Steam Tug Brent Trust

www.steamtugbrent.org

Email: info@steamtugbrent.org

Steam Tug Brent of 1945

Steam Tug Brent (@steamtugbrent)

NEWSLETTER December 2018

Dear Brent Supporters
Welcome to our 14th newsletter.
For those of you who have taken a walk along Maldon’s promenade this autumn, or intend to
during the Christmas holiday, you cannot fail to notice that Brent is in the company of one of her
sister ships. Berthed, a tug width out from Brent (TID159), is TID 172. Of the three remaining TID
Tugs, both TID 172 and TID 164 have remained with their number and not a name, as they were
under the Royal Navy and not sold for commercial use. (TID 172 was briefly called Hercules under
Martin Stevens’ ownership.)
In July 2017, TID 172 was
purchased by Robert
Deards of Hoo, in Kent. She
was brought to Maldon for
dry docking and
maintenance work and will
eventually leave her berth
alongside Brent and be
towed to her new home
across the Thames Estuary
for a refit. Hopefully, it will
not be long before we see
her steaming again. A lot
depends on the condition
of the boiler!

TID 172, being towed by Agama,

on her trip from Mistley to Maldon
last year.

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
In the news!
VISITORS to Maldon’s quayside were seeing double after two rare
steam tug boats built in the Second World War moored up alongside
each other.

This image and caption were part of an article in The Maldon Standard in November. The article
was also included in the MNA (Merchant Navy Association) Circular, The Pulse. If you wish to read
it online, you will need to sign up for their newsletter.
Not only has the Brent featured in the local news and nationally in The Pulse, she has also featured
in the publication below.

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
Earlier in the year I was contacted by journalist, Joceline Bury; below is her article as it appeared in
the publication.

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
In the same magazine, an interesting advert….

The tug in the BP Norse Marine

advert is the Storebror, ex TID 180.
One of the last TID Tugs to be built,
she was launched in April 1946.
She was sold to Norway, where she
worked until she came to the UK
under the ownership of BP Norse
Marine, based in Southampton.
She has had numerous refits,
including the addition of a variable
pitch propeller and a kort nozzle,
and a MWM 8 cylinder turbo diesel
engine.
With the bridge and
accommodation replaced, we have
to look at the hull to see that she is a
TID Tug.
Trustee, Ian Chapman, has recently
had command of her.

Is Storebror the last TID Tug in the

UK to be working commercially?
Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
A busy September

We had three busy weekends in September. For the Heritage Weekend, it was very beneficial to
have our display tent, as it allowed people who were waiting for a talk to look at the exhibition.
This allowed us to run the event without the necessity of having tickets.
The Exhibition and Talks were held on Saturday 8th September and Sunday 9th September. The
Exhibition covered Brent’s history in photos and documents, with talks and a tour of Brent every
45 minutes starting at 11.30.
Sunday was a particularly hectic morning. Unable to leave the tent out, everything was packed
away on Saturday evening. On Sunday ITV News were coming to film the Brent as part of the area
coverage of the Heritage Weekend. Russell Hookey, the ITV reporter needed to be informed
about the background of the Trust, and do some individual interviews of Brent crew as well as take
some preliminary footage, before the first talk started at 11.30.
We arrived early and were just finishing setting up the exhibition material when he arrived. After
talking to us he did the individual interviews. He filmed the whole of the first talk and took footage
of the tour. A bit more filming from the shore and he was off, back to ITV Norwich.

Exhausting! And there were four more talks and tours to go!

The Maldon Regatta on 22nd September was a busy day on the river. With over 150 visitors
coming on board, we were kept busy, too!

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
London River Connections

The weekend of the 15th September was more relaxing. We were

invited by the Lighterage Committee of Watermen’s Hall to join them
on the river. Trustees and volunteers attended and a good time was
had by all.

To All Freemen & Friends

You are invited to the Lighterage Committee’s
Thames Day Lunch Cruise
On Sunday the 16th of September we are again organising a
Sunday Lunch on Board the Pride of London
As part of the Thames Festival which will include
The Steve Faldo Memorial Barge Race and also many more
activities taking place on the river throughout the afternoon.
This cruise is open to Friends and Family
We will be boarding at Tower Pier at 1130hrs and retuning
around 1700hrs. You will be served a 3 Course Silver
Service Lunch and there will be Allocated Seating.

One of the lightermen told me that

when he was a boy he used to go to
work with his father. He said he
could remember climbing aboard
Brent from the lighter and going
forward into the deckhouse galley
to get warm.
Not only did the galley have a coal
fired cooking range, it was also
immediately in front of the boiler!
It must have been very cold working
as a lighterman in the winter
months.
Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
The volunteer team
While others have been busy with painting Tony has taken on the job of repairing the hatches.
The first to be repaired, the port
side hatch above the engine
room.
Having removed the porthole
from the hatch, the steel was
blasted. With all the rust and
scale removed there showed to
be quite a number of thin areas,
particularly the corners. Repair
proved quite difficult; the hatch
had to be clamped flat, as the
heat from the welding distorted
the hatch. With the brass
cleaned, the porthole resealed
and safety bars replaced, the
hatch won’t need attention for
some time.

In the image below you can see

Tony’s patent wooden hatch
cover. Having done service for
the first hatch it now covers the
starboard side opening.
Behind it to the left, you can see
the hinges of the newly
refurbished hatch.

The Starboard Hatch

Having re-fitted the first hatch, the second, identical

to the first, was removed. However its condition was
not as good and it had suffered damage at some time
in Brent’s working life.
When it came back from being blasted it was clear to
see that repair would be difficult. The only viable
solution is to make a replica.

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
A pleasurable exercise was rubbing down the wheelhouse. Four coats of varnish were applied in
September.

One unexpected task was putting the

funnel cover on. A freak gust of wind
lifted it off and it was left attached by
three out of the four lines. We replaced
all the lines with new and then chose a
nice calm day to put the cover back on.

The Brent’s mast relieved of all its ironwork and fittings is in the dry in the large workshop at Cooks
Yard. Shipwright Ralph Springett will be scarfing in a new base, repairing the wooden crosstrees
and the truck at the top of the mast. We hope to be able to re-rig it late next spring.

From the Archive

In 1946, with their funnels lowered, TIDs 125, 126, 131,132 and 133 went out to the far east as
deck cargo on the ship, Empire Byng, to join the Pacific Fleet.

We have recently uncovered more archive material. This includes amongst many papers,
negatives of the boiler and machinery diagrams, and several interesting booklets.

A promotional booklet, 1958.

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
 December

And once more the Brent is under her winter cover

We look forward to continuing our work in 2019

to preserve Steam Tug Brent, so that future
generations can enjoy and benefit from
understanding her links with the past.

Wishing all our friends and supporters

a very Happy Christmas,
And all the best in the coming year

Warm regards, Janet

Photos: Brent Collection, Janet Hall, James Morgan, Mark Heard.

Trustees: Richard Albanese, Janet Hall, Chairman, Andrea Raiker, Mari Riva, Mark Heard, Ian Chapman

Volunteer Team: Janet Hall, Amelia Hall, Tony Kirk, Penny Kirk, Tony Seaman, James Morgan, Richard Cooper,
Mark Watsham, Ian Chapman, Ray Binning, Vic Fleming, Sheila Swain, Sue Stewart, Mari Riva, Mark Heard, Vicky
Heard

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307