NEW HARBOUR TUG

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 1, 1 July 1926, Page 10

NEW HARBOUR TUG

ARRIVAL OF THE TOIA

POAVERFUL AND MODERN

VESSEL.

For some time there have been three tugu in Wellington Harbour—tho Terawhiti, the Natone, and the Admiral— and each has a good record of service. To-day there arrived at AVellington from England another tug, tho Toia, bought by the Wellington Harbour Board, through the British Admiralty.

The Toia is an up-to-date rescue boat, powerful, thoroughly seaworthy, and fairly fa3t. During the war a large number of these vessels were built by the Admiralty and stationed at various ports round tho English coast, to bo ready at all times to rush out to vessels torpedoed or otherwise disabled by tho enemy. For that work this special typo of tug was evolved, able to undertake almost any class of rescue work in any weather.

PARTICULARS OF THE VESSEL.

Tho main features of the Toia are:— Length betweon perpendiculars, 135 ft.; moulded breadth, 29ft.; moulded depth, 16ft.; gross tonnage, 422; net register tonnage, 53J; coal bunker capacity, 245 tons; mean draft, loaded with 245 tons of coal and 24 tons of fresh water, about 13ft. 7in.; indicated horse-power, 1300; maximum speed, 12J knots; coal consumption at eight knots (economical speed), 10 to 11 tons per day.

PUMPING APPARATUS.

Tho Toia is fitted with a salvage pump capable of handling 3500 gallons of water per minute, operating, if necessary, through seven connections, while a second set of connections is arranged to allow the full flow from tho pump to bo poured into a vessel which it is desired to flood. A further sot of connections permits of tho use of this main pump for fire-fighting purposes. There is also a steam fire pump which can discharge 2000 gallons per minuto through tho single jet deck "monitor," or through some, or all, or any, of the hose connections about the tug. As tho salvage pump is convertible to firefighting purposes, so the fire pump is convertible to salvage work. That is her main "armament," but she carries also tho minor, but nevertheless essential, equipment of a modern allpurpose tug, a wireless set with a transmitting range of 200 miles in daylight, a B.S.A. line-throwing gun with a range of nearly 200 yds., signalling appliances, and other useful equipment.