Old PLA survey ship gets back on the water

Built at the famous Tough Bros boatyard as a hydrographic survey vessel specifically for use on the Thames, Havengore had been built to a very high specification. Its hull, which was designed by the National Geophysical Laboratory, is made of two skins of teak overlaying a framework of English oak. The main deck and superstructure is also of teak while the fittings are made of brass and stainless steel.

However, when Owen Palmer purchased it from the PLA in June 1997, it was in very poor condition. The leaking deck had grass growing through it and the following years were spent making the boat watertight, gutting it and working on engines and electrics.

2006 saw Chris Ryland, a self-confessed ‘history man’, stepping in. An ex-colleague contacted him to say they’d found him a British Heritage project for his retirement, the only problem was that it involved buying a boat.

Taking over the Havengore and its refurbishment programme, Mr Ryland found evidence of rot in a significant number of its oak beams. These were cut right back and replaced with stronger and more flexible laminated oak pieces. The pitch pine rubbing band had also rotted in many places and in one of these the rot had gone through to the teak planking and oak members underneath. This whole area was cut out and replaced and the old pine band was replaced by a rubber one of exactly the same size, especially manufactured in Germany.

In 2006, a key decision was taken to re-register Havengore with the MCA as a passenger ship. This entailed its passing all current regulations as though this 1950’s ship was a brand new vessel. For example the engine room had to be lined with fire retardant material proof up to 900° Centigrade, new propeller shafts of the required specification of steel had to be made, fixed side windows had to be converted to sliding ones as emergency exits, and so it went on. However, following an eight month long project, the MCA was finally satisfied and the boat was approved for re-registration.

The main engines (a matched pair of Gardner 8L3s) also required very specific attention. With the aid of a specialist engineering company that Mr Ryland helped to start and set up to service Gardner engines, and the purchase of an old 0-4-0 diesel shunting locomotive to provide the scarce spare parts, Havengore’s engines were completely rebuilt and stand now as a remarkable working tribute to the longevity of British engineering and design.

Havengore duly passed its certification in 2007 and is now registered to carry 40 passengers, with up to 60 allowed on board when it is moored.