Tugboats have been around for about two centuries. They have always been considered the "tow truck" of the waterways. The tugboat is a small watercraft, yet powerful, and had played a huge roll in transportation of goods by moving larger boats through channels that couldn't maneuver themselves alone. Tugboats can either pull or push a larger ship.
Today, tugboats usually use diesel engines but the early ones ran on steam power. The story below is about the historic Eppleton Hall which can be seen today on San Francisco Bay.
The Eppleton Hall Steam Tug
The Eppleton Hall was built in 1914 by the Hepple and Company of South Shields, England, for the Lambton and Hetton Collieries, Ltd. The vessel drew it's name after the Lambton family's ancestral home. The vessel was designed to tow ocean-going coal-carrying vessels to and from the port of Newcastle on the River Tyne. At hte time of the boats construction coal was a very booming business. The overall transit time of the coal was saved by towing the sailing vessels upriver to load. The Eppleton Hall was also employed to tow newly constructed ships out to sea.
See the Historic Eppleton Hall Steam Tugboat
The Eppleton Hall is preserved at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in San Francisco, California. There are five main vessels moored at the park and each has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
This vessel is the last floating example of a paddlewheel British harbor tug. It is powered by two "grasshopper" steam engines, old-fashioned engines even when they were new over a century ago.
The Eppleton Hall was the last paddle-wheel steamer ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean under its own power. It spent its first 50 years pulling and pushing larger coal ships
on the River Tyne and the River Wear in northern England. Coal was the
lifeblood of England in the early 20th century and Newcastle was the
main coal port. When coal mining eventually declined, vessels like the Eppleton Hall headed to the junk yard.
The Eppleton Hall is the only remaining intact example of a Tyne paddle tug. The boat is a direct descendent of the first craft to go into commercial service as harbor tugs.
The Eppleton Hall was utilized on the Wear and Tyne rivers in England from 1914-1967. In 1946, she was bought by France Fenwick, Wear and Tyne Ltd., which operated her in the Wear River until 1964. The restoration will take her back to her last working years.
See the Western Trips articles on the links below...
Passenger Ferries of San Francisco Bay
Submarine Museum / USS Pampanito
See One of Arizona's Man-Made Wonders of the World
Things to See and Do in La Jolla California
The Eppleton Hall's Sea Water Steam Engine
The steam engines used on the Eppleton Hall are descended from a type that was first built in England in 1828. The grasshopper type engine was patented in England in 1803 by William Freemantle and was actually introduced in 1804 by Oliver Evans.
The two large side lever engines were often referred to as "grasshopper engines". The engine is also referred to as being half-levered. They can operate the paddle wheels
independently, making the tug very maneuverable in tight spots.
Advantages of the grasshopper engine were it's cheapness of construction, durability and relative ease of maintenance.
The Eppelton Hall also had unique hand forged boilers that allowed the vessel to use sea water. Maintenance for this type of sea water included chipping out salt accumulations about every six weeks. By being able to utilize sea water the vessel did not have to carry large fresh water tanks.This was a big advantage for steam tugboats.
Many will say today that ocean going vessels cannot use salt water in their boilers.The fact is that salt water was used for steam a long time ago but as mentioned above, the salt deposits did mean that boiler maintenance was necessary on a very regular basis.
Visit the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
As mentioned above, the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park displays several historic vessels including the steam ferry Eureka and the tall ship Balclutha.
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, located on the edge of San Francisco Bay, in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood. After stopping by the interesting Visitor Center you exploration begins in a walk onto the pier to visit the park's collection of floating historic ships.
You'll get some great photo opportunities and you'll experience breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate Bridge. The Visitor Center is located at 499 Jefferson Street (at Hyde).
(Article copyright 2014 Western Trips)
Today, tugboats usually use diesel engines but the early ones ran on steam power. The story below is about the historic Eppleton Hall which can be seen today on San Francisco Bay.
 |
| Steam tugboat Eppleton Hall |
The Eppleton Hall was built in 1914 by the Hepple and Company of South Shields, England, for the Lambton and Hetton Collieries, Ltd. The vessel drew it's name after the Lambton family's ancestral home. The vessel was designed to tow ocean-going coal-carrying vessels to and from the port of Newcastle on the River Tyne. At hte time of the boats construction coal was a very booming business. The overall transit time of the coal was saved by towing the sailing vessels upriver to load. The Eppleton Hall was also employed to tow newly constructed ships out to sea.
See the Historic Eppleton Hall Steam Tugboat
The Eppleton Hall is preserved at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in San Francisco, California. There are five main vessels moored at the park and each has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
This vessel is the last floating example of a paddlewheel British harbor tug. It is powered by two "grasshopper" steam engines, old-fashioned engines even when they were new over a century ago.
 |
| Eppleton Hall |
The Eppleton Hall is the only remaining intact example of a Tyne paddle tug. The boat is a direct descendent of the first craft to go into commercial service as harbor tugs.
The Eppleton Hall was utilized on the Wear and Tyne rivers in England from 1914-1967. In 1946, she was bought by France Fenwick, Wear and Tyne Ltd., which operated her in the Wear River until 1964. The restoration will take her back to her last working years.
See the Western Trips articles on the links below...
Passenger Ferries of San Francisco Bay
Submarine Museum / USS Pampanito
See One of Arizona's Man-Made Wonders of the World
Things to See and Do in La Jolla California
The Eppleton Hall's Sea Water Steam Engine
The steam engines used on the Eppleton Hall are descended from a type that was first built in England in 1828. The grasshopper type engine was patented in England in 1803 by William Freemantle and was actually introduced in 1804 by Oliver Evans.
 |
| Eppleton Hall underway |
Advantages of the grasshopper engine were it's cheapness of construction, durability and relative ease of maintenance.
The Eppelton Hall also had unique hand forged boilers that allowed the vessel to use sea water. Maintenance for this type of sea water included chipping out salt accumulations about every six weeks. By being able to utilize sea water the vessel did not have to carry large fresh water tanks.This was a big advantage for steam tugboats.
Many will say today that ocean going vessels cannot use salt water in their boilers.The fact is that salt water was used for steam a long time ago but as mentioned above, the salt deposits did mean that boiler maintenance was necessary on a very regular basis.
 |
| Old Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco |
As mentioned above, the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park displays several historic vessels including the steam ferry Eureka and the tall ship Balclutha.
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, located on the edge of San Francisco Bay, in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood. After stopping by the interesting Visitor Center you exploration begins in a walk onto the pier to visit the park's collection of floating historic ships.
You'll get some great photo opportunities and you'll experience breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate Bridge. The Visitor Center is located at 499 Jefferson Street (at Hyde).
(Article copyright 2014 Western Trips)
