 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Port of registry |  Southampton, UK (1930–1964) |
| Builder | John I Thorneycroft & Co. |
| Launched | 4 November 1929 |
| In service | 1930 |
| Out of service | 1986 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5058155 |
| Fate | Scrapped in 2022[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Tug Tender |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 147 feet 0 inches (44.81 m) |
| Beam | 33 feet 1 inch (10.08 m) |
| Installed power | 1500 bhp |
| Propulsion |
|
| Capacity | 566 passengers |
TSS T/TCalshot was atugtender built in 1929 byJohn I Thornycroft & Co, and completed in 1930 for theRed Funnel Line.Calshot was one of only three surviving classical tender ships which served the great ocean liners, another example is theSSNomadic, which tendered the ill-fatedRMSTitanic on her maiden voyage atCherbourg, France. The third being theManchester Ship Canal'sDaniel Adamson. In her career,Calshot has tendered some of the most famous ocean liners ever built, such as theRMSCaronia, the Cunard QueensRMSQueen Elizabeth andRMSQueen Mary, theSSUnited States, and theWhite Star Line shipRMSOlympic. During World War II she was requisitioned by the British Admiralty for servicing troop ships and took part inD-Day. She was a registered vessel of theNational Historic Fleet of the United Kingdom, holding Certificate No. 1.[1]
Calshot was delivered in 1930 by John I Thornycroft & Co to theRed Funnel Line where she was put into service tendering the variousliners that stopped either in theSolent orSouthampton Water. Tendering saved the time and expense of docking a liner just to take up or set down a few passengers. She was also used to augment the excursion fleet.Calshot remained in service with Red Funnel from 1930-1964.[2]
At the outbreak of World War II,Calshot was appropriated by the Admiralty for use atScapa Flow. In 1942 she was transferred to theRiver Clyde where she acted as tender to the twoCunard Line Queens, RMSQueen Elizabeth andQueen Mary, transferring approximately 1,500,000 servicemen.[3] In 1944 she returned toSouthampton for the build up toD-Day. After the war she was returned to the Red Funnel Line.
Calshot featured prominently in the 1952British Transport Films production "Ocean Terminal", in which, amongst other things, she was filmed easing RMSQueen Elizabeth away from her berth.
In 1964, Red Funnel sold theCalshot to a subsidiary of theHolland America Line who moved her toGalway Bay,Ireland. At this time her triple-expansion steam engine were replaced by a diesel engine[1] and she was renamedGalway Bay after her new area of service. There, she was used as a tender for the linersMaasdam andRyndam. She would later be operated byCIÉ as a ferry betweenGalway and theAran Islands.
In 1986,Calshot was bought back by her originalport of registry (more specifically theSouthampton City Council), with the intention of making her the centrepiece of a maritime museum inOcean Village. In 1991, she was moved to an apparently permanent berth atTown Quay. However, she was later moved to the Council Wharf. On 5 April 2011,Calshot was moved by tugboat from Berth 50 to Berth 42.
While berthed in SouthamptonCalshot was maintained by theTug Tender Calshot Trust. The intention was to display her as part of the Aeronautica Museum in Trafalgar Dock, Southampton which was anticipated to open in 2015.[4] In 2012 theAssociated British Ports (ABP) withdrew the Trafalgar Dock location for the museum citing the need to relocateRed Funnel Ferry operations.[5] Without a long-term berth, the Trust was unable to develop a sustainable business plan as required for aHeritage Lottery Grant application.[6]
In January 2017 the vessel was declared unseaworthy by theMaritime and Coastguard Agency. In October 2018 ABP informed the owners that the ship must vacate her berth by June 2019, but ABP later extended the deadline while negotiations continued.[7] The owners requested a place to move the ship to dry land as the deteriorating condition of the ship will not allow it to remain in the water. ABP informed the owners that space was "not an option".[8]
In 2019 the Trust made two proposals to move Calshot to dry land. One plan asked ABP and the Southampton city council tow the vessel toMayflower Park and fill it in with dredging material, thus turning her into a land-locked exhibit.[9] The proposal never had financial backing and the vessel was offered for sale at 1GBP.[10] An "Intent to Deconstruct" notice was filed with the National Historic Fleet.[11] The Trust then proposed converting the vessel to a land-basedTitanic tribute ship at theRoyal Pier.[12]
In December 2020Calshot's owners completely reorganized the board with new directors who would take a "fresh approach" to securing the vessel's future.[13] However the ABP gave notice that they would begin to charge considerable berthing fees. The Trust would be unable to pay the fees andCalshot could be scrapped. In February 2021 the Trust began negotiations with a private company which had its own drydock and berth in Southampton.[14]
On 27 February 2021 ownership was formally transferred from the Tug Tender Calshot Trust to a private company, Woodshack Limited. The company planned a three-year restoration program "...which will conform to modern operating standards, whilst maintaining her unique qualities." - Woodshack chairman Richard Hellyer.[15] On 25 May Calshot was towed from the Southampton dock to a new berth on the River Itchen.[16]
After over a year of inspection and evaluation the restoration project was halted, during which time, Woodshack Limited was taken over by The Calshot Group, the take over included the ownership of the now dry-docked T/T Calshot. It was found the extensive deterioration of the ship over many years required a complete rebuild of the hull.[17] With the project costs escalating, theCalshot was dismantled by The Calshot Group during the summer of 2022.[18]
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