Steam Tug Brent Trust

www.steamtugbrent.org

Email: info@steamtugbrent.org

Steam Tug Brent of 1945

Steam Tug Brent (@steamtugbrent)

NEWSLETTER August 2015

Dear Brent Supporters

Throughout the holiday period streams of people pass the Brent, locals usually with dogs in tow
and visitors here to spend the day by the river. The Brent is quite an attraction and if we are
working on deck, as we usually do on a Wednesday and Saturday, people always want to ask about
her and some 1500 flyers have been taken from our leaflet box! We still have a few visitors with
generally hazy memories of Brent in her working days.

We were given a print of this

photo. A dock somewhere
on the Thames; do you
recognise it?

Brent started work for the PLA Dredging

Department in 1947. She can be seen here amongst
the dredgers on the opposite side of the dock. Hard to
spot!
Steam Hopper Dredger, Gallions Reach, 2011.

Amongst all the vessels in the dock, we believe that the only one still afloat is the Brent.

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
We have had several Open Days this summer. An Open Day generally sees some 300 people on
board. Our most successful day was when we had the models from the TV series Tugs.

A gentle onshore breeze and blue skies;

perfect weather made this a memorable day.
With a fleet of tug models on board and
episodes from the Tugs series to watch in
the aft cabin, our visitors could see how the
models had been used for the filming.
They also had the opportunity to visit the
Brents engine room, wheelhouse and
focsle cabin.

The team who brought the

models, some of whom had
travelled all the way from
Glasgow, with the models
notice one interloper.
There are some 18 models in
total. Perhaps more of them
will visit Maldon next
summer?

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
The volunteers at work
One of the biggest tasks of this season has been to remove all extraneous fixtures and fittings and
to sort our stores. The galley the deckhouse on the port side - has been made into a temporary
ready use store. Larger items and items not for immediate use are being stored ashore at Cooks
Barge Yard, courtesy of Paul Jeffries and Stephanie Valentine of Topsail Charters.
It was not without some difficulty that some of the items were extracted and taken ashore.

With below decks and on deck cleared,

work could begin.

Notwithstanding some displeasure from people at nearby premises and passersby, the decks have
been chipped using an electric hammer and a needlegun, wirebrushed and painted, with only a
small area aft still to finish.
Amongst the many other tasks completed are the cleaning of the boiler feed water tank aft and
the refurbishment of the hatch cover, which included the removal of the rusted up bolts and the

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
re-drilling and tapping for the new ones. Hatches and the skylight have been serviced, as has the
foremast. We still sometimes find evidence of water ingress and dealing with this is ongoing.

The focsle is now painted out and with the new ladder, the existing panel work and new carpet
tiles is looking very inviting.
Under private preservation, the focsle was entered through the deckhouse, which stands above
the focsle in front of the wheelhouse.We have reconfigured the companionway so the cabin is
entered through the forehatch, forward of the deckhouse. It is now as it was when Brent was built
and all through her time under the PLA flag. Sponsored by Riva and Son, Shipwrights, Maldon, who
made no charge for the timber or their time, the focsle ladder has been extended so that it is
Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
back to its original length. This makes entry to the focsle much easier and has enabled us to allow
our visitors access to the cabin.

Events
In May Maldon held a Local History Day. Various organisations were given space to make a display
at the local library. I took along material, which I thought would provide interest, from our archive
collection. This included Brents last PLA work record for October 1969. She worked in the Royal
Docks and finished her working days in the Albert Dock. One of the visitors to the exhibition was
excited by this as her forebears had been lightermen and watermen and had worked there, and so
would have known the Brent. She is maintaining the connection by assisting with preparation of
merchandise and publicity.
It was a good event and it was nice that the stand next to us was the Museum of Power, Langford
with whom we were able to discuss possibilities for links in the future.

Although, sadly but not unexpectedly, our Crowdfunding project was unsuccessful, we still ran our
reward of A Day on Steam Tug Brent On the 11th August we had four visitors for the day. A
detailed tour of the vessel was followed by a barbecue lunch after which we spent the afternoon
chatting and answering their questions.

In this last picture you can just see

our original funnel collecting box
on the shore, by the gang plank. It
brings in the pennies and
sometimes the pounds!

Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307
We are very grateful to the volunteers; if it was not for all their energy, enthusiasm, expertise and
hard graft none of above would have happened.
Due to their input and the work of the Trustees we have had a wonderful and productive year so
far; as well as all that has been carried out on board and behind the scenes, we have raised some
7000. Much of this came from our raised profile through events earlier in the year and from the
articles in Old Glory and Sea Breezes. The public are generous when we have an openday and we
thank them for that.

We recently had a boiler expert on board and his observations confirm the previous findings; the
boiler needs to be taken out for repair. Grants and sponsorship are the only way forward for this.

We have two events in September

Heritage Open Days, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September
Starting at 12.00 and finishing at 4.00 pm on the hour, we will have up to 10 people at a time on
board. There will be a short talk about the history of the Brent, followed by a visit to the engine
room and boiler room, where the workings of it all will be explained. For the remainder of the
hour the visitors will be free to look around the rest of the vessel.
Maldon Regatta, Saturday 19th September
Brent will be open to the public and we will have a stand on the shore. 11.30am to 5.00 pm.

Wishing you all the best in the coming months; on board we are hoping for an Indian summer!

Kindest regards on behalf of the Trustees and Volunteer Team

Janet

Trustees: Richard Albanese, Chairman Richard Seager, Chief Engineer Janet Hall, Secretary

Volunteer Team: Paul Burgoyne, Tony Kirk, Tony Seaman, James Morgan, Richard Cooper, Mandy Cooper,
Mark Watsham, Gill Clegg, Ray Binning and Pat Harris.
Reg. Charity. No. 1139414. Reg. Office. 12 The Hythe Maldon Essex CM9 5HN. Tel. 01621 855058. Reg. Company.
07404307