T S McEWEN tug

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shipstamps
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T S McEWEN tug

Post by shipstamps » Wed Nov 05, 2008 4:48 pm


On this stamp issued by South Africa in 1994 are two vessels depict, the tug T S McEWEN and the Union Castle liner WINCHESTER CASTLE.

Built as a tug by Bow McLanlan & Co., Paisley, England for the South African Railways and Harbour Administration.
Launched under the name T S McEWEN, named after the former General Manager of the Cape Railways Mr. T.S. McEwen.
Tonnage 793 gross, 310 net, dim. 170 x 34.6 x 16.2m.
Powered by two 6-cyl. triple expansion steam engines, manufactured by the shipbuilders, 2.800 ihp., speed 13 knots, twin propellers.
Bollard pull of about 30 tons.
Port of registry Cape Town.
Call sign KSTE.
25 July 1925 delivered to owners.

When she arrived in Cape Town her hire rate was £5 2s 6d per hour.
She was better know in Cape Town as Smoky Sue, due to the fact that she put out huge palls of smoke from her coal-fired boilers. She got this name from the shipping journalist George Young.
One time when she assisted the Cunard cruise liner FRANCONIA by docking, she put out a spectacular pall, which enveloped everybody on the bridge and prevented them from seeing ahead.
When assisting the liner FAIRSKY one time her smoke was drawn through the ventilation system of the vessels and many passengers thought the vessel was on fire.

During her lifetime she took part in many rescue and salvage operations along the South African coast, her first salvage job was when she went to the CAWDOR CASTLE which did ran aground on 30 July 1926 in Conception Bay, S.W. Africa, but this vessel never got off and was lost.
Her last job was when she towed the KAZIMAH off from the rocks near Robben Island.

Around 1974 she was retired from service, and lay idle alongside a jetty in Cape Town harbour.
Local shiplovers attempted to have her saved as a museum project but the cost was to high and the plan abandoned.
After some valuable souvenirs were removed, the bridge was dismantled and she was prepared for her last voyage to her watery grave.
And on a gray winter morning on Thursday 09 June 1977 at 11 am she was towed outside from the Victoria Basin to the whistles and hoots of the Cape Town tugs by the 1950 built coal-fired tug R.B.WATERSTON.
She was towed to a position six miles west of Robben Island when her seacocks were opened at 01.30pm, and slowly she sank deeper in the water after the first wave washed over her stern, the sea rushed in her engine room, and she started to roll and quickly disappeared in her watery grave 50 fathoms deep.

One of her longest serving captains was Capt. Phil Harding.

South Africa 1994 45c sg 844, scott 886

Source: Sea Breezes 1977/621. South African post leaflet.

tugdoc
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun May 19, 2013 12:01 pm

Re: T S McEWEN tug

Post by tugdoc » Tue May 21, 2013 10:45 pm

Does anyone know what the occasion was for which this stamp series was produced? Any ionformation on the designer / artist?

aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: T S McEWEN tug

Post by aukepalmhof » Wed May 22, 2013 3:43 am

I do not know what the reason was this set was issued the s.s. gives only tugs,

The set was designed by Shiela Nowers: http://www.sheilanowers.co.za/biography.htm
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