RFAFreshspring
![]() Freshspringat Prince's Wharf, Bristol, 1986
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History | |
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Name | Freshspring |
Builder | Lytham Shipbuilding & Engineering Company,Lytham St Annes,Lancashire |
Yard number | 886 |
Laid down | 1946 |
Launched | 15 August 1946 |
Completed | 10 February 1947 |
In service | 1947 |
Out of service | 1977 |
Identification | 1181554 |
Status | Laid up awaiting preservation |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Fresh-class water tank vessel |
Tonnage | 283GT |
Length | 36.88 m (121 ft 0 in) |
Beam | 7.47 m (24 ft 6 in) |
Depth | 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) |
Installed power | Triple expansion reciprocating steam engine |
Propulsion | Singlescrew propeller |
Speed | 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h) |
RFAFreshspringwas aFresh-classwater tank vessel of theRoyal Fleet Auxiliary.She survives in civilian hands asSSFreshspring,the last surviving example of the Fresh-class ships. The last of fourteen ships, she was used to carry fresh water out to larger ships. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Vessels maintained byNational Historic Ships.
Working career
[edit]Freshpringwas the last of the Fresh-class vessels to be built, and was launched by Lytham Shipbuilding & Engineering Company,Lytham St Annes,Lancashireon 15 August 1946.[1][2][3]
Following initial trials, she sailed toMalta,replacing one of her sister ships which had been sunk during theSecond World War.Originally coal fired by hand, she was converted while in Malta to burn heavy fuel oil, with oil burners being fitted in each of the three furnaces in theScotch boiler.Completing around 15 years service in Malta she was repatriated to the UK, working aroundRiver Clydeand the west coast of Scotland for thePort Auxiliary Service.[2][3]In 1969 she was surveyed and refitted atArdrossan,then towed toGarelochwhere she remained possibly laid-up out of service. In 1977 she was put up for sale and was sold two years later for aBristolcompany to evaluate alternative ship fuels, which is where it is thought she was last in steam.[2][3]Following vandalism and theft in Bristol, which saw the loss of equipment from the wheelhouse such as thetelegraph,she was moved toNewnham on Severnwhere she remained until 2016.[2][3]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Collow_Pill%2C_Newnham_on_Severn%2C_SS_Freshspring_-_geograph.org.uk_-_750552.jpg/220px-Collow_Pill%2C_Newnham_on_Severn%2C_SS_Freshspring_-_geograph.org.uk_-_750552.jpg)
Preservation
[edit]Freshspring's condition deteriorated while lying on the banks of theRiver Severnat Newnham. In 2011, two holes appeared in her hull, the plating became very pitted and she foundered in the mud. Her machinery remained in excellent condition though, with her engine room, steam steering gear and accommodation areas intact, although the galley and officers' quarters have been dismantled.[2] In 2013 a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), The Steamship Freshspring Society, was formed to preserve and operate Freshspring.[4]
In April 2016 the SS Freshspring Society obtained a National Memorial Heritage Fund grant of £155,000 to remove the ship from Newnham on Severn to a dry dock in Sharpness for essential repairs and tow the ship to a new permanent mooring in Bideford. TheFreshspringleft Newnham on Severn on 6 July 2016 and arrived in Bideford on 16 October 2016. Since then a great deal of work has been undertaken on the ship to enhance its appearance and restore machinery to working order. In December 2017 the Society obtained a Lottery grant to restore the wheelhouse, carry out repairs to the decking and other parts of the ship and employ an Education Officer for two years. The Education Officer's role is to devise a programme of visits to and from educational establishments and open the ship to the public. In 2018 the restored wheelhouse was in place and the ship hosted over 1200 students, many returning during the holiday period with their parents.
During 2019 work on maintaining and enhancing the ship continued. There is now a wind and PV powered electrical system, new planking on the upper deck and many areas below and above deck have been repainted and restored. During the year the society obtained / borrowed on long term loan several items of the type used onFreshspringincluding wheels, binnacle, radio and an intercom. At the Society's AGM it was agreed that the organisation would be re-named the Steamship Freshspring Trust. In November 2019 a Crowdfunding appeal was launched to fund an awning to cover the forward deck and this appeal successfully concluded in January 2020. The awning is expected to be in place by the end of March 2020.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Freshspring_leaving_Newnham_on_Severn.jpg/220px-Freshspring_leaving_Newnham_on_Severn.jpg)
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Brown, Paul (2009).Britain's Historic Ships: A Complete Guide to the Ships That Shaped the Nation.London: Anova Books.ISBN9781844860937.
- Colledge, J. J.(1970).Ships of the Royal Navy: An Historical Index:Volume 2: Navy-Built Trawlers, Drifters, Tugs and Requisitioned Ships.Newton Abbot:David & Charles.
- "National Historic Ships UK - Freshspring".National Register of Historic Vessels.National Historic Ships.Retrieved19 January2013.
- "SS Freshspring Society - About us".About us.The Steamship Freshspring Society.Retrieved9 July2014.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)