GRIPER W112

British RN tug. Allocated to SNO Selsey to tow Phoenix and Whale units. Built 1942 by Cochrane and Sons Ltd., Selby. YN1248. Assurance class tug. L156'7". B22'2". D14'9". 630grt. 3cylTE oil fired steam engine by C D Holmes Ltd., Hull. BP13.5t. 13 knots. ON179938 23-12-1941 Keel laid. 16-5-1942 Launched. 9-10-1942 Delivered to UK Admiralty. 18-8-1943 Assisted towing Amercan liberty ship J Pinkney Henderson on maiden voyage and laden with Magnesium, Wax, Resin and Oil, which had collided with laden tanker J H Senior loaded with aviation spirit off Newfoundland. . Both vessels burst into flames, only a total of 9 crew surviving from both vessels. 31-8-1943 Arrived towing J Pinkney Henderson at Sydney, Nova Scotia where vessel burnt for another three weeks. 4-1945 Towed AFD67 Milford to Falmouth. 4-1945 Towed SS Java [with tug Freedom] ex Plymouth to Falmouth. 4-1945 With Empire John towed aft end SS Empire Portia ex Cowes to Mumbles. 4-1945 Towed HMS Lydd ex Cardiff to Milford. 20-4-1945 Allocated for tropicalization on R. Thames. To be relieved at Milford by Freedom. 1946 based Singapore. 27-12-1946 With Assiduous towed Japanese heavy cruiser Takao from Selatar to Straits of Malacca for scuttling. 1946 Sold to Nederlandsch-Indische Steenkolen Handel Maatschappij. 1962 Renamed Surabajah. 1962 Sold to Perusahaan Negara Tundabara, renamed Selat Surabajah. 1-1966 Class suspended [overdue surveys]. 196? Believed scrapped.

http://thamestugs.co.uk/MULBERRY-TUGS-%5B3%5D.php

Billie Bouham