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March 08, 2004
A Past forgotten?
The LFB/LCC Fireboat Delta II in her prime.
Fire boats seem to have become an endangered species in many parts of the world. This is partly because they are hugely expensive to build, to run and to maintain, but it is also to do with the fact that the ship's they were built to protect have changed out of all recognition. Very few Brigades can afford them now and most contract with someone else, such as a tug company, to have available the services of a suitably equipped tug.
So, going through some old photos I thought I might share one or two pictures of some of the old boats with you. They are of an age now long gone, of smaller "tramp steamers" of busy coasters and dockside warehouses crammed with the goods of the world. They would not be much use today against a fire in a 4,000 TEU Container ship, or even to deal with some of the chemical tankers now in use, and which were not even concepts when they were launched. For one thing, they are too small today and for another, the shipping no longer operates from the ports they protected.
Sadly very few of these boats survive in any shape or form. Pyronaut is preserved in Bristol, Massey Shaw in London, Firebrace was last seen laid up in Exeter, Aplha II, Beta II and Beta III, Gamma II and Delta II, Fireflair, Fire Swift, Cleveland Endevour and Cissy Brock are all now mere memories.
Posted by The Gray Monk at March 8, 2004 10:44 AM