SA WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE

We could not resist showing this great photograph taken by D. Shackleton and sent into the Leith Shipyards website by L. Pollard.
 Same photographer took the almost identical shot of her sister ship the SA JOHN ROSS which had been built at a local South African shipyard and was launched a bit after the Leith built SA WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE which just looked right.

SA WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE Z-TUG

SA JOHN ROSS Z-TUG

They show the two mighty ships arriving at Cape Town for the first time ready to go about there work.

Don’t know about you but I know which ship looks the better and leave you to choose your own preferred picture.

Ocean going Salvage Tugs

In the quest to bring more photographs and information to the maritime interested public about the ships built at the Leith Shipyards we now have the following photographs on the website along with many more shown and still to be shown.

The dangers of Ocean Going Salvage and the power required to tow Super Tankers is amply shown here in the following two photographs sent into the Leith Shipyards website by Bob Terry one of the crew on the mighty Ocean going tug Wolraad Woltemade Ship No 516

A tow on this ship that is on fire shows some of the danger involved in Ocean Going Salvage work, nothing that the Wolraad Woltemade could not handle from this photograph taken by Bob Terry in 1982 and shown by permission

The mighty Ocean Going Salvage Tug Wolraad Woltemade Ship No 516 arriving at Cape Town towing a "Super Tanker" in 1982 photo by Bob Terry and shown by permission

Super Tanker tow into Cape Town in 1982 the Woltemade was well capable of handling such a tow by herself.

If we go back to the dark days of World War Two, when the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb took to the building of the then mighty Salvage and Rescue tugs of the Bustler Class.

A new book is almost ready for publishing, it will be on the bookshelf in April 2022

S.A.WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE

WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE
Ship No 516
The Daddy of them all when it came to powerful mighty tugs working the world’s oceans.

The “Z” Tug S.A.WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE was a real thoroughbred and she looked like the ship that she was, unlike today’s even more powerful square and squat looking tugs.

She was a sister ship to one that was built in South Africa and launched a bit later than the WOLTEMADE.

The order for this ship was from Safmarine who where contracted to set up two powerful ocean going salvage tugs to be stationed off the coast of South Africa ready for any emergency at a time when the worlds oil had to be routed around the Horn of Africa due to the Suez Canal being closed to ships.

She was 2822 gross tonnes, with a length between perpendiculars of 85 metres, with a beam of 15.2 metres, and a design draught of 8.6 metres.

She was launched from the Leith Shipyards of Robb Caledon on 23rd of April 1976.

She was to drop the S.A. part of her name when Safmarine were taken over by Smit’s.

You will soon be able to read all about this mighty vessel on the new website, which will be online soon.

If you are looking for books on ships and the sea then look no further.