# Liverpool tugs 1913



## soonguy (Sep 7, 2017)

In July 1913, the King and Queen visited Liverpool. A highpoint of the visit was 38 merchant and port vessels anchored in a 5-mile line, including Mauretania, which the royals visited for an hour. The advance list of vessels to be anchored and reviewed as posted in the local press. I have identified all but one, and listed them with their eventual fate. There is one vessel that is not clear. There appear to be a pair of tugs marked together anchored at a single point, bottom left of graphic. One is Alfred (1901, Alexandra Towing), the lettering for the other is unclear. It could be Aber, or Reed, or Rees, or some similar four-letter word. Please can anyone have a guess at the name.









Here is the full list, with the background:

*The vessels on display with details where known*
Listed going down the river from The Sloyne (builder, date built, purpose, grt tonnage, owner, date lost/scrapped)

*Muncaster Castle* (Glasgow, 1906, cargo, grt 4757, Lancashire Shipping Co, scrapped 1935)
*Leviathan* (Dock Board suction hopper dredger built Lairds 1909, 8590 grt, scrapped 1962.)
*Agberi* (Workman Clark & Co Belfast, 1905, passenger, grt 4821, Elder Dempster, sunk by torpedo Dec 1917)
*City of York* (Workman Clark & Co Belfast, 1904, passenger, grt 7834, Elder Dempster, scrapped 1936)
*Ascanius *(Workman Clark & Co Belfast, 1910, passenger, grt 10048, Blue Funnel, damaged by torpedo 1944, scrapped 1952)
*Burutu* (Alexander Stephen and Sons, Glasgow, 1902, passenger, 3,863 grt, Elder Dempster, damaged by torpedo 1918, sunk 1918 accidental collision)
*Clan Mcphee* (1911, passenger, 5177 grt, Clan Lines, sunk by U30 torpedo 1940
*Politician* (Swann Hunter Wallsend 1899, 7222 grt, Charente Steamship, renamed 1922, scrapped 1947, not the later vessel of the same name involved in the _Whisky Galore_ story)
*Mauretania* (Swann Hunter 1906, 31938 grt, Cunard, scrapped 1934) 
*Medic* (Harland & Wolf 1899, 11985 grt, White Star, sold/renamed 1928, sunk by torpedo 1942)
*Empress of Ireland *(Fairfield, Govan, 1906, liner, 1491 grt, Canadian Pacific, sunk May 1914 in collision St Lawrence River, 1012 dead)
*Orissa *(Harland & Wolf 1894, liner, 5317 grt, Pacific Steam Nav, wrecked ran aground 1916)
*Highland Harris* (Russell & Co, Port Glasgow, 1904, cargo/passenger, 6032 grt, Nelson Line, sunk by U96 torpedo 1918)
*Eastham Ferry *(must have been one of three identical paddlesteamers on the run, Sapphire, Ruby and Pearl, built 1897)
*Wallasey Corporation* (must refer to unspecified Corporation ferry, as available on the day. It could have been Daffodil, or one of the other recent ‘flower’ ferries, but not Iris, which was photographed on the day working)
*Aguila* (Caledon Shipbuilding Dundee 1909, passenger, 2144 grt, Yeoward Line, sunk by U28 torpedo March 1915)
*Birkenhead Corporation *(must refer to unspecified ferry, as available on the day. Birkenhead and Wallasey Corporations ran separate operations to their respective ferry terminals)
*Mersey* (presumably Swan Hunter/Richardson, 1906, cargo, 1087 grt, Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, sunk by mine 1940.)
*Seti* (Raylton Dixon, Middlesbrough, 1902, cargo, 3099 grt, Moss Steamship, sunk by mine 1939)
*Elysia *(Henderson Meadowside, 1908, passenger, 6757 grt, Anchor line, sunk by torpedo June 1943)
*J. J. Bibby* (presumably unspecified vessel belonging to Bibby Line)
*Ranger* (built 1881 as Navy gun vessel. Sold to Liverpool Salvage Association 1892, and based in Albert dock, with long interesting involvement. Also the vessel from which the first female ‘hard hat’ dive was undertaken – story available on request. She was not broken up till 1954, a working life of 73 years, and the second longest surviving vessel visible on the day – Skirmisher, though not in the official display, was a working vessel for 91 years.)
*Indian *(Caird & Co, Greenock, 1897, passenger, 8911 grt, P & O Line, sunk by torpedo U22 1915)
*Alfred + Reed[?]* (Appears to be pair of Liverpool tugs. Alfred built J Jones Birkenhead 1901 Alexandra Towing)
*Gloucestershire* (Harland & Wolf, 1909, Bibby Line, converted to armed cruiser and troopship WW1, scrapped 1936)
*Bittern* (Swan Hunter, 1912, cargo, 1797 grt, Cork Steamship Co, sunk by torpedo U36 1915)
*Lafranc* (Caledon Engineering , 1909, passenger, 6287 grt, Booth Line, hospital ship WW!, sunk by torpedo UB40 1917)
*Kilkenny *(Clyde Shipbuilding, 1903, passenger, Dublin Steam Packet, bombed & sunk by Luftwaffe 1941)
*Carmania* (John Brown, 1905, passenger, 19556 grt, Cunard, armed cruiser/troopship WW1, scrapped 1932)
*Borderland* (Barclay Curle,1912, cargo, 1752 grt, Liverpool & Hamburg Steamship, seized by German start if WW1, used as transport and target for submarine school, returned to owners 1919, scrapped 1951)
*Ceramic *(Harland & Wolf, 1913, liner, 18481 grt, White Star, sunk by U515 torpedo 1942)
*Patriotic* (Belfast, 1911, Irish Sea ferry, 2254 grt, Belfast Steamship, WW1 troopship, scrapped 1956)
*Powerful* (Swan Hunter, 1903, F H Powell & Co. Renamed _Eastern Coast_ in 1914 and after more renames, ended as _Allister_ owned by J S Webster & Sons, Kingston. Sunk by U504 torpedo in May 1942 in the Caribbean.
*Ben-My-Chree* (Vickers , 1908, IOM ferry, 2651 grt, IOM Steam Packet, requisitioned WW1 converted to seaplane carrier by Lairds, sunk by Turkish gunfire 1917)
*HMS Liverpool* (Vickers, 1909, light cruiser Royal Navy, 4800 grt, sold for scrap 1921)
*HMS Lancaster* (Armstrong Whitworth, 1902, armoured cruiser Royal Navy, 9800 grt, sold for scrap 1920)

18 losses out of 28 merchant navy vessels on display (the 9 additional dock and navy vessels on display survived):
Prewar: *Empress of Ireland,* collision in fog
WW1: enemy action 8, accidental wrecking during merchant navy service 2 (one of which was also a torpedo attack survivor)
WW2: enemy action 7 (1 other survived a torpedo attack)

We can add the following vessels taking part on the day:
*Galatea *(J P Rennoldson & Sons South Shields, 1906, for the Dock Board taken over by Navy 1940 as an inspection vessel, renamed _Pygmalion_ 1941, returned to dock board 1945, name reverted to _Galatea_; 1959 sold to become floating club, presumed scrapped.)
*Claughton *was the second Mersey ferry of that name. The first was a paddler, and had taken Queen Victoria on the river during her 1884 visit. The second Claughton was built in 1899 and was renamed Old _Claughton_ when a third _Claughton_ was built in 1930.
*Skirmisher *was Cunard’s tender-tug which would ferry passengers or crew out to a Cunarder anchored in the river, or escort and tow company vessels as needed. This would save hire charges on extra tugs. She was incredibly long-lived: 1854-1945. More on her story: North Palm Beach Life - History of Cunard - Cunard Skirmisher

The Mersey ferry* Iris *was performing normal ferry runs on the day, or taking special trips out to view the anchored vessels on display. We have a photo of Iris full of passengers at the landing stage, soon after the royal party had departed on _Galatea_. Her sister _Daffodil_ could have been a ferry on display. They deserve a special mention, having taken part in the Zeebrugge Blockade, and after their safe return were honoured with the ‘royal’ prefix to their names.




Grateful thanks, Tony


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## BillH (Oct 10, 2007)

ALFRED was broken up at Tranmere 1936


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## BillH (Oct 10, 2007)

I would suspect that the ALFRED was the only one from Alexandra Towing. Rea had months earlier taken delivery of YEWGARTH so potentially, an opportunity to show her off. they also had the OVERGARTH which if name was cropped due to lack of space then OVER could appear as ABER. All speculation though.


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## soonguy (Sep 7, 2017)

Thanks so much Bill. I think you have solved it. Several of the names shown on the advance chart, eg JJ Bibby, Birkenhead Corporation, Wallasey Corporation, and Easham Ferry, are owners rather than vessel names, presumably because the owners had not yet specified which vessel would be on dispay. So I think the second word is Rea, and they would have obviously chosen their best new vessel if it was operationally easy.


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