Massey Shaw
 Massey Shawin South Dock, Isle of Dogs, London (July 2021)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Massey Shaw |
| Namesake | Eyre Massey Shaw |
| Owner | The Massey Shaw and Marine Vessels Preservation Society Limited |
| Operator | London Fire Brigade |
| Builder | J. Samuel White,Cowes,Isle of Wight |
| Cost | £18,000 |
| Launched | 1935 |
| In service | 1935 |
| Out of service | 1971 |
| Homeport | London |
| Status | Museum ship |
| General characteristics[1] | |
| Type | Fire float |
| Tonnage | 50.54GT |
| Length | 78 ft (24 m)o/a |
| Beam | 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m) |
| Draught | 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) |
| Decks | Teak |
| Installed power | 1 × Russell Newbery 2-cylinder Type D2 diesel engine |
| Propulsion | 2 × 165 bhp (123 kW) 8-cylinder Gleniffer DC8 diesel engines |
| Speed | 12knots(22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
Massey Shawis a formerLondon Fire Brigadefireboat, named after the first Chief Officer of theMetropolitan Fire Brigade,Captain SirEyre Massey Shaw.Built in 1935 and decommissioned in 1971, the vessel was restored in the early 21st century and is moored in London'sWest India Docks.
Ship history
[edit]Massey Shawwas built in 1935 by theJ. Samuel Whitecompany atCowes,Isle of Wight.She was built to aLondon County Councildesign, and cost around £18,000 to build. The vessel was named afterEyre Massey Shaw,a former chief of the London Fire Brigade.
During theSecond World War,Massey Shaw,along with a volunteer crew offiremen,formed part of theflotilla of small vesselswhich were sent toDunkirkto help evacuate British troops from the beaches.Massey Shawmade three trips to the beaches and rescued over 500 troops, most by ferrying them to a larger ship standing offshore. She also rescued some 30 men from a French ship mined off Margate.[2]
Massey Shawserved throughout the remainder of the War as a fireboat on theThames.During theBlitz,the vessel pumped vast quantities of water from the Thames to fight fires all along the Thames waterfront.
She can be seen in the 1958 film 'Dunkirk' starring John Mills and Richard Attenborough.Massey Shawremained in service as a Thames fireboat until 1971 when she was decommissioned. In 1980 Philip Wray, Dick Helyer, and several other concerned individuals found the Massey Shaw abandoned inSt Katharine Docks.They founded "The Massey Shaw Fireboat Society" and began to lobby the Fire Authority to save this historic vessel, eventually being granted a 50-year lease.[3]
Restoration
[edit]
The historic vessel was saved from dereliction by a group of enthusiasts who restored her and a successful Heritage Lottery Grant in 2008. The vessel has been completely restored in Gloucester dock by a professional team of boat builders.
The society had planned to return Massey to the River Thames in May 2013 by sailing her around the south coast of the UK, stopping off at various ports on the way, includingCowes,Isle of Wightwhere the vessel was built in 1935. However, she returned to London by road in 2013 where final stages of the restoration were completed.
As of 2021,Massey Shawis moored at the eastern end of theWest India DocksSouth Dock on theIsle of Dogsin London.
See also
[edit]- Salvage Squad,Massey Shaw's restoration was the subject of two episodes of this TV programme.
- Fireboat
References
[edit]- ^"Massey Shaw - Specifications".www.masseyshaw.org.2012. Archived fromthe originalon 23 June 2014.Retrieved30 September2012.
- ^Wallington, NeilFiremen at War1981ISBN071537964Xpp52-6
- ^"Massey Shaw".www.tnielsen.co.uk.T.Nielsen & Company Limited.Retrieved27 March2017.