Wheldale

Thanks for all that info. I will pass it on to our engineers. Buying her, we don't expect anybody to buy her but us, but we have to be ready for any eventuality. If nobody makes an offer she goes for scrap and we can then put in an offer just above scrap value. However there are some daft people out there who might think she can be converted into a houseboat like some of her sisters. Yes I should have said Neox 8000. She uses about 150 quid's worth a month at the moment. Not good. The engineers have put more packing in but it hasn't made much difference. There's not much leakage into the bilges so it's all at the prop end. Kellingley and Brodsworth are both local but I don't know what their stern glands are like. I'll have to make enquiries.

The stern gland uses Neox. Apparently we are told most of the tugs were converted to grease lubricated stern gland quite early in their lives, but not Wheldale and apparently not Hatfield as John told us.

The employees of the Museum when it closed are not part of our committee but some have offered help. Most of us are volunteers, and ex trustees from way back. The driving is being done by the Wheldale crew and other volunteers.

As I said, we're going to see John next Wednesday and we'll talk about this.

The closure of the Museum was sprung on us. The volunteers weren't kept informed. Reading between the lines we knew the Museum had long-term finance problems, but it still came as a shock.

Wheldale was bought from Hargreaves for 11,000 in 1996. Hatfield is currently of interest as she was the only one of the 7 built in Goole, at Camplings. Wheldale was E. C. Jones of Brentford as were 2 of the others, with 3 at Thorne.

YWHS are indeed trying to raise enough to buy and repair and run Wheldale. 2 of us are going across to Wakefield next Wednesday to look at Hatfield. We have a strong team working together including all of the volunteers from the YWM. We have been quoted 17,000 to repair the stern gland which is leaking badly, and another 5,000 to replace/ plate up the aft-peak bulkhead which is pitted. There may well be problems on the hull when we get her in dry dock as she hasn't had anodes fitted since we took her to London in 2012. The pans are also leaky but not currently below the waterline. The jebus is a lot older than the tug.