WILLIAM WATKINS LIMITED
FLEET LIST
ALBION - BLACK PRINCE
Page last updated 14-4-2011
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ALBION [1]
Built 1851 by Thomas Toward, St Peters Quay, Newcastle. Iron Paddle Tug. L107.6'. B20'. D9.5'. 152grt. 100ihp 240nhp 2cyl side lever steam engine by J P Almond, South Shields. Acquired 1868. Disposed 1869. ON4283. Callsign JRTM
3-5-1851 launched as "Friend To All Nations" for Thomas Petley et al, London. 10-10-1861 Towed barque Mary off sands in Dover Bay.
6-1863 Off Deal. 1867 Lengthened to 129.7'. [169grt]. 8-8-1867 Acquired by William Watkins, London renamed Albion. 11-1867 Sold to foreign owners, renamed Dagmar. 12-1868 Acquired by William Watkins, London, renamed Albion. 1868 New 30psi boiler and 80nhp, 400ihp engine giving 13 knots. 1869 Transferred to William and John Watkins, London. 1869 Sold to owners in Trieste for £5000.
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ALBION [2].
Built 1870 by London Engineering & Iron Shipbuilding Co, Millwall. Iron screw tug. L101'. B17.9'. D9.3'. 110grt. 40nhp 2cyl 15.5"x26.5"x16"s compound steam engine by J Stewart and Son, Blackwall , London. Speed 12 knots. ON63606.
21-4-1870 Launched. 6-1870 Delivered to William Watkins, London. 1870 Made passage Falmouth to Fayal in 12 days, burning 60 tons of coal. 7-1-1871 Towing barque Carrie Wright, Scilly Isles to Antwerp. 7-2-1872 Acquired by ED. Delfs, H. Paasch & Co., Antwerp, renamed Sils-Duez. 28-2-1877 Company wound up, no further trace. Later owned by Belgian Government?.
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ANGLIA
Photographer unknown
Built 1866 by Thames Ironworks Ltd., Blackwall. Iron Paddle Tug. L144.4'. B22.2'. D12.4'. 275grt. 700ihp 2cyl 38"x 60"Stewart superheated side lever steam engine bby John Stewart and Son, London. . 3 boilers, 3 funnels. Coal cap 90 tons. Acquired 1866. Disposed 1894. Official No. 54745. Call sign HTKN.
The 90 tons coal capacity will be noted. Her consumption was reputed to be awesome. She once burnt 30 tons of coal between Gravesend and Beachy Head. Nicknamed "Three Fingered Jack".
7-3-1866 Launched. 1866 Delivered to William Watkins, London. 1873 Carried Shah of Persia and entourage during the Spithead Naval Review. 1875 Towed liner Syria from St. Helena to Southampton, 5000 miles in 51 days, coaling at Freetown, Goree, Teneriffe, Madeira and Vigo. 6-11-1875 Departed St Vincent towing SS Biafra. 1876 Towed 3400 ton steamer from Port Said to Glasgow for £2650.29-8-1876 Reported passing The Lizard, Eastbound. 1878 Towed Cleopatras Needle from Ferrol to London. 28-12-1878 Broke crank pin off Dartmouth whilst towing Hereward ex London to Cardiff. 1880 New boilers and shafts at Somes Drydock. 28-12-1892 Towed barque Walle off Goodwin Sands and to London. 1894 Sold through Constants to Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Co., in NE of England. 1894 Converted into sailing vessel. 1894 Owner Tees Tug & Lighter Co Ltd (mng Thomas F Ward), Middlesbrough. c1901 Owner Eusebius Derwent, Pen-Bryn, Newport, Middlesbrough. c1903 Owner The Cleveland Flour Mills Ltd (mng Thomas Birks), Thornaby-on-Tees. 1913 (mng John W Berry). 1914 Towed from NE England to France loaded with coal and munitions throughout WW1. 1915 Owner Henry Leetham & Sons Ltd, York (mng Herbert W Oldroyd, Hull). 1917 Renamed Labuan and converted to steamship (reg Hull, 327grt 153nrt, 144.4 x 22.2 x 12.2ft, 47nhp 1-screw) 22-1-1918 Whilst On voyage Middlesbrough for Fécamp, cargo pig iron, sank 3-4 miles NE of Whitby after collision with Norwegian steamer ALM (1617grt/1903), five of ten crew drowned.
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ANNETTE
Built 1862 by James Ash, London. Iron Paddle Tug. L108'. B18'. D11.5'. 118grt. 44nrt. 60nhp 2cyl side lever steam engine by John Stewart and Son, London, 29" cylinders, superheated boiler, surface condensers. ON47404. Acquired 1862. Disposed 1869.
1863 Delivered to William Watkins, London. 1863 Chartered as ferry between Ryde and Stokes Bay by A. Brett and Co. 1865 Chartered for whaling voyage to Iceland. 15-6-1866 Arrived Belfast towing SS Monarch from London to lay Slackhead to Portpatrick telegraph cable. 2-1869 Sold to Peter Acatos on behalf of Danube clients for £3300. 1877 Assisting army bridge builders on the River Danube under artillery fire. Named after Mrs. William Watkins.
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ANTAGONIST
Photog unknown/J Grainger colln
Built 1857 by Charles Lungley, Deptford. Iron Paddle Tug. L83.3'. B17.0'. D8.8'. 80grt. 1864 Remeasured to L91.6'. 90grt. 50nhp 2cyl side lever steam engine by J Stewart and Son, London. Acquired 1863. Disposed 1867. ON12874. Callsign LDQG.
1857 Delivered to James Archbell and Joseph Law, London. 1863 Acquired by William Watkins, John Brodie & James Archbell, London. 1863 Chartered to Isle of Wight steam Packet Co. as ferry between Ventnor and Littlehampton. 8-1867 Sold to W H Vermeulen, Amsterdam, for £2300.
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ARCADIA
Built 1895 by Cook, Welton and Gemmel, Hull. YN149. Steel Screw Tug. L109'. B21.5'. D11.8'. 180grt. 700ihp 99nhp 3cylTE 14.5"x28"x31"x27" stroke steam engine by T E Earles, Hull. Acquired 1895. Disposed 1962. Scrapped 1962. Official No. 105766. Call sign PDJN later MQTJ.
2-10-1895 Launched. 1895 Delivered to William Watkins, London.6-11-1896 Arrived Gravesend ex Las Palmas. 27-4-1897 Towing German barque off Dartmouth. 30-12-1899 Assisting German liner Pelotas, ashore off Dungeness. 1900 Transferred to William Jr. & John S. Watkins, London. 5-1905 Reboilered. 1914 Transferred to John S. & Alfred Watkins, London. 4-8-1914 Req. by RN renamed HMS Chichester. Served on Downs Patrol duties, based Ramsgate. 1917 Serving at Calais. 1917 Owners restyled William Watkins Ltd., London. 29-5-1919 Returned to owners. Renamed Arcadia. 1941 Ran aground in The Wash and badly damaged rudder. After parting anchor cable drifted around Wash for four days until found by trawler and towed to River Humber for repairs. 8-7-1942 Joined convoy WP183 [Milford Haven for Southampton and Portsmouth] off Plymouth. The convoy was attacked by E-boats in the area of Lyme Bay and several ships were sunk. [An extract from the tugs log appears on the WW1 & WW2 tug log page] 19-9-1942 Departed St Helens Roads in convoy CE120. 20-9-1942 Arrived Southend. 19-10-1943 Whilst positioning the Shivering Sands Army Fort, collided with barge May, resulting in the connecting fort gangway being lost overside to be later recovered by divers. 5-4-1944 Assisted towing Phoenix unit ex Royal Albert Dock to Tilbury landing stage. 1-2-1950 Ship Towage [London] Limited appointed managers. 16-7-1952 Renamed Badia at the request of P and O Lines Ltd., who wished to name their new liner Arcadia. 14-11-1962 Arrived at T W Ward Ltd., Grays Essex, for scrapping.
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ATLAS
Built 1854 by Charles Hill and Sons Ltd., Bristol. Wooden Paddle Tug. L89.1'. B17.7'. D9.8'. 100grt. 17nrt. 70nhp 2cyl side lever steam engine. Acquired 1873. Disposed 1887. Scrapped 10-1887. Official No. 14368. Callsign LMTS
1854 Delivered to Bradford and Co, Bristol. 1856 Sold to Bristol General Steam Navigation Co., Bristol. 1873 Acquired by James Watkins, London. 1873 Acquired by William Watkins, London. 1874 Rebuilt and reboilered. 1879 Two tubular boilers fitted ex Rainbow. 27-10-1885 S/V Nagpore, under tow collided with, and sank, SS Harton, moored at Ratcliffe Cross buoys. 22-12-1886 Arrived London from Hamburg. 10-1887 Broken up.
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AUSTRALIA
Built 1882 by L Smit and Zoon, Kinderdijk, Holland. Iron Single Screw Tug. L90.4'. B20.6'. D11.3'. 128grt. 18nrt. 700ihp 2cyl 22"x22"x22"s steam engine by Appleby Bros., East Greenwich. Twin funnels fore and aft. Acquired 1882. Disposed 1908. Scrapped 1908. Official No 85095.
1882 Hull towed to Greenwich by India to have engines fitted. Delivered to William Watkins, London. 12-11-1886 Arrived Grangemouth towing SS Clutha ex Ostend. 10-3-1887 Arrived Gravesend ex Dunkirk. 1893 Damaged by fire. Captain John Glanville, aged 36, died of suffocation and burns on board after an oil lamp overturned in his cabin when he was asleep whilst moored off Gravesend. 1894 Damaged in collision with Lord Churchill in Blackwall Reach. 6-6-1895 Damaged in collision with tug Dorunda off Royal Albert Dock, stem and bow damaged. Norwegian barque Johanne Auguste, in tow, also collided with both tugs, damaging Australia's starboard quarter. 1896 Practically rebuilt and converted to single stack. 7-6-1897 Assisted beaching sailing vessel Micronesia, on fire with cargo of saltpetre, near Deal. 31-7-1898 Damaged in collision with tug Mystery at Gravesend. 4-3-1899 Aground off Erith in fog. 17-9-1899 Stem damaged in collision with SS Boldera and SS Greyfriars whilst anchored at Gravesend. 1899 Damaged in collision with SS Turret Cape off Gravesend. 1900 Transferred to William Watkins Jr.& John S. Watkins. 1908 Sold to Dutch breakers.
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BADIA (1)
Photographer unknown
Built 1909 by Philip and Son, Dartmouth. YN347. Steel Screw Tug. L98.2'. B20.6'. D10.9'. 150grt. 500ihp 3cylTE 18"x21"x34"x24" stroke 165psi steam engine by builder. Acquired 4-1909. Disposed 2-10-1947. Scrapped 1961. Official no. 125778. Call sign MGXY.
6-2-1909 Launched. 4-1909 Delivered to William Watkins Jr & John S. Watkins, London. 23-4-1911 Landed at Dover 16 survivors from SS Trooper, sunk in collision off Dungeness. 1914 Transferred to John S. & Alfred Watkins. 31-7-1914 Req by RN renamed HMS Chester , and based at Ramsgate. 18-5-1916 Involved in salvage of SS Addington. 11-9-1916 Involved in salvage of SS Housatonic. 1917 Owners Restyled William Watkins Ltd. 7.9.1917: Renamed Chester III for Army use. 8-9-1917 - 19-1-1919 on War Office (Army) duties based Calais. 19/20/21-9-1917 Involved in salvage of SS Servian. 19-1-1919 Returned to Admiralty service. 23-5-1919 Returned to Watkins, renamed Badia. 25-3-1921 Later awarded £1,270 for her part in freeing SS Woodarra from Long Sands with several other tugs. 3-9-1928 0740 Whilst at anchor off Barking Creek was run into by paddle steamer Clacton Belle. 26-1-1930 Whilst anchored off Gravesend was struck by SS Spheno, sustaining damage to starboard rubbing band. 1939-1945 Served on Thames throughout WW2. 12-1940 Assisted salvage of S.S. Llandilo damaged in a minefield. 5-4-1944 Assisted towing Phoenix unit ex Royal Albert Dock to Tilbury landing stage. 194? Fitted with Kort nozzle. 2-10-1947 Sold to Fowey Tug Co.Ltd. 29-12-1947 Renamed Penleath. 1961 Scrapped by Marel and de Korte, Bruinisse, Holland.
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BADIA (2)
BADIA. Photo Tom Rayner/Tony Atkinson colln
For all details see ARCADIA.
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BANK OF ENGLAND
Built 1849 by John and Robert Candlish, Sunderland. Wooden sailing vessel [Barque] Sheathed with yellow metal. L117.6. B26.3'. D18.5'. 677grt. ON 14. Acquired 1849. Lost 1857.
1849 Delivered to John R Watkins, William Watkins and James Thompson, London. Contracted to East India Company and voyaged regularly to India, Australia, New Zealand and Far East. 6-9-1855 Departed Gravesend, general cargo plus 76 passengers. 28-12-1855 Arrived Auckland. 9-1-1857 Advertised as next ship to leave London for Bombay. 29-6-1857 Wrecked at Alibag, near Bombay, on passage London to Bombay.
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BLACK PRINCE [1]
Iron Sailing Vessel. Acquired 1862. Disposed 1878. Scrapped 1878.
Original name Venezuela. 1862 Acquired by Watkins and converted to coal hulk, stationed at Gravesend. Renamed Black Prince probably after 1871 as still Venezuela in 1871 census which showed Capt. William Adams, his wife, his three children and three coal porters aboard.1878 Sold to Castles the breakers for £50.
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BLACK PRINCE [2]
Built 1846 at Quebec. Wooden Sailing vessel [barque]. L121'. B28.8'. D18.5'. 462grt. Acquired 1878. Disposed 1898. Scrapped 1898. ON17172
Original name Montezuma. 1847 Owners Fisher and Son, Liverpool. 1855 Owners Fox and Co., Falmouth. 1862 Owners Downing and Co., Falmouth. 1865 Sold to John Trethoran, Falmouth. 1866 LR states wrecked but presumed salved. [Research ongoing]. 1875 Converted into coal hulk for Black Ball Tug Co. for £1400. 1878 Acquired by William Watkins for £370 renamed Black Prince and moored at Gravesend. 1881 The census return showed Captain Huneybell, his wife, five children and eleven labourers aboard! 1898 Sold to Castles for £35.
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