“The Government created this delay in fleet replacement. They have a responsibility to put adequate safety measures in place to protect the public and the supply chain while we wait for the new ferries. Removing the only vessel capable of an open-ocean rescue in these conditions is irresponsible and negligent.”
Vital infrastructure
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2512/S00075/kaiarahi-failure-proves-urgent-need-to-retain-emergency-tug.htm
#nzpol #ferries #tugs #maritimesafety
_The Evening Post_, 6 December 1924:
LONGEST VOYAGE TO DOMINION
The longest passage to New Zealand is said to have been made by the tug Lyttelton. She was built by Scott Russell’s yard alongside the Great Eastern in 1859; the small of craft was but 75 feet [23m] long, and after undergoing her trials, she… got away from the Thames in mid-August, 1859, and was at Cape Verde Islands by Christmas Day. In… time the Lyttelton anchored off the Cape Coast Castle, sold off part of her patent fuel ballast… and ambled onwards as far as Fernando Po. Her coal gave out before she reached Walfisch Bay, but by 27th April, 1860, she dropped anchor in Cape Town harbour. Here she remained until the end of July when she received orders… to go ahead by sail only. Almost precisely a year after the start of this voyage, the minute tug struck heavy weather off the Leeuwin (Western Australia) and, incidentally, made her best day’s run, drifting stern-first to leeward 104 miles in a day! On 23rd November, 1860, 462 days out from London river, the Lyttelton arrived at #Wellington. By that time insurance money had been paid on her and the company for which she had been built had gone into liquidation.
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19241206.2.155.3
Brief history of the tug https://natlib.govt.nz/records/45910469
What happened to Tugs? Models & Interviews! Documentary
Thomas the Tank Engine may grab the limelight, however a related series that first started in 1989 ramped up the quality in a charming show set in the 1920s called Tugs.
Sadly, Tugs only survived a single series however its legacy is one of great fondness.
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to view the real models up close in this documentary.
#Tugs #ThomasAndFriends #MidlandRailway #TvSeries #1980s #80s
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