REPAIRING THE MASSEY SHAW
Massey Shaw, the
preserved London Fire Brigade Float, was recently the subject of a TV
programme. The following review, by our member Richard Buchanan, is taken from
the SLAS News, Newsletter of the Southwark and Lambeth Archaeological Society,
No.93. March 2003. With thanks.
On Channel 4 on
Monday 20th January there was a programme featuring the Salvage Squad, who had
a go at repairing the 1935 Massey Shaw, the first purpose built Fire Boat in
London. Did you see it?
The programme features three expert
technicians, Claire Barratt, Alex Cleghorn and Jerry Thurston with a presenter
(also technically savvy), and shows in half an hour work which has been carried
out sometime in the previous year. They showed the repair of four items: the
Rubbing Strakes, the Engine, the Fire Pump Control Valves, and the Engine Room
Telegraph.
Rubbing Strakes, Alex Cleghorn. These were badly rotting, and
needed to be removed (which was hard work, removing old bolts and even then
needing a 6 ft jemmy) and replaced with new oak. The replacement of one strake
was shown.
New oak, about 4 x 6 in cross section and the
length of the boat, was prepared. To be able to fit it, it was steamed for a
couple of hours in a long square sheet metal tube, which was well lagged. It
was then carefully taken out and handled (while still hot) using G-clamps,
inserting the forward end into a steel socket at the bow, and forming it round
the boat.
Engine, Claire Barratt. The Massey Shaw was powered by two large diesel
engines. It seemed that both engines needed overhaul, but one had been in worse
condition and had had one piston removed. They showed the removal of this
engine from one side of the boat, through a central hatchway not much bigger
than the engine; it’s stripping down, and the remetalling of the crankshaft
bearings with white metal (they had completely worn down to the copper
backing). The boat was counterbalanced with large drums filled with water while
the engine was removed. After reassembly the engine was put back in and
connected up.
As usual on this
programme (as in real life), this was being done to a tight schedule, so there
was no time to properly test the engine before they wanted to run it, and it
didn't. So they ran the other engine - whose exhaust was ghastly.
Pump Control
Valves, Jerry Thurston. Water
to the main Monitor and other hose outlets are controlled by a valve where a
plate is moved across a pipe by a screw. On stripping down all looked well, until
it was found that the bronze screw thread had been badly corroded by the river
water, and lost its strength. New ones were made (a bad moment on the screw
cutting lathe was shown, when knocking a wrong lever spoilt the piece).
Engine Room
Telegraph, Jerry Thurston. The
Massey Shaw has conventional (for its day) telegraph with dials and brass
control handles, one for the engines and an- other for the fire pumps. The
repair was not shown in any detail, just the testing afterwards to confirm that
the indicators followed the controls from the bridge, and that the response was
correctly signalled.
History The Massey Shaw was seen some years ago, left
to rot, by the Woolwich Ferry - the principal man in this was featured. It was
saved and a trust set up to care for it; the Trust invited the Salvage Squad to
help with its upkeep, which was becoming expensive. One of the firemen who had
worked on the vessel in World War 2 was also traced, and said how in the blitz
at the end of 1941 St Paul's was only saved because the Massey Shaw was able to
pump Thames water to hoses on land when the water main was bombed.
The final scene of the programme was to pilot
the Massey Shaw through the open bascules of Tower Bridge.
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