Portwey was ordered to be built by the Portland and Weymouth Coaling Company on the 10th November 1926 and was launched on the 10th August 1927 at Haland and Wolff's Govan yard on the Clyde in Glasgow. These included assisting vessels who had broken down, vessels caught out by rough weather or who had run into trouble. By 1965 Portwey had been working for 38 years but with diesel tugs having been
in general use for many years now Portwey was coming to the end of her working life. Two years later in 1967 Portwey was taken out of service and destined for the scrap yard. Fortunately the assistant harbour master at Dartmouth, Richard Dobson saw Portwey and decided to buy her. On the 4th October 1967 Richard Dobson became Portweys new owner. Richard along with some friends restored and kept Portwey running up until the 1980's when the restoration was becoming to much to handle. The difficult decision was made to contact the Maritime Trust based in Greenwhich London, were on the 28th May 1982 she left Dartmouth and arrived in london on the 7th June. She was handed over to the Maritime Trust and her new home became St. Katherine's Dock. Not long after this the Friends of Portwey formed to continue the restoration work started in 1967. In 1994 the Maritime trust advised the friends of Portwey that they may not be able to provide funding for a long term basis and she may have to be sold. It was decided that the friends of Portwey were to set up a charitable trust to manage and operate the vessel. So the friends of Portwey became The Steam Tug Portwey Association in 1994. In 1995 a long term charter was negotiated with the Maritime Trust and the Steam Tug Portwey Association took over running portwey. In 1996 the Association was awarded a Heritage Lottery Grant to enable major work to be carried out the the steel hull and associated internal steel work. In 2000 the Steam Tug Portwey Association became a charitable company, The steam Tug Portwey Trust was now formed and the Trust purchased Portwey from the Maritime Trust on the 2nd June 2000. To this day members of the trust volunteer there time to help restore and run this wonderful little Tug which is thought to be the last remaining working twin screw Steam Tug in existence.
