William C Daldy

The William C Daldy is a historic steam engine tugboat operating on the Waitematā Harbour, in Auckland, New Zealand. Named after William Crush Daldy, an Auckland politician, she was built in 1935 and is still kept up as an active vessel by an enthusiast preservation society which charters her out for functions and cruises.

The tug at her Devonport Wharf berth in 2008.
History
 New ZealandNew Zealand
Name: William C Daldy
Namesake: William Daldy
Owner: Auckland Harbour Board
Operator: Auckland Harbour Board
Builder: Lobnitz & Company
Yard number: 986
Launched: 1935
In service: 1936[1]
Out of service: 1977[1]
Homeport: Auckland
 New ZealandNew Zealand
Name: William C Daldy
Owner: William C Daldy Preservation Society
Operator: William C Daldy Preservation Society
Acquired: 1977
Homeport: Auckland
General characteristics
Class and type: Tugboat
Tonnage: 346 GT
Length: 126 ft (38.4 m)
Beam: 32.1 ft (9.8 m)
Draught: 13.7 ft (4.2 m)
Draft: 15 ft (4.6 m)[1]
Propulsion: 2 x coal-fired steam engines, with 3 furnaces each
Speed: ~13 kn (24.1 km/h)
Notes: Main source:[2]

History

The tug was built in 1935 by Lobnitz & Company in Renfrew, Scotland for the Auckland Harbour Board. She has a bollard pull of about 17 tons, and is fired by two coal-burning boilers,[2] making her one of the strongest such tugs still afloat today.[3]

One of her finest moments was in 1958, when she preserved one of the pre-assembled main sections of the Auckland Harbour Bridge (then just being constructed over the Waitematā Harbour) from being damaged or lost in a major storm. Strong winds had come up as a construction barge was floating the 1,200 ton structure section into place, and manoeuvring boats were unable to keep it under control. The William C Daldy took up station and kept up the pull for over 36 uninterrupted hours before the wind subsided, burning 40 tons of coal.[4]

In 1977, the vessel was to be scrapped, but was instead leased in 1978 (and in 1989 purchased for $1) by an enthusiast society which has since kept her in working trim and hires her out for functions and charter cruises. The vessel is currently (2018) docked at the Viaduct in Auckland CBD, New Zealand, though it has had a number of berths around the harbour over time.[5]

gollark: I mean, it would be mildly irritating in C.
gollark: Oh, it looks like the majority of trafficity is from git.osmarks.net.
gollark: ... why has nginx dealt with a total of 1.14GB of traffic.
gollark: Well, if it doesn't take 100% CPU and the HNode™ works I'll run it.
gollark: I show matt and crab around the apiary and the bees there, d6.

References
  1. The 1935 steam tug "William C Daldy" (from 'nb-president.org.uk' website. Accessed 2008-08-18.)
  2. "William C Daldy". Clydeships. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  3. Bailey, Robin (20 January 2007). "Old ladies take to the drink". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  4. Daldy Saves Aucklands’ Harbour Bridge (from the 'daldy.com' website. Accessed 2011-06-16.)
  5. Rudman, Brian (30 January 2008). "Brian Rudman: Chugging around on a summer's day". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
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