STEAM TUG "KERNE"

Built by Montrose Shipbuilding Co. Ltd in 1913, to fulfil an order placed by the Orient Lighterage Company of London, she was originally named Viking. However she was sold to the Admiralty before launching and re-named the Terrier. Based in Chatham she worked in and around the Medway as a basin tug.

She was sold out of naval service in 1948 to J.P.Knight and operated on the Medway during that year. Re-named by them Kerne, which is Gaelic for “Vagabond Foot Soldier” she was sold on to the Straits Steamship Co. of Liverpool and then to Liverpool Lighterage to continue working on the Mersey as a lighterage tug until her retirement in 1971.

(Photo of Terrier courtesy Penny Brook-Foster)

During 1970 and 1971 several likeminded steam enthusiasts in the Liverpool and Wirral area were becoming increasingly frustrated at the disappearance of suitable outlets for their hobbies. Steam on the railways had recently finished and the few embryonic organisations involved with steam did not fit the bill for a variety of reasons.

Laid up in Wellington Dock in Liverpool, the Kerne was about to go for scrap when the fledgling North Western Steamship Co. (as this group of individuals had become) rescued her. They then embarked upon the programme of restoration and preservation that has brought the Kerne to her present day status. She is now an extremely rare example of the once common estuarial/dock tug and a living reminder of early 20th century naval architecture.

As the Kerne has continued in preservation she has performed roles that bring her greater distinction. She has been the guest of honour at several maritime festivals, on the Mersey, at Preston Docks and in North Wales. She has also appeared at the recent steam festivals on the Isle of Man. But perhaps her most outstanding role was to represent her type in the Royal Review of Ships in the Mersey during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. As this event has receded into the past, then many vessels that took part have succumbed to the scrap man. It is realistic to assume that the Kerne will soon be the sole operating survivor of this prestigious occasion.

Her veteran appeal has made her sought after by film and TV production companies and she has appeared in several period productions.

The infrastructure of the Kerne’s ownership ensures similar and positive outlooks prevail, as regards her continued preservation. An essential aspect of this is the tenacity with which the demands of Kerne’s survival are met. This dedication was recognised in 1990 when the North Western Steamship Co. won first prize in the marine category of the Steam Heritage Awards.