# Sa Wolraad Woltemade



## Fairfield

This ocean going tug originally for Safmarine was built at Leith in 1976.I photographed her in April of that year at Port Glasgow when she was on the Clyde undergoing bollard pull trials.
She is still sailing and I believe is now just WOLTEMADE and has lost her large derrick bipod mast.


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## SALTY

Hi Fairfield,I was out drinking with the skipper of this tug,a few weeks back.He is an ex UNITED TOWING man,the same as myself.
Salty.


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## Fairfield

SALTY said:


> Hi Fairfield,I was out drinking with the skipper of this tug,a few weeks back.He is an ex UNITED TOWING man,the same as myself.
> Salty.


That would have been a good night! Have heard about you tug men!


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## Fairfield

Found these pix of her launch at Leith on 21 May 1975.


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## sam2182sw

hi the two safmarine tugs where transfaired to smits pentow and now have smit in front of there names . you are right about the skipper comming from hull i think there are four of them which releive each other danny betes is one of them he as just done one of the longest tows every done towing the FSPO BONGAto west africa
sam


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## ruud

Ahoy Fairfield,
Here's the WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE

1976 S.A. WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE, 1979 WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE
(sisterships: WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE, JOHN ROSS)
Registered: IMO 7342873 (Veritas 06835G) /(BMU)ON 350736 /(VCT) ON 2107
2800 GRT, L94,65m(85,65), B15,85m, D7,519m(8,59) - fifi, salv.
1 cpp, 2 rudders, bowthr. 800hp, 2x diesel 4tew V16cyl Mirrlees-Blackstone type KVMR16, 19200bhp-14132kW-26200ihp 

total @600rpm, sp 20kn, bp 210t

1976: Built by "Robb Caledon Shipbuilders Ltd" at Leith (GBR) (YN 516)
1976 -xx/04: delivered to "Safmarine" at Capetown (ZAF)
(BMU flag, ON 350736, c/s ZTUG)
1979: registered under "Stephanotis Ltd" at Hamilton, Bermuda, renamed WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE
(BMU flag, ON 350736, c/s ZFFA)
1982: (ZAF flag)
1983: To "Wolraad Woltemade Corp Ltd" (W.W. Tug Pty Ltd), mng "Pentow Marine Pty Ltd"
(PAN flag)
198x: (VCT flag, regd Kingstown, ON 2107, c/s J8FC, 2708 GRT, 226 NRT)
2000: mentioned in L.R. as owned by "Wolraad Woltemade Corp Ltd", mng "Smit Marine South Africa" at Cape Town 

(ZAF)
(VCT flag, regd Kingstown, ON 2107, c/s J8FC, 2918 GT, 875 NT)
200x: To "Smit Internationale Shipping Investments Inc"
2004: still in service


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## FLYERS

Fairfield,

The after after bipod mast was removed as there was concerns over hers, and her sisters, John Ross (now Smit Amandla), stability when using the derrick. They have now been equipped with hydraulic cranes P&S.

Her name is still Wolraaad Woltemade and I had the opportunity to go onboard and have a look around this very fine vessel when she was on the Tyne for the 'Bonga' tow out.

cheers,

George.


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## Fairfield

Thanks for all the info.It/s really good they are both still sailing.


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## ROY LORENTZ

*Woltemade/John Ross(Smit Amandla)*

Hello there,
Ihave just left the Harbour here in Durban where the Smit Amandla is currently berthed having just come out of the drydock.Her current Master is Danny Betts and /or Kevin Tait who do alternating spells in command.
I have a 1/62 working radio controlled model of the Amandla before she lost her derrick and name.The model is thus of the John Ross,photo''s of which I will post soon.
She is still a magnificent vessel

Cheers,

Roy Lorentz


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## gdynia

ROY LORENTZ said:


> Hello there,
> Ihave just left the Harbour here in Durban where the Smit Amandla is currently berthed having just come out of the drydock.Her current Master is Danny Betts and /or Kevin Tait who do alternating spells in command.
> I have a 1/62 working radio controlled model of the Amandla before she lost her derrick and name.The model is thus of the John Ross,photo''s of which I will post soon.
> She is still a magnificent vessel
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Roy Lorentz


Roy
Your very correct a magnificent vessel. We regularly charter her or the ex John Ross to tow our Heavy Lift Barges.Real Work horses.


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## Mogey

I was a rigger in Henry Robbs when the Sa Wolraad Woltemade was built did a lot of the rigging work on her,one of the worst parts was spooling her towing wires had to run them half way through the yard to get the strain required to bed them on the winches.Also done all the sea trials on her.Was a tribute to British Shipbuilding.Like to add that most of the rigging crew in the yard were either ex RN or ex MN.


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## SAS Amatola

her sister ship "John Ross" was renamed "Smit Amandla". Both "WW" and "Smit Amandla are frequent visitors to False Bay.


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## ruud

Ahoy,
Just a few days ago posted in my gallery:
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/55211/cat/500/ppuser/386


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## The Loftsman

Mogey said:


> I was a rigger in Henry Robbs when the Sa Wolraad Woltemade was built did a lot of the rigging work on her,one of the worst parts was spooling her towing wires had to run them half way through the yard to get the strain required to bed them on the winches.Also done all the sea trials on her.Was a tribute to British Shipbuilding.Like to add that most of the rigging crew in the yard were either ex RN or ex MN.


Hi Mogey,
I remember seeing you guys spooling the wires under the watchful eye of wee Ted Toner, and you are right to point out that the riggers in them days knew what they were doing as riggers in yards now just aint got a clue.
Take a look at my blog on all the ships built in Leith at 
http://leithbuiltships.blogspot.com

Cheers


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## Mendi

Vessel was on the beach at Alang earlier this year.


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## The Loftsman

*Another sad end.*



Mendi said:


> Vessel was on the beach at Alang earlier this year.


Thanks Mendi,
Did hear that she was heading for the beach at the start of the year.

cheers


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## vchiu

A very sad end indeed fo such a fine ship. She was still in very good shape. Very infuriating to see such a waste.

Would someone have her builder's drawings ? A 1/48 or 1/50 model would be quite a sight!

Cheers

Valery


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## Stephen J. Card

vchiu said:


> A very sad end indeed fo such a fine ship. She was still in very good shape. Very infuriating to see such a waste.
> 
> Would someone have her builder's drawings ? A 1/48 or 1/50 model would be quite a sight!
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Valery




The plans should be available from the National Archives of Scotland. 
Tel: ( Edinburgh) 0131 535 1314
or 
Email [email protected]

or search the website: www.nas.gov.uk

Select: Catalogues & Indexes
Then: Search The NAS Catalogue
etc etc... easy as pie!

Search: WOLRADE WOLTEMADE Yard No. 516

I'm sure the plans are there and there are also a good quntity of builders and trials photographs.

Plans can be copied... at full size for a 'reasonable' amount.

Good luck!

Stephen


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## vchiu

Thank you Stephen


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## Old Se Dog

wolraad woltemade has been broken up


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## shinz

I was sorry to see earlier this year when googling the WW that this fate had befallen her. I have cool memories as a young guy holidaying around South Africa after a couple of years working around the UK & Europe. Arriving in Capetown in early 1984, & wondering if either of the big Safmarine tugs (as they were in those days) were in port I rang the Safmarine offices & made an inquiry. I was told the WW was in at Duncan Dock & given the ships phone number. Another call got me an appointment to visit the ship the next day, mid morning. On arrival I was met at ship side by a young officer who conducted me to the Captain. After I'd introduced myself & explained I was a tug enthusiast I was informed the young officer would show me over the WW, (he was the Third Officer from memory) & afterwards invited to take lunch with the Captain. My tour was nothing if not comprehensive & afterwards lunch, served by a white coated steward was quite sumptuous. The Captain was a great type to chat to, I forget his name, Steve something from memory, that I remembered as it is my first name too. We talked about the Wilbur Smith book "Hungry as the Sea" Smith had spent some time on the WW before writing his book with this skipper who wryly commented, "but I don't do my own diving". The WW was well outfitted with extra accomodation for Salvage experts, divers & such like. I was sorry when the visit came to an end & remember it as a high light in my life, so my sadness at this wonderfu ships demise was keenly felt. 
An aside to this was the visit to Capetown by the Smit London a week or so later, calling in to bunker while on a rig tow from Korea to the North Sea, the Smit crew were nothing like as accommodating & firmly rebuffed all attempts by a cheeky young Kiwi for visiting rights, a similar response from another Smit boat that visited my home port on rig work some years later, maybe a Smit policy?
Steve.


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## Old Se Dog

*wolraad woltemade*

hello steve - thank you for the anecdote of your visit to the wolraad - i seem to think the first master of her was Captain Lackmann - a german - yes in the early days one was always welcomed aboard any tugs and or pilot boats - any a happy hour passed when in durban and we went out to sea to drop of the pilot and bring ship to port - we always reciprocated with a braai and a case of beer or two - especially if they knew you had an avid interest in tugs - attached is the dining room of the wolraad - which should bring back a memory ...


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## shinz

That looks somewhat more sumptuous than I recall, I wonder if that is not a later refit or maybe the lunch may have been served in the Captain's quarters. Captain Steve, if I have that correctly was a Brit, & a really pleasant man, I'd love to get a full name for him. He couldn't have been more hospitable to me.
Steve.


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## Old Se Dog

*wolraad woltemade*



shinz said:


> That looks somewhat more sumptuous than I recall, I wonder if that is not a later refit or maybe the lunch may have been served in the Captain's quarters. Captain Steve, if I have that correctly was a Brit, & a really pleasant man, I'd love to get a full name for him. He couldn't have been more hospitable to me.
> Steve.


could the captain have been stephen matthews - who became her master nov 1980 - attached is the officers dining room - error on previous picture


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## shinz

Those tables look somewhat more like it, I think the lighting makes it look darker than I recall and the area appears larger but hey, it was 34 years ago & I've a less than photographic memory for such detail. Stephen Matthews, I won't swear to it but that certainly has the right "feel" to it, really nice guy, thanks for the memory jog.
Steve.


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## Chompy

*Captain Steve.*

Stephen Moorby Matthews was the Captain of the John Ross, the sister ship of the Wolraade Woltemade around the time of your visit, so might it have been him that you met? Sadly Steve passed away in 2006 aged 67yrs, shortly after retiring and is laid to rest in his beloved Somerset. Your memory of the dining room not being quite as grand as the picture posted could be explained if you were in fact aboard the John Ross.


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## shinz

Thanks for that Chompy, it would be a lot tidier if it was as you say but I've colour slides somewhere taken from the quayside of the WW, so it was definitely her I visited. It may be my recollection of the skippers name is wrong, 33 years is a long time to remember such things & unfortunately I've never been much of a diarist so nothing written down at the time. You seem to have some good info on these tugs & their crewing, it'd be nice to firm up on this one way or the other. I'm wondering too if my memory of where I had lunch with the skipper was maybe in his cabin rather than the mess?
Steve.


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## Old Se Dog

*wolraad woltemade*

shinz - i have been following your threads - and ask the question - have you ever read the book - a tug at my heart by captain grapow + tony nunn

it covers - in detail the carriers of the john ross and wolraad woltemade

regards


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## shinz

No, I confess to not even knowing it was available & of course now that you've shown me & I look around the interernet not a copy to be had. Isn't that just the way it goes.  Experience has shown me that things normally turn up if I wait long enough & this looks like a book worth having. Thanks OSD for the heads up. I should say that I did find some sights, all appearing to be the same one that wanted my credit card details to register me, no thanks, never.
Steve.


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## 8575

Anyone who sailed on either WW or John Ross might recall Alan Ching who used to do temporary appointments (2nd Mate?). As an ex colleague of his I noticed these absences periodically. He alway enjoyed his time on both tugs - or so he told me.


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## Old Se Dog

Shinz - i was very lucky to have got mine from a local ship society for next to nothing - after i had been told that the book was out of print - captain ockert is still around as is one or 2 of the people mentioned in the book - so yes be patient - it will crop up - btw - its not like a "normal" read more like a notes from a log bokk or diary - after each tow


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## EdScott

*[email protected]*



Fairfield said:


> This ocean going tug originally for Safmarine was built at Leith in 1976.I photographed her in April of that year at Port Glasgow when she was on the Clyde undergoing bollard pull trials.
> She is still sailing and I believe is now just WOLTEMADE and has lost her large derrick bipod mast.


Around 1999 I was in Cape Town on holiday. I was in a bar in the cape bowl area and got talking to a crew member on the John Ross (sister to Wolraad Woltemade) and he knew Danny Betts whom I had met briefly a few years earlier in my birth city of Hull. From the Rhodes monument on Devils Peak you could see this monster tug in CT harbour. I never did get around to going on board. ES.


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## Old Se Dog

*wolrade woltemade and john ross*



EdScott said:


> Around 1999 I was in Cape Town on holiday. I was in a bar in the cape bowl area and got talking to a crew member on the John Ross (sister to Wolraad Woltemade) and he knew Danny Betts whom I had met briefly a few years earlier in my birth city of Hull. From the Rhodes monument on Devils Peak you could see this monster tug in CT harbour. I never did get around to going on board. ES.


here you go


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