Remembering a bygone era:
THE AGE OF MARINE
STEAM ENGINES
BY KEITH INGRAM
Steam Tug
William C Daldy
The advent of steam was a monumental
landmark in the Industrial Revolution. These
once revolutionary engines have now largely
disappeared, but a dwindling number of old
ships powered by steam do still remain in
active service today.
Steam Tug
Lyttelton
England is down to its last survivor, the
Portwey which still operates commercially out
of West India Dock. The Kerne is in Liverpool,
and there are a number of others still
operational with preservation societies.
There are also a small number of operational
TSS Earnslaw
steam vessels in Europe; Canada retains a
strong involvement with a number of hand
fired wood or coal burning ships of various
types, and Australia has one remaining fully
Paddle Steamer
Waimarie
operational steam tug and a couple just shy
of the knackers yard.
Meanwhile, here in New Zealand, there are
still five examples of our early steam ship
heritage in full Maritime New Zealand Safe
Ship Management, along with a number
of smaller river steamboats. Of these, only
Steam Ship Puke
the steamer TSS Earnslaw operating on
Lake Wakatipu is part of a fully integrated
commercial operation: Real Journeys. All
of the others remain in the tender care of
preservation societies or museums.
NZ WORKBOAT REVIEW 2013
5
