United Service

From SN Guides

Image 1:

Introduction

There have been four ships named United Service:

1. United Service (1): A cargo ship of 903 grt built in 1857 by Laing at Deptford
2. United Service (2): A cargo ship of 583 grt built in 1862 by Wigham Richardson
3. United Service (3): A cargo ship of N/K grt built in 1865 by Haswell
4. United Service (4): A tug and the subject of this Directory entry

Basic Data

• Type: Tug
• Registered owners,managers and operators: The Great Yarmouth Steam Tug Co Ltd
• Builders: Messrs Dodgin
• Yard: North Shields
• Country: UK
• Yard number:
• Registry:
• Official number:
• Signal letters: N/K
• Call sign: N/K
• Classification society: N/K
• Gross tonnage: 107 grt
• Net tonnage: N/K
• Deadweight: N/K
• Length: N/K
• Breadth: N/K
• Depth: N/K
• Draught: N/K
• Engines: Single cylinder steam engine
• Engine builders: N/K
• Works: N/K
• Country: N/K
• Power: N/K
• Propulsion: Twin paddle wheels
• Speed: N/K
• Cargo capacity:N/K
• Crew: N/K

• Employment: Tug

Career Highlights

• 1872: Launched
• 1937: Withdrawn from service

Service History

Although this vessel was built as a tug, she was also used for excursions from Great Yarmouth and, according to External Resource #2 was at one time running a regular service between Great Yarmouth and Cromer. External Resource #2 also has a page advertising an excursion.

During the winter she was used primarily as a tug and for salvage and rescue, continuing in service until September 1937.

Stan Mayes reports the following in an archived SN thread about the RNLI: [1]

The courage and bravery of the lifeboat crews is without equal and I owe much to the tenacity and fortitude of these men of the R.N.L.I. In 1936 at age of 15 I began my sea career with 4 years in coastal sailing barges owned by Goldsmith's of Grays on the Thames. Their cargo capacity was from 100 to 300 tons and fully rigged they carried 7 sails: Mainsail - Foresail - Topsail - Mizzen - Staysail - Jib and Flying Jib. They were manned by a Skipper and Mate only. During my time in them I experienced shipwreck three times in severe weather conditions and each time we were rescued by lifeboats from RNLI shore stations.

AILSA: Arrived and anchored off Gt Yarmouth evening of 22nd November 1938. A gale during the night caused heavy rolling and the main sprit came crashing down. In response to our distress flares the Yarmouth lifeboat came to us and wanted us to abandon the barge but we refused. We asked for and eventually got two men from the lifeboat to assist us to raise the anchor. We were then taken into Yarmouth by the paddle tug UNITED SERVICE.

External resources

1. Miramar ship index
2. Paddle Steamer Picture Gallery

Images

1. By permission of Stan Mayes

Contributors

1. Research and construction of page by Benjidog
2. Additional input from Stan Mayes