WILLIAM WATKINS LIMITED
FLEET LIST
RENOWN - SIMLA
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RENOWN
Photo RGR colln.
Built 1863 by Charles Lungley, Deptford. Iron Paddle Tug. L118'. B19.2' D9.9'. 165grt. 91nrt. 400ihp 100nhp 2cyl steam engine by John Stewart and Son. Acquired 1874. Disposed 1903. Scrapped 1903. Official No. 47351. Call sign VNGQ.
1863 Owned by Mr Mark Martin and others at Gravesend. 1871 Worked out of Fleetwood. 24-3-1872 Sank after collision with screw of SS Adriatic whilst towing at Belfast. . 25-3-1872 Salved and repaired at Belfast. 1873 Owners W and T Joliffe, Liverpool. 1874 Acquired by Watkins. 1876 Reconditioned boiler ex Napoleon fitted. 1882 Reboilered, engines modernised, hull repairs. 28-11-1887 Rescued crew of SS Thetford from River Thames after steamer sank following collision with another vessel in Gallions Reach. 1903 Scrapped in Holland.
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ROBERT BRUCE
Photo RGR Colln.
Built 1865 by Westwood Baillie and Co., Poplar. Iron Paddle Tug. L121.3'. B20'. D10.6'. 192grt. 500ihp 120nhp 2cyl steam engine. Acquired 1872. Disposed 1892. Scrapped 1910. ON52660.
1865 Built for Caledonian Steam Towing Co., Poplar. 1872 Acquired by Watkins. 9-3-1878 Towed damaged barque Yuba from the Downs to Hull. 28-6-1879 Arrived Gravesend from Havre. 1879 General overhaul and hull strengthening. 8-2-1884 Passing Deal for London towing sailing vessel Duke of Edinburgh which had lost Main and Mizzen masts. 9-5-1887 Assisted at launch of Sans Pareil at Thames Ironworks. 1892 Sold to Castle's the breakers for £180 who removed engines and boilers and sold hulk to Port Sanitary Authority of London, renamed Hygeia. 1910 Scrapped.
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ROYAL EXCHANGE
Built 1844 by John Gray, Newhaven. Sailing vessel, Barque, raised quarterdeck, copper sheathed. 234 tons. PoR London. Acquired 1844. Disposed 1852. Lost 1868.
1852 Sold to John Thompson and John Turner, Poplar, London. 1863 Sold to Australian owners. 1868 Wrecked on Australian coast.
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ROYAL FAMILY
Built 1854 by Byers, Monkwearmouth. Full rigged sailing vessel. 915grt. Acquired 1854. Lost 1856.
1856 Destroyed by fire.
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RUMANIA [1]
Built 1911 by Hepple and Co. Ltd., South Shields. .Designed by James Pollock and Sons Ltd, London, ship No. 436. Steel Screw Tug. L118.5'. B25'. D 15'6''. 253grt. 3cylTE steam engine 15''x23.5''x38''x30''stroke by builders. Boiler 15'0''dia x 12'0''. 180psi. Acquired 1920. Disposed 1923. Official No 131148. Call sign VGDJ.
1911 Built for Canadian Tugboat Company, Vancouver, named Dreadful. 9-5-1917 Req by Admiralty for war service. 1918 Sold to Admiralty. 1920 Handed over to Watkins as a replacement for Oceana which had been run down at Scapa Flow whilst on Admiralty service. Renamed Rumania. 4-3-1922 Passed Beachy Head towing SS Thyra, which had lost prop, Newhaven to Antwerp. 1923 Sold to Pacific Tug and Barge, Vancouver, for £10,500. 1941 Owners Pacific (Coyle) Navigation Co., and named Pacific Monarch. 1952 Believed scrapped.
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RUMANIA [2]
Built 1919 by Philip and Son, Dartmouth. Steel Screw Tug. L86.2'. B21'. D10.4'. 148grt. 450ihp 2cyl 15"x32" 24" stroke compound steam engine by builder. Acquired 1928. Disposed 1935. Official No. 145733. Call sign MPDN.
1919 Built for RN as HS79. 1919 Acquired by Guy of Cardiff, renamed Welsh Rose. 1928 Acquired by Watkins, renamed Rumania. 6-1935 Sold to Nash Dredging for £4500. 8-1935 converted to oil fired boiler. 1940 Sold to Government of Trinidad, renamed St. David. 1954 Deleted from register.
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RUMANIA [3]
Photo R. Stanford Colln.
Built 1944 by Clelands [Successors] Ltd, Tyneside. Steel Screw Tug, Modified Englishman/Larch standard class. L137.1'. B33.1'. D15.1'. 592grt. 1250ihp 3cylTE 16"x24"x45" 30" stroke oil fired 215psi steam engine by Ailsa Shipbuilding Ltd., Troon. Bunkers 340 tons. BP approx 14.5 tons. Acquired 1946. Lost 1956. Official No. 169185. Call sign MDFC.
1944 Built as Empire Susan for Ministy of Shipping. 19-7-1944 Launched. 9-10-1944 Completed and handed over to Watkins as managers. 7-3-1945 Departed Antwerp for Southend, part of convoy ATM85. 8-3-1945 Arrived Southend . 9-1-1946 Towing RN submarine Safari to Newport Mon. for scrap. Sub suddenly capsized and sank 10 miles south of St. Albans Head. 1946 Acquired by Watkins, renamed Rumania. 1-1947 Left Southampton towing ex RN sloop to Algiers where she collected a second sloop. Continued voyage via Suez, Aden, Colombo and Singapore. Both towed vessels delivered to Shanghai in May 1947. Tug then ran to Sydney and towed a liner, the Australian steamer Canberra, of 7,700 tons, sold to Greek owners, to Singapore, where the Rumania was instructed to tow her to Genoa. Next, two tank landing craft were towed from Suez to Dar-es-Salaam. There followed the towing of the disabled oil tanker Gladys Moller to port, a distance of 500 miles. Two more landing craft were taken from Suez and delivered at Mombasa, whence one of the craft was towed to Dar-es-Salaam. The Rumania then returned home. Most of the towing was done with a single rope 16" in circumference and 120 fathoms long. When she eventually returned to the UK she had been away over sixteen months and steamed 48,000 miles, of which over 34,000 was towing. 1-2-1950 Transferred to Ship Towage [London] Ltd. 6-2-1950 Recovered 8 survivors from mined German freighter Fidamos whilst towing another vessel in North Sea. 1-2-1954 Towed disabled Belgian freighter Antigoon into Dover. 10-2-1956. Wrecked in position 51.43N 1.37E on North Long Sand in Thames Estuary whilst trying to assist Brazilian steamer Loide-Honduras which had gone aground on same bank. The tugs crew were eventually taken off by Helicopter.
 Photo R. Stanford colln.
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SAUCY JACK
For all details see JOHN LEE.
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SCHELDE
(Chartered 1915-1918)
Built 1904 at Alblasserdam, Holland. Screw Tug. L82'. B20'. D10'. 91grt. 380ihp steam engine.
1904 Built for SARH - SA de Remorquage a Helice, Antwerp. 12-1914 At Wapping, London in 'not seagoing' condition. 1916 On charter to William Watkins Ltd. 1918 Returned to Belgian owners? 1939 Hired by Admiralty as a minesweeper, renamed Solitaire (FY1674). 1941 Purchased by Admiralty. 20-6-1944 Foundered in heavy weather off coast of Normandy.
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SCOTIA [1]
Built 1874 by Westwood Baillie and Co., Poplar. Iron Paddle Tug. L139.2'. B21'1". D12'4". 236grt. 500ihp 130nhp 2cyl side lever steam engine by John Stewart, London. . Acquired 1874. Disposed 1891. Official No. 70610.
1874 Delivered to Watkins. 7-9-1883 Arrived Gravesend from Lisbon. 1891 Sold to Societe Havraise de Remorquage, Le Havre for £3250, renamed Surcouf. 1900 Sold back to Watkins. 1911 Working for Watkins Petrie on River Tees. 1913 Owners Tees Tug Co., Middlesbrough.
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SCOTIA [2]
Photo Ray's colln.
Built 1893 by Anderson Laverick and Co., Newcastle. YN9. Steel Screw Tug. L97.5'. B19.5'. D11.2'. 136grt. 493ihp 3cylTE 13"x21"x34" 24" stroke steam engine by Stewarts. Acquired 1893. Disposed 1935. Scrapped 1935. Official No. 102862. Call sign MQPW.
10-1893 Completed for Watkins. 20-8-1904 Escorting Channel swimmers Dover to Calais. 1907 Reboilered. 1908 New funnel. 1919 Reboilered at Grimsby. 1934 Laid up at Ramsgate. 1935 Sold for £160 to G Cohen and Sons, Canning Town for scrap.
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SIMLA
Photo Barney Hunt Colln.
Built 1898 by Lobnitz and Co., Renfrew. YN467. Steel Screw Tug. L100.4'. B20.1'. D11.3'. 144grt. 3nrt. 500ihp 3cylTE 18"x22"x35" 27" stroke steam engine by builder. Acquired 1898. Disposed 1964. Scrapped 1964. Official No. 108343. Call sign QCMT later MQZX.
1898 Delivered to Watkins. 17-10-1898 Whilst 'seeking' was escorting iron barque Blengfell, when the vessels cargo of Naphtha suddenly exploded. The resultant rescue resulted in the award of the BoT Sea Gallantry medal to Simla's crew, James Hood, skipper: F. Webb, Mate: W. Baldock, Eng: G. Wells, W. Maltby, deckhands: S. Perry, C. Jeffrey, F. Funnell, firemen: E. Cullis, cook. Details HERE 1901 Census position 10m SE of Lizard. 1903 Reboilered. 19-11-1911 Towed SS Sussex [5600grt] off Tongue Sand. 30-7-1914 Req by RN. 18/19-4-1915 Assisted SS Sarpen, aground at Papa Strousay in the Orkney Isles. This led to a case in the Admiralty Court as to whether she could claim salvage, being under Admiralty control at the time. 21-7-1915 Returned to Watkins. 19-8-1924 Mast shattered by lightning whilst berthed at Ramsgate. 9-7-1928 Assisted beaching liner Carmarthenshire at Erith and fighting oil bunker fire on liner. 4-9-1939 Req by RN. 25-10-1939 Returned to Watkins. 1940 Worked at Dover throughout Dunkirk operation under Master G Lowe, assisting over 140 vessels berthing and leaving the harbour. Based at Dover for over four years. 29-5-1940 Together with Dover tug Lady Brassey refloated destroyer Montrose and towed her stern first to Dover from Dunkirk after destroyer had collided with Sun V. 31-5-1940 With Gondia towed damaged sloop Bideford into Dover. 19-7-1940 Damaged by bomb near-miss in Dover Harbour. 1944 Returned to Thames prior to D-Day. Later towed bombed destroyer Jaguar into Dover. 1-2-1950 Transferred to Ship Towage [London] Ltd. 10-4-1964 Scrapped by Medway Drydock and Engineering Co., Sheerness.
 Photo Ray's colln.
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