Who remembers the Applegarth disaster? Its was a tug that sank while working with a ship. Eight crew I think lost their lives. My parents took me to see it's funnel sticking out of the water. You could see it clearly from the floating roadway.

This was it. Apparently it is still working in Greece.

It was sunk TWICE ..

See part 2 of the videos, at about 5:48

CLICKY

APPLEGARTH
1950 -28/12: Launched by "A. Hall & Co Ltd" at Aberdeen (GBR) (YN 739)
1951 -24/04: delivered to "Rea Towage Co Ltd" at Liverpool (GBR)
(GBR flag, regd Liverpool, ON 183807, c/s MLCQ)
1954 -19/08: sunk in Canning Dock, Liverpool (GBR), after filling up while leaving the dock after overhaul
1954 -22/08: raised and repaired
1956 -xx/09: converted to oil firing
1960 -13/01: run down off Woodside stage on the River Mersey by the 'Perthshire' while picking up the wire
Capt. Les Fenby and his crew of 6 lost in the coldest night that winter
1960 -28/01: raised and repaired
1971: To "Holyhead Towing Co Ltd" at Anglesey (GBR), renamed AFON CEFNI
1973: To "Maritime Commercial Enterprises A.N. Vernicos Shipping" at Piraeus (GRC), renamed ACHILLES
(GRC flag, regd Piraeus, ON 2025, c/s SV3887)
1975: To "Nicholas E. Vernicos Shipping Co Ltd" at Piraeus (GRC), renamed VERNICOS CHRISTINA
1980: for breaking up to "Kyriakou Bros. & Goutis" at Perama (GRC)
1980 -xx/10: work commenced

(sisterships: AYSGARTH, BANGARTH, GRASSGARTH, ROSEGARTH, THROSTLEGARTH)

Oh so it's gone now.

Does that company name make anyone else giggle?

That depends...but it might do!

Not me because when I worked around the docks it was always pronounced as "Rays"

Bit late with this one I know but only just seen it. The skipper was my dads mate. Les Fenby. I used to go with my dad to his house which I think was somewhere by New Brighton station, little road off Cressingham road if memory serves. His wife was very nice and always made a fuss of me.

It was pronounced Ray tugs as you say Tatey.

On the 13th January 1960, Anglesey Radio, started broadcasting a MAYDAY stating that the ship ‘Perthshire’ had sunk a tug in the River Mersey off Woodside landing stage. The sunken tug was the ‘Applegarth’ which had been run down by the ‘Perthshire’ whilst attempting to pass their towline to the bow of the ship in order to dock her into Birkenhead docks on the evening tide. The ‘Applegarth’ carried a crew of six under the command of Capt. Les Fenby. Of these, only the mate was rescued from the river by the crew of the tug ‘Throstlegarth’. Unfortunately, due to the extreme cold (it was the coldest night of the year) he died aboard the ‘Throstlegarth’ before he could be landed ashore. Throstlegarth along with other tugs and the New Brighton lifeboat searched the river in vain for other survivors. Unfortunately all the “Applegarth’s” crew perished on this awful night. The crew were: Ernie Perry (Mate); Matt Turton (AB); Derek Hughes (Deck lad); James Duncalf (Engineer); John Childs (Fireman); Johnny Dolphin (Trimmer). On the morning tide of the 14th January, 1960, the ‘Willowgarth’ had the sorry task of docking the ‘Perthshire’ into Birkenhead. The ‘Applegarth’ was raised, refitted and returned to work in 1961. She worked on the Mersey for Rea Towing Company until 1971. She was sold to the Holyhead Towing Company and renamed “AFON CEFNI”. Sold again in 1973 she went to work in Greece as the “ACHILLES”. In 1975 she became the “VERNICOS CHRISTINA” being finally broken up in Greece in 1980. The very rare Pic below that i have in my posession shows Applegarth tied to a Camel or barge just after being raised outside the Alfred lock.

A poignant phot indeed. Thanks Yewgarth. At the time of the sinking, I travelled everyday to work on the Woodside Ferry and watched the slow recovery job. If I recall, they had two camels with hawsers slung between. Camels dropped on the falling tide. The cables were tweaked taught and on the rising tide the whole lot came up 20' or so. Repeat the process and pump her out. So sad to see her back on the surface. To have known the crew that perished in her must have been the absolute pits.

Somehow, although similar, I always thought the Rea tugs looked much better turned out than Lamey's or the Cock tugs (Alexandra Screw Towing Co. ???).

Seems odd to see a tug floating that high out of the water, I'm sure they normally sit lower than that? Why would that be, I wonder...?

Good question CVCVCV. She might be sitting on the mud at low water ?? As well as raising her on every tide, they dragged her towards the shore bit by bit. Yewgarth might enlighten us ?

they had propably pumped out her ballast tanks, hence the reason she was then so high in the water.

That would certainly explain it, - thanks JB I didn't realize tugs had ballast tanks... anyone know what was the main purpose of such ballast tanks? (...as I'm quite sure there's lots more to operating a tug, than most of us would know...!)

I would guess the ballast tanks are to weigh the tug down, the tow ropes are usually high on the ship and would tend to lift the tug (and its propeller) out the water.

Presumably they are pumped out to reduce fuel consumption when not towing or to enable movement in shallow water.

All guesswork.

Ballast on any vessel is for weight and stability, any vessel that needs to be raised from the depths has to be made as light as possible, removing ballast whether fixed or water and replacing with air if possible achieves this, thus putting less strain on any lifting gear. We were shown and its a very simple example, an empty bottle floats, fill it with water and it sinks, fill it with a certain amounts of water and it can be held at whatever level required. DD was correct in what he was saying about added weight for towing and would also bring stability, however no amount of ballast would help if the correct towing angle was not achieved, the tug would simply lift herself out of the water. Water ballast is taken on and discharged in accordance with any cargo a ship may or may not be carrying and what draught is required.
It is just as important not to be to low in the water as to high in the water, pre Plimsoll Line days, many a ship was lost by overloading by greedy captains and shipowners and many a ship was lost by retuning from foreign ports without cargo, hence no ballast, to save time, some captains were reluctant to fill the holds with rocks (time saving) and paid the price in heavy seas.

Thanks Bert. It all makes sense. Full ahead together both !!