Starting off with the humble but rather fiercely named MADDOG, the third of my four planned photo-articles on central LondonThames workboats follows below, in alphabetical order as before. The images date from 2019 to the present day, and some of the boats have since changed name, ownership, and livery.
Workboat MALAMUTE is owned by Collins Waterage & Lighterage. She was regularly at the Vauxhall Tideway site transferring engineers to and from work and can often be seen attending to Thames Party Boats VISCOUNT and HURLINGHAM just upstream of Lambeth Bridge.
Thames Waterman and Lighterman, Ben tells me that workboat MERIDIAN, in the pictures above and below was owned by Livett’s at the time they were taken but is now owned by Thames Marine Services.
Owned by Collins Waterage and Lighterage, called OPUS ONE at the time this picture was taken, Ben explains that she is now named SIBERIAN, and has recently been active watching over work on the Thames next to the Albert Embankment and the Palace of Westminster.
Ben also tells me “that LE PETIT BATEAU was the workboat and crew boat for Bateaux London’s elegant dining cruise boats SYMPHONY and HARMONY. Badly hit by Covid, the company ceased trading in London and SYMPHONY, refurbished and renamed is now operated by Woods Silver Fleet.
LE PETIT BATEAU was sold to Craig Campion of Viscount Cruises, where her wheelhouse was cut away, and she is now used as an open workboat.
Small tug PLASHY was built by James Pollock, Faversham Kent in 1951, for the Port of London Authority. She was sold to F .J. Waterage, London, in 1993. In 2014 she was bought by the now dissolved Thames Link Marine Ltd. For the last couple of years she has belonged to Parker Marine Ltd. and is now moored at Chatham.
Perhaps the workboats and small tugs I’ve most often photographed have been the *PRE- s* and *PRO- s* of Marine Support Thames boats for hire, which include: PREFECT, PRESTO, PROGRESS, PRONTO, PROTECTOR, PROVIDER, PROVOKER, and PROWLER.
You can see PREFECT’s details here.
MST Marine Support Thames provides a comprehensive hire service. The distinctive cream and navy blue livery, and shadow lettering of their workboats and tugs make them easy to spot, and those I have photographed will follow in alphabetical order after PRETTY BAY, which fits in below.
PRETTY BAY is owned by Dave Reed of Reeds River Cruises. She is often to be seen along Lambeth Reach attending to M.V. VALULLA.
Marine Support Thames (MST Workboats) was set up by Craig Ellis in 2002 with one little boat. Now with more than twenty boats their fleet including tugs, safety and workboats, barges and pontoons, is a strong presence along the River Thames.
Small tug PROGRESS is used for “ship towage, mooring, line running, barge handling, crew transfer, and dredging support.”
Tug PROSPER is used for “towing, mooring, pushing, and survey operations.” Here she was involved with the reinstallation of mooring barge Iron Duke.
Workboat PROTECTOR is used exactly as her name indicates, as a safety boat, here in these pictures, watching over engineers working on the illumination of Lambeth Bridge, one of the nine central London Thames Illuminated River installations.
To be continued…
Sources and Further information
CPBS Marine Services
MST Workboats
Thanks to Ben, Thames Waterman & Lighterman.
Explore his site the Liquid Highway, the leading River Thames source for news and info., and his impressive Thames vessel photo gallery, giving technical details of thousands of boats.
See here too: Photo gallery.
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