| Lyttleton is the harbour port for the city of Christchurch halfway down New Zealand’s South Island. The harbour Board had the Scottish Shipbuilders Ferguson Brothers build them a tug early in the 1900s. The Lyttleton (as she was named) served them well until the early 70s when she was pensioned off. In 1972 she was leased to a group of willing souls keen to provide for the tug’s on going needs. She is a delicious little twin screw tug of 125′: Typical of the high quality small steam tug provided by the scottish yards earlier in the late 1800s and up to just after WW2. If there was to be a tug built for the colonies, there was no alternative to scotch boiler and compound or triple expansion engines*. There is heavy brasswear and varnished brightwork to delight the enthusiast, while below decks is the stuff the steam enthusiast revells in.
There is one scotch boiler with three coal fired furnaces and two compound engines each with its own condenser and array of pumps driven off the lp crosshead. The usual Weir’s pumps for domestic and other duties are there as well as a single cylinder engine driving a generator for the electrickery. Deck equipment is a steam windlass forward and a steam capstan down aft. The steering engine is in the wheelhouse ensuring the the helmsman is warm and cannot see for the condensation on the windows. All the below deck accommodation is very much in the Victorian style with plenty of brightwork and polished brass. Crew forward and relatively spartan and officers aft in more palatial surroundings. The aft accommodation was the harbour board’s board room in earlier times. She is well worth a visit if you visit Christchurch in New Zealand’s South Island. In the winter she is laid up and the crew are usually hard at work getting ready for the next season. Take your old clothes and overalls: You will always find a job. In the summer she does scheduled harbour trips. * Actually there was a diesel tug -the “Southland” which was launched in 1927. She doubled as a passenger ship carrying up to 250 passengers to Stewart Island at the very southern tip of New Zealand. Her engines proved too unreliable and she was sold after a short time.
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