The tugs at Titanic’s Departure
Albert Edward, Hercules, Vulcan, Ajax, Hector Neptune
Registered 10 September 1861, the Southampton, Isle of Wight and South
of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Limited Company was known during its
early years as “The Isle of Wight Company”. The new company was
formed from two exiting firms: The Isle of Wight Steam Packet
Company, with offices at Southampton, and the Isle of Wight Royal Mail
Steam Packet Company, based at Cowes, Isle of Wight.
The combined resources of the new company consisted of seven paddle
steamers of between 64 and 104 gross tons that plied the passenger and
freight-carrying route between Southampton and the Isle of
Wight. Perhaps because of its somewhat unwieldy name, the company
became eventually known as the Red Funnel Line, a name it still holds
today.
Four of the company’s vessels were named: Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald and
Pearl. Their names were incorporated in the colors of the
company’s house flag formed by four triangles colored blue, red, green
and white, respectively.
Eventually the line’s services expanded to include excursion routes
between Southampton and ports along the English Channel from Brighton
to Dartmouth. There was at one time, a twice-weekly round trip across
the channel to Cherbourg, France. There was a tug and towage
operation. The company provided tender services for passengers and
luggage to and from vessels anchored off Cowes or Ryde on the Isle of
Wight.
Around 1886 the company acquired the Southampton Steam Towing Company
and with it, three vessels which worked routes and provided tug and
towage services. To these were soon added (up to 1910), Albert
Edward (1886), Hercules (1889), Vulcan (1893), Ajax (1894), Hector
(1903) and Neptune (1910). To this day the Southampton Isle of
Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Limited Company
operates out of its Southampton office the services begun more than 140
years ago. Historically and currently its fleet list is both
enviable and impressive.
But it is the six vessels from its fleet we now consider-six tugs which
assisted Titanic when she departed Southampton on her maiden voyage 10
April 1912, two of which helped the departing liner avert an emergency
that might have well caused cancellation of the sailing date and the
start of her maiden voyage.
- Port of Registry: Southampton
- Flag of Registry: British
- Funnel: Red with black top
- Company flag: Divided by crossed lines into four equal triangles: Blue at hoist, white top, green at fly, red at bottom
Albert Edward
- Signal letters: H J C M Iron hull, one funnel, two screws, one deck, sloop rig
- Engines: Compound, 4 cyc. 17” 32 x 24” stroke, 1100 h.p.
- Tonnages: Gross 160 Underdeck 149 Net 100
- Dimensions: Length 120 ft. Width 20.1 ft. Depth 9.6 ft.
1886 5 June launched
1898 New boilers
1899 Worked war cargo at the French ports of St. Nazaire, later LeHavre
1900 Returned to company service
1901 Chartered to Sark Motor Ships, Ltd. Used for Channel Island transport and excursions
1934 Renamed Joy Bell III
1938 Sold to Sark Island Motor Ships, Ltd.
1940 Escaped when Germans occupied Channel Islands. Returned to Southampton, taken over by Admiralty and used as barrage balloon tender.
1944 Converted to a mooring and salvage vessel for the Ministry of Transport
1947 Renamed Rafmoor, re- registered and transferred to Air Ministry
1952 June, Transferred to Weymouth for permanent basing
1961 Jan Broken up at Grimsby
© 2005 John P. Eaton all rights reserved.
This item first appeared in Voyage, Journal of the Titanic International Society.
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John P. Eaton (2005) The tugs at Titanic’s Departure Encyclopedia Titanica (ref: #4444, accessed 22nd November 2008 01:31:12 PM)
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Related Themes and Keywords
Tugs
Relates to Place:
Southampton, Hampshire, England
Contributor
Shelley Dziedzic
