Padstow tug

[davidships]

Here's a jigsaw puzzle with the following pieces:

- This unnamed little tug is taken at Padstow in 1911
- I have an old memory that there was a small unregistered steam tug at Padstow named PRINCESS MAY
- The Dutch shipyard Botje Ensing at Groningen built a PRINCESS MAY in 1893 that came onto the British register as BRACCA in 1913 (she was small - 24grt 48.1 x 12.8 x 6.0 feet)
- The Sully family/Bridgwater Steam Towing Co had a tug PRINCESS MAY in 5/1897 but had disposed of her by 11/1897.

The question is whether anyone can add anything to establish whether these all refer to the same vessel.

Incidentally, the larger tug in the right background is the RNLI's HELEN PEELE.

[Jaap Bijl]

David, according to a yardlist of Botje Ensing (which maybe known to you) the PRINCESS MAY for Padstown was built under yardnr. 43 in 1893.
16 nhp., boilernr. 76.

[Hippo]

The Ian Alan book "Warships of World War I" lists a series of "Hired Screw Tugs (69TG and under)". Within this section is a PRINCESS MAY 43TG, 1893, ex ELISABETH, Service 8.14 to 3.19. However there is no reference to this vessel in my copy of Colledge V2.

[Hippo]

In Jack Gaston's book "Tugs & Towing" page 22, he has a Phil Thomas photo of the PRINCESS MAY, reproduced here (I hope he doesn't mind). The caption says "The little wooden steam tug Princess May was originally built in Hull in 1893 for a foreign owner but was purchased almost immediately by a British company. Subsequent owners operated her in London, Ipswich and Scarborough. She measured 22.6 metres in length and 43 tons gross".
Adds substance to two PRINCESS MAYs and some confusion.

[Magoonigal]

1928 MNL has yet another PRINCESS MAY.

ON 102754, built Falmouth 1894 (No ex name.) Registered Cape Town 1905 so she is not the one Dave mentions.
For the record she was 76.9 x 16.6 x 6.8 ft. 17 Net. 66 Gross. 23 Nhp.

Forgot to say she had a Steel Hull.

[Hippo]

Hi Paul

That one looks like Cox & Co, yn 42, launched 20/02/1894, screw, passenger vessel, for St Mawes Steam Towing & Passenger Co at Falmouth. Obviously went to SA as a tug or tender?

[Magoonigal]

Hi Dave,

Well at least that knocks that one out of the running!!.

Very useful book, British Warships 1914-1919.

BUT mine has a chunk of pages missing from 288 to 321, covering Blockships to Hospital Ships, took me ages to work it out!!

[davidships]

It's not surprising that there were a plethora of PRINCESS MAYs in the 1890s. Princess Mary (May) Teck was engaged to Queen Victoria's grandson the Duke of Clarence when he died of influenza in January 1882; the following year she married his brother, the future King George V. But why so many obscure little tugs? There are clearly three:

ON 102754 - 66grt - built 1894 by Cox for local use but sold to South Africa in 1902

ON 99487 - 43grt - built 1893 at Hull (wood hull) as ELISABETH for foreign owners, but registered later that year as PRINCESS MAY. The ON indicates an initial Boston registration. She was hired by the Admiralty from the Ipswich Steam Tug Company 3/8/1914-8/3/1919 for service at Harwich. In 1919 she was registered at Scarborough to Albert Reeve, but I have not come across her registration papers, nor know her fate.

ON 133461 - 24grt - built 1893 by Botje Ensing as PRINCESS MAY, apparently seeing service at Bridgwater and Padstow before being registered at Hull in 1913 as BRACCA.

STill hoping to fill out the histories, especially of the second one

David