ADEPT-CLASS TRACTOR TUG

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aukepalmhof
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ADEPT-CLASS TRACTOR TUG

Post by aukepalmhof » Fri May 20, 2011 2:31 am

The tug on the starboard side of the BULWARK is one of the Adept class Royal Navy tugs.

Class and type: Adept-class tractor tug
Displacement: 450 tons
Length: 39 m
Beam: 10 m
Propulsion: 2 diesels, 2 shafts, 2,640 bhp
Speed: 12.5 knots
Complement: 10
Bollard Pull 29.63 tons
Range 1500 miles @ 10 knots.

Class built by R Dunston (Hessle) Ltd of Hessle, Yorkshire, England between 1980 and 1986

The tugs were named:
ADEPT A224 Completed 1980
BUSTLER A225 Completed 1981
CAPABLE A226 Completed 1981
CAREFUL A227 Completed 1982
DEXTEROUS A231 Completed 1986
FAITHFUL A228 Completed 1985
FORCEFUL A221 Completed 1985
NIMBLE A222 Completed 1985
POWERFUL A223 Completed 1985

CAPABLE is stationed at Gibraltar principally for movement of nuclear-powered submarines.
BUSTLER & POWERFUL are stationed at Portsmouth.
ADEPT, CAREFUL, FAITHFUL & FORCEFUL are stationed at Devonport.
NIMBLE & DEXTEROUS are stationed at Faslane, Scotland.

These are the principal harbour tugs in naval service. Some are to undergo a service life extension programme.

If I were to hazard a guess I would say that the tug alongside HMS BULWARK was one of the Devonport tugs.

In December 2007 the MOD signed a contract with Serco Denholm to take over the running of the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service (RMAS) for 15 years. Serco Denholm had been manning the vessels for a number of years before the 2007 contract. In March 2008 the RMAS was disbanded. Following the take over by Serco Denholm all the former RMAS vessels, with the exception of CAPABLE in Gibraltar, have had the letters SD added to the front of their names so that ADEPT became SD ADEPT and so on. The funnel colours remained the same – buff with black top – but the pennant numbers were removed from the sides of the vessels. Over the last 2 – 3 years the funnel colours have gradually been changed to red with a black top and the Serco Denholm house flag logo added later on.

On 12 May 2010 SD Dexterous was in company with another Serco tug involved in warship escort duties in the Gareloch. As the vessel approached Rhu Narrows, the fire alarm sounded and the chief engineer discovered a fire in the vicinity of the port main engine. The engine room was closed down as the tugmaster advised the pilot on the warship and shore authorities of the situation. Soon afterwards, the vessel went to anchor, the engines were shut down and CO2 was released into the engine room. The crew were safely evacuated and boundary cooling was established by other Serco vessels. Some hours later, the fire was confirmed to be extinguished and SD Dexterous was towed to a nearby berth.

Progressive chafing of one of the port main engine's fuel injector leak-off pipes had caused the pipe to fail. Diesel fuel then discharged onto the hot engine, where it ignited.

SD DEXTEROUS returned to service later in the year.

Sources: Various websites. British Warships & Auxiliaries (various years) by Steve Bush. Brian Hargreaves. http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/com ... terous.cfm

Images of SD DEXTEROUS fire - http://www.riverclydephotography.org/20 ... -fire.html

St Thomas & Prince 2009 Db30000 sg?, scott?

Peter Crichton.
Attachments
HMS BULWARK         NC      xx.jpg

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