Stoomzeesleepboot Furie

From the end of the 19th century, up to the nineteen-seventies, the city of Maassluis has been the main base for steam- and diesel tugs of L.Smit & Co's International Towage Services (later Smit Internationale). Therefore, it was not surprising when a still sailing ocean-going steam tug appeared on television in 1977, efforts were undertaken to get the tug to Maassluis with the objective of sho

wing how people lived and worked in the old days on this type of ship. Bodewes Shipyard at Martenshoek, Groningen without having a known buyer. Before being sold, in 1918, to Holmen Bruks and Fabriks paper factory in Norrköping, Sweden, she remained for more than a year unused at the shipyard as Bodewes VI. From 1918 until 1969 she towed timber-rafts on the Baltic Sea as the s.s. During the nineteen-sixties transportation of rafts in this manner became less popular, the tug was sold and served for another seven years as the s.s. Holmvik in the environment of Stockholm. In 1976 the Dutch broadcasting company AVRO bought the ship to play a part in the television series Hollands Glorie based on the book of the same title by Jan de Hartog. Together with captain JanWandelaar, the main character in the book, she portrayed first as the s.s. Jan van Gent and later the s.s. After filming the tug was sold to Heise Trading Co. One year later at her mooring a delegation from Maassluis visited Zaandam to see whether it was possible to buy the vessel. This was the case and
from that moment things speeded up. A Foundation was established and certificates of participation were printed. As the series was still broadcasted on television the fund raising was very successful and the Furie could be bought. Thus, from February 15 1978 her home port became Maassluis and she is property of the" Hollands Glorie" Foundation since. The tug was built as an open-bridged tug with one mast. Already in 1920 whale boards were added whilst the second mast was erected in the fifties. Since then essentially nothing has altered in the ship's appearance. The Furie is registered as weighing 158 tons, has a length of 30 m, a width of 6 m and a depth under the waterline of 3.10 m. The tug is propelled by a triple expansion steam engine producing 450 IPK. Since 1958 the steam is produced in an oil fired Scottish boiler with two fireboxes . The steam driven steering machine, the anchor winch, the triple expansion machine, the boiler and the towing winch are, amongst other things still in original state. The "HOLLANDS GLORIE" FOUNDATION

Since 1989 the Furie has obtained the status of Sailing Museum and has been officially awarded part of the so-called Protected City Profile by the city council of Maassluis and has entered into the National Register of Sailing Monuments as Sailing Monument A2. Since 1980 the Furie is seaworthy and has nowadays the permission of the Dutch Shipping Inspectorate to sail with passengers on the inner waters. In 1980 and during the first "Furie-ade", the actor Hugo Metsers (who played Jan Wandelaar in the series) officially re-entered the ship into service. From that day on more trips have been made, on average about six each year. In recent years the Furie is used for company tours in addition to appearing at events such as "Sail Amsterdam","Sail Den Helder" ,“Furie-ade Maassluis” and "Dordt in Steam"

Holland's last ocean-going steam tug, which is kept alive by a group of enthusiastic volunteers, is an unique example of industrial heritage, which may be proudly exhibited both nationally and
internationally.