Historic Steam Tug-Tender Daniel Adamson to open to the public Sat 11th Sep

Daniel Adamson Preservation Society
2010 Heritage Open Day
Saturday 11th September 2010
10:30 – 15:00
What is on display?
The Steam Tug-Tender “Daniel Adamson” is the last remaining example of a steam powered, coal fired tug/tender, she was launched in 1903 in Birkenhead. Originally built for the Shropshire Union Canal and Railway Company, she was acquired in 1936 by the Manchester Ship Canal Company. Currently under restoration with a target operational date of 2012.
Society members will take people on guided tours and update on progress.
Our Patron- Paul Atterbury from the BBC Antiques Road show will be in attendance.
There will also be vintage buses’ on display brought by the Merseyside Transport Trust and one of the oldest buses, a Double Decker “rear loader” will be taking people on guided “Dock Tours” of the enclosed, Liverpool docks. This is a rare opportunity to travel inside the dock estate.
Your guide for the trip will be none other than Stuart Wood, former Mersey River Pilot, Radio Merseyside presenter and DAPS Operations Director.
The “Adamson Military Band” will be performing twice during the day at 11:00 and 13:30- the band dates back to the 1880’s when they were the official “works band” of Adamson Engineering in Manchester.
Refreshments ranging from hot drinks and biscuits right through to a catering van specializing in traditional fish and chips will be available
Society members are welcome along with a limited number of the general public. The event was fully booked last year and this year there will be 150 pre-booked places available to the public. There is no charge in line with the ethos of the Heritage Open days scheme- opening places up to the public that are normally “out of bounds”.
For those wishing to visit the tug and take a dock tour, pre booking is essential, we will not permit entry on the day.
To enquire or book, please contact Colin Brogan, the Visits Coordinator on:
Tel: 07746 199844 or email him on: openday@danieladamson.co.uk
For more information about the ship, the society and progress, visit our website at www.danieladamson.co.uk
DIRECTIONS FROM CITY CENTRE: Sandon Dock can be accessed via a gate (marked on the day) on Regent Road (the Dock Road), at the junction with Boundary Street. Post code for Sandon Dock is L3 0BE.
Public Transport Information:
Buses travel along Derby Road and there is a Merseyrail station at Sandhills (10 mins walk)

Dan Cross- Chairman

 

Thanks for that Dan; looks to be a very interesting event which, I suspect, will be oversubscribed !

 

Thanks- It was over subscribed last year. We have incresed the number of places available by around 30 but the added attraction of the dock tourse should more than make up for that.
Dan

 

Indeed ! I wish I was free on that date to try for a place !

 

And we are in Somerset ..........

 

Having seen a superb presentation by Dan Cross on the restoration of this vessel at the weekend I only hope all those supporters of our maritime heritage who have revealed themselves on this forum show real support for this exciting project, and one which because of its very scale can be made to work so that we can have a passenger carrying steamship sailing on the Mersey again for well into the future. It would be great to think that there are two steam tugs in the area when the Daniel Adamson joins the Kerne.

 

Thanks Tyne Turbine for your kind words.
Your comments are especially welcome regarding the scale of the project and being made to work. This is the point and key factor which made me throw myself behind the project back in 2004.
Yes she is only just over 100 feet long but once completed, she will offer art-deco, steam powered travel from a bygone era. What other preserved ship will be able to do that?




Back in the 1980's


And in 2004 after the vandals and damp had done their worst:


And finally being rescued in April 2004.

Quite a smart fit out for an old tug and that is what people forget, once restored, the saloons will be back to that wonderful 1930's look. Nothing else afloat will be able to offer true art-deco saloons like this.
And finally no- she isn't like that just now, far from it. All the saloons and aft crew accommodation (which was totally vandalised) has been painstakingly measured, recorded and dismantled. Windows are being refurbished and the upper and lower saloons will be shot blasted as will the crew accom, epoxy paint applied and then insulated. Then the joiners can move in and work their magic. The steelwork and fit out along with all the new services etc are part of a major shipyard contract which we are just finalising at present along with a lot of the operational and delivery costs associated with operating a vessel of this vintage commercially again. She HAS to earn her keep. This of course all depends on us getting a positive decision from HLF. Due to the size of the bid (over £1million) the bid after initial assessment from the Manchester office will go before the London based trustees.

There is a huge amount of work going in just now finishing off this bid, our Education and Outreach volunteer team are also working very hard trying to get schools and community groups engaged and we have been very pleased with the response along with that of other museums who we hope to have as partners. Education and Community outreach will be major elements of the Daniel Adamson's future and hopeful success. We have engaged at great expense further services from Naval architects and consulted further with the MCA to ensure the winning shipyard quote and our specification (which runs to over 300 pages) covers all avenues and eventualities. It may appear a simple project but restoring a 1903 built steam ship back to modern day passenger carrying condition is certainly not simple! On top of this she is all but a listed building and any changes, no matter how small must be in line with HLF and National Historic Ships guidelines and this has been a challenge! There were no fresh water tanks, toilets were originally flushed over the side as was oily bilge water. This has all had to change with the addition of many tanks. There was very limited mains electricity and the vessel is obviously having a full re-wire and a super-silenced diesel generator fitted. Again this has had to be hidden. Not to mention the new section of hull being inserted amidships and the boiler lifted out and sent away for refurbishment!

Don't think though that while we wait nothing happens...The engine room has been split off from all this and thanks to the great skill of the volunteers, the hospitality of United Utilities (we now have a great workshop) and several smaller grants, the 1903 built (In Liverpool by J Jones) main engines and all the auxiliaries are approaching a better than new condition. The main engine crank-shafts were removed, sent away for machining and are at present being re-fitted by contractors who are using old and nearly lost skills when it comes to white metal bearings and scraping them in to fit!

Please check our website which is updated a couple of times a month and remember that membership and support is vital for this project to succeed.