26/04/2026
Following on from our last article where Len, one of our volunteers and a crew member of Canning and other Alexandra Towing Company tugs, explained the role of the fireman.
Len has given us an insight into who else was on board and how it all worked.
"Further to the fireman's duties on board, the rest of the crew were made up of the master(captain), chief engineer, second engineer, mate, and 2 deck hands.
The chief engineer's role was to maintain the engines, check boiler water levels, fuel levels, lights and anything mechanical, making sure everything was oiled and greased and working as it should. He also operated the levers for the main engine receiving instructions from the bridge via a telegraph system of what speed the captain wanted either forward or astern . The second engineer was his back up, mainly checking levels, oiling, greasing all moving parts and relieving the chief operating the tug controls as needed. Sometimes he would help on deck if a heavy hawser had to be pulled aboard fast to stop it getting wrapped around the propeller.
The mate was in charge of the deck , when picking up a ship to tow into port he normally threw the line on board and made sure the right hawsers were used for each job. Foreign ships liked to use their own gear but it was never trusted to be safe, so we always insisted they used our ropes and the firm got paid more when using our own gear. When on day work, he organised any cleaning or painting that had to be done and kept a check on the hours we worked to make sure we were all paid correctly. The deck hands, one worked the deck with the mate and the other was on the bridge as helmsman. Each tide they would alternate from deck and helm as 3 am on a winters morning, it was warmer on the bridge than on the deck. They also had general duties, tying up along aside, painting etc and most important making the tea.
Now the captain, the most important man on board. His word was law. He had a lot of responsibility by making sure all his crew were safe when on board. When docking a ship, the weather could be rough sometimes and freezing cold. It was his job to get the tug along side the ship, which was moving quite fast and make sure the towing line got on board. He was telling the helmsman what to steer, speaking to the pilot regarding manoeuvres, liaising with the deck crew, operating the telegraph what speed he wanted the engines, ensuring the safety of every one at all times.
When bringing a ship in, she normally had 3 tugs, 2 astern and one on the bow as head boat. The tugs would meet the ship on the outer fairway and es**rt her into the locks then on to her berth. The same when sailing one from the docks out to sea, into the locks and safely on her way.
All in all, every one had a role to play to ensure everything run smoothly and each crew member looked out for each other. Good times."
Photo - Canning as "head boat" bringing in "Rowanmore".
