Name Daniel Adamson

What is the vessel’s ability to demonstrate history in her physical fabric?

Daniel Adamson was built in 1903 by the Tranmere Bay Development Co, Birkenhead and is a rare survivor of a very small group of dual-purpose tugs. The provision of passenger accommodation presented substantial design challenges in having to fulfil the requirement of substantial and robust towing power whilst at the same time providing roomy and luxurious accommodation for a large number of passengers. This resulted in her being a large tug with two decks, a gross tonnage of 173, a length overall of 110 ft (33.5m), a beam of 24.5 ft (7.47m), and a draught of 6 ft (1.83m).

Daniel Adamson was powered by two 2-cylinder compound steam engines supplied by a coal-fired Scotch Return Tube boiler generating 583 hp. This boiler was replaced first in 1921 and then again in 1956, with a boiler built by Kinkaid in Scotland which is still fitted today.  She was propelled by twin screws, the two-engine design being very unusual at the time. Her bunkers originally held 28 tons of coal, although this was reduced to 21 tons in 1936. Her hull is of riveted steel. 

Daniel Adamson’s basic fabric has been preserved with limited loss of originality as she has been subject to significant adaptation and reconstruction over the years. In 1929 her passenger facilities were enhanced by the provision of removable awnings to bridge and stern decks. In 1936 further modifications were made, with the bridge being raised. Passenger accommodation was upgraded, with the interior being furnished in wood laminates and art-deco style light fittings installed. 

Daniel Adamson was withdrawn from service in 1984 when arrangements were made to move her to Ellesmere Port Boat Museum where she remained until 2004, when the decision was taken to have her broken up. The Daniel Adamson Preservation Society was formed to rescue her. Heritage Lottery Funding in 2012 enabled a full restoration programme to be carried out at Cammel Laird’s.

What are the vessel’s associational links for which there is no physical evidence?

Daniel Adamson was built in 1903 as Ralph Brocklebank for the Shropshire Union Canal and Railway Company (S.U.C. & R. Co.) by the Tranmere Bay Development Company. She was one of three new tug-tenders built to operate the S.U.C. & R. Co.’s barge towing service between Ellesmere Port and Liverpool. Her passenger-carrying capability facilitated the provision of a scheduled cross-river passenger service. Her combined passenger-carrying and towage service continued until 1915. From then until 1921 she operated as a tug only. 

In 1921 Daniel Adamson was acquired by the Manchester Ship Canal Company. She was primarily used as a tug on the Canal, although the new owners made use of her passenger accommodation by offering cruises to the public from Manchester to Eastham with return by train from Ellesmere Port. In 1929 the company enhanced the passenger facilities, and in 1936 further modifications were made with the bridge being raised and the passenger accommodation upgraded.

Following the 1936 refit, she was renamed Daniel Adamson in honour of the Manchester Ship Canal Company’s first chairman. From 1936 to 1984, she operated both as a tug and as the company directors’ inspection vessel and a venue for corporate hospitality functions. In 1986 she was taken out of service, laid up, and berthed in the ship dock at The Boat Museum, Ellesmere Port, where she remained as a static exhibit until 2004.  

In February 2004 a local tug skipper, Dan Cross, discovered that she was about to be scrapped and made arrangements for her to be saved. The Daniel Adamson Preservation Society arranged for the vessel to be towed from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool, where she was dry docked. Her hull was surveyed, grit blasted and painted enabling her to gain a 5-year seaworthiness certificate. In 2017 she was awarded an Engineering Heritage Award by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers following completion of her restoration to her original state. 

Daniel Adamson was recorded on the National Register of Historic Vessels in 1996 and is a member of the National Historic Fleet. 

How does the vessel’s shape or form combine and contribute to her function?

Daniel Adamson was one of only two tug/tenders to survive in the UK (the other being Calshot which has since been deconstructed and is now Archived) and the only one to retain her original steam power. She is now the last surviving original, operational, coal-fired, twin screw, steam tug-tender  in the UK. As such she is of national importance. She is subject to a regular maintenance programme and operates a full passenger programme in steam during the summer months. 

Being built as a dual-purpose river tug Daniel Adamson was required to combine both power and attractive appearance. As a steam tug her powerful engine and her thick riveted steel hull enabled her to fully carry out her towing duties. As a vessel with a luxuriously fitted lounge area she was very attractive to passengers. Her design therefore meant that she was well-fitted for both of her intended purposes. Today the vessel is in excellent condition. The fine interior of the main and lower deck passenger saloons is still apparent, being similar to that offered by liners of the period.

Aesthetically, Daniel Adamson has extremely pleasing lines, sitting tall in the water like a miniature liner placed on a large river tug. Unlike most tugs, she was not built solely for practicality, and since her role in carrying passengers was an essential part of her original design aesthetic appearance was important from the beginning. Her black hull and her single black funnel with two white stripes are a familiar site to many people living around the River Mersey and north Cheshire. 

Sources: 

Paul Brown, Historic Ships: The Survivors (Amberley, 2010), 65-66.

Brouwer, Norman J, International Register of Historic Ships (Anthony Nelson, 1993), 82.

Steamboat Register: An illustrated Register of surviving steam vessels in the British Isles

(Steam Boat Association of Great Britain, 1994).

Michael Clarke, “Still in Steam: Tug DANIEL ADAMSON”, Ships Monthly (December 2012), 17. 

https://www.thedanny.co.uk/full-history