihp 3cylTE 18"x21"x34"x24" stroke steam engine by G T Grey, S. Shields. Acquired 1905. Disposed 1911. Scrapped 1938. Official No. 120612. Call sign HDPM later MCGY.
Launched 19-8-1905. Completed 10-1905 for William Watkins Ltd., London. 1911 Owners Watkins Petrie Ltd, Middlesbrough. 1-1-1913 Owners The Tees Tug Co. Ltd., Middlesbrough. 1915-1918 Chartered by Watkins to cover wartime shortage of suitable tugs on Thames. 9-12-1919 Collided with and damaged James W Cook lighter H9. 1920 Owners Tees Towing Co. Ltd. 1930 Owners Newport Screw Towing Co. Ltd, Newport Mon. 1938 Scrapped at Newport Mon.
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