Hi Tugman...they were indeed the two most powerful tugs until '89. Sadly the Scots only got the credit for the WW...the Ross was built in Durban and is now called the "Smit Amandla" ...South African politics! She may not be the world's most powerful anymore, but as far as I am aware, she is still (at the age of 37) the worlds fastest ocean going tug! And still the best looking! They cut the aft A-frame off both of them in 2002 which took away the somewhat vintage salvage tug look away from them. The lines of her hull are still unmatched though. This is what the Ross looks like these days. In fact I have the same poster of the WW block mounted in my study among a few more! That was taken during her sea-trials in Clyde. What was your uncle Frank's surname? Cheers
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LPDM; Thankyou so much for your reply. I have many pictures of the JR, but not this one. Very much appreciate it. I have followed her history, (including the new name). Smitt is very busy here as well.
My uncle Frank, (mum's brother) was "Captain Frank Culbard". His last trip with the John Ross, was to tow an oil rig to the Beaufort Sea. It was a massive event. Long after my uncle's death, I came to purchase a small tug. The fellow I got it from, gave me a marine survey of this little boat. When he handed it too me, it brought a tear to my eye. It was done by uncle Frank. After his retirement from the John Ross, he was for several years an international marine surveyor. Much of his work, he did for Lloyds of London.
I restored this little tug I had bought, (it was built in 1927). When I went to insure it, I was sitting across the desk from my insurance man. I said, "here is an old survey my uncle did of this boat". He picked it up, and looked at it with great surprise. He said, "Frank Culbard was your uncle?" I said "yeah, he was mum's brother." He said, how much do you know about your uncle? (Now I got to say, uncle Frank was a very big guy. We used to just call him, "Foghorn Frank." We loved that old guy, and his children my cousins are very dear to us. You couldn't know uncle Frank as much as you'd like, He was gone a lot. He towed oil rigs around Cape Horn.
Well, Lorne, (my insurance guy, who specialized in marine insurance), he says, "I guess you don't know this, but your uncle was one of the towing authorities of the world." So that's old uncle Frank. His father, our grand dad, who we never met, was from Scotland. Grew up at Dollar Academy. He was at the engagement at Vimy Ridge, in WW1. He died of complications, when our mum was fourteen.
I had the pleasure of spending some great hours with my uncle listening to some of his tales of the sea, and I have valued every minute there. Some time, I really need to see, Cape Towm. Thanks.
