My own memories were, I found, generally similar to the majority of people, comprising a brief glimpse of an odd looking tug-boat casually viewed from the window of a passing train or car, as one passed over one of the Runcorn/Widnes bridges. On occasion there were many other vessels in view, but with her 'peppermint green' upperworks, this one stood out. Years later I saw her again, now moored in Ellesmere Port at the 'Boat Museum'. To be honest I didn't take a great deal of interest,  merely thinking something along the lines of ' oh good, somebody's saved that old boat.' Though I visited the museum frequently I never set foot aboard and didn't notice her decline over the years.

Fortunately others had and it is to their credit, that when it was announced that the 'Daniel Adamson' was to be scrapped, they determined to do something about it. For many who joined, this was personal, they had lived and worked on the vessel, others had known her from child-hood, literally ' knew every rivet'!

I was determined to learn more too. From that point on, as a regular 'volunteer' I have been closely involved in the project, I have learned a great deal and whenever possible have tried to convey through these pages and in the society newsletter 'Towline' regular reports on our progress.

It also occurred to me that many people, like myself, will remember the boat, but not know a great deal about her. Some, again like me, will have sailed on ships (okay, some will have spent longer on one wave, I know!) built half a century after 'Daniel Adamson' and long since scrapped on some distant beach, half a world away when less than thirty years old.  Perhaps they too will marvel that 'Daniel Adamson' survives. Let us look at the facts....

As reported elsewhere on this site the 'Daniel Adamson' was built as 'Ralph Brocklebank' in 1903. The now well known and very popular photograph of 'Ralph Brocklebank' passing the Pier Head, Liverpool about 1907, reproduced from an original post card supplied by member Mr Reg Lindop, is believed to be the earliest existing view of the ship.  Mr Lindop's father played a major part in the building of the vessel and by way of his son, has passed on to the Society irreplaceable documents relating to this period.

This view above all others so far, has inspired immense interest in the vessel and has probably done more than anything else to raise awareness into the unique status of the ship. Seen in the livery of her original owners, The Shropshire Union Railway and Canal Co. she is pictured passing a very different Liverpool waterfront from that which the majority of us will recognise. She looks very different too, but that hull and the machinery within it remain the same.

 

The second photo shows a three quarter bow view, from the same period.

The third a view taken last year on leaving dry-dock, familiar isn't it?

So it is, that the oldest of the trio survives, while her two newer running mates lasted just 31 and 50 years respectively. One wonders what selection process determined their fates. Why was it that, already over thirty years old, 'Ralph Brocklebank' was chosen for such a major alteration to emerge as 'Daniel Adamson'?  I imagine it is unlikely that anyone can answer this question today and little chance that sufficient plans of all three vessels survive to make an informed guess.

Whilst in paragraph 4, I remarked that in general terms the average life of a ship is about 30 years, although I should add this is very much dependent on a host of circumstances. I acknowledge that certain types of vessel can often exceed this by a substantial margin. Indeed there are many examples of tugs surviving to great age and I can think of no better example than our close 'neighbour' 'Kerne' which dates from 1913. 'Retired' in 1971, she is very much with us today and following major boiler repairs should be back in steam in the near future. See www.tugkerne.co.uk) 

For a vessel to achieve a working life exceeding 80 years and still retain her original machinery, if not unique is most certainly rare, to find her still afloat and largely intact, now over 100 years after her launch, is in my opinion, bordering on miraculous!

This is the case with 'Daniel Adamson' and where eighteen months on, after 9,500 hours of volunteer labour and tremendous support, we have reached our first milestone. The granting of the HLF Project Planning Grant, will take the project to the next phase in restoring this amazing vessel to full operation.

I realise now that my outlook in year's past when I thought, 'Oh good, somebody's saving that old boat!'  was wrong, I should have said,  'How can I help save that old boat?' and then done something about it.