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VIC 96 homeward bound

In July 2009, a simple statement was issued by the Friends of VIC 96: “On 5 July 2009, VIC 96, also known as Vessel C668, will steam out of Maryport, Cumbria, 37 years after her last voyage, to return to her home for many years, Chatham, Kent.”

Her departure from Maryport on that bright summer’s day may have marked the end of a chapter in the vessel’s history, but it by no means concluded the story of VIC 96 - one of the last of the wartime Victualling Inshore Craft in seaworthy condition. The story of her history, the moves to save her and the first few years of restoration work have already been documented in Old Glory.

As Derek commented: “We’ll probably miss the regular working parties at Maryport, but what we won’t miss is the slog up and down the M6 and the tedious traffic jams as group members travelled from the south east to work on the VIC. With her back at Chatham, we can now just pop over for a few hours’ work without having to plan an expedition.”

The major work carried out on the vessel has included replacing over 70 square metres of steel plating on the hull, retubing and refurbishing the original Cochrane steam boiler and completely stripping down and rebuilding the engine. In addition, a new wheelhouse has been made and fitted and in keeping with the historical significance of VIC 96, the teak timbers for this were salvaged from an old tannery in Canterbury. The rotten deck timbers were also replaced, using reclaimed pitch pine from 100-year-old piles sunk into the Thames; and even below decks the old ceiling in the hold was replaced, again using reclaimed timber from old sailing ships.

Derek kept a record of the work carried out during each of the Maryport expeditions. While landmark days such as craning on the new wheelhouse or fitting the winch, testing the engine and lighting the boiler for the first time are all notable events, much of the more mundane is also recorded.

In October 2007, Derek notes: ‘Frank fitted the thrust block in his usual meticulous way. Simon scraped the sides of the aft cabin with great determination, ‘Screech, Screech’. I cut out and inserted plate into starboard side. Ian welded in five struts starboard side, not an easy task laying on your back with the rain running through underneath you. Three struts fitted port side in the afternoon sun. Stayed up and watched England beat France at rugby’. Such dedication to our nautical and sporting history!

Luckily the rain didn’t pelt down for every working party and for a few days at the beginning of May 2008 the weather was glorious and the team cracked on with the never-ending list of jobs. On this occasion the work included:

•    Preparation for painting and application of rust inhibitor, front of casing, starboard bulwarks, casing, roof and ventilator.
•    Fitting of aft cabin escape hatch and vent
•    Fitting and welding on five more cleats
•    Stopping up gap between smokebox and boiler
•    Further painting of the aft cabin
•    Continuous and ongoing work to the engine.

And that is not even half of the list for one of the days and just goes to show the difference some sunshine can make.

Real progress was made during 2007 and 2008; the engine refurbishment had been completed, the boiler tested and fired and she had moved under her own steam for the first time in many years. She had been hauled out onto the slipway for the bottom of the hull to be painted, and the sides and superstructure had been undercoated and new black paint applied to the hull sides. At the end of each working party, the vessel was becoming literally more ‘shipshape’. VIC 96 was never planned as a static exhibit and the trustees had their goal: to steam her back to Chatham. As work progressed during the latter part of 2008, it became apparent that planning the voyage for the summer of 2009 was certainly feasible.

Taking a vessel on to the open sea requires a level of competence to ensure that both crew and vessel are kept safe. Derek, as skipper, completed his training, as did other members of the crew, and sea trials were carried out around Maryport.

Each trip could be regarded as a voyage of discovery with skipper and crew learning how to handle the vessel on the open sea and in the confines of the harbour.

The date chosen for the start of the voyage home was 5 July and the only thing that could prevent their planned departure was the weather, but even that decided to play the game and the day dawned fair.

Coal was loaded, the VIC was well provisioned, the new lifeboat fixed on the deck and with a crowd of well-wishers lining the quayside, the VIC 96 steamed slowly into the harbour and out to sea. Trustee Jim Hatfield took to a small inflatable to photograph the departure and record the beginning of the 856-nautical mile journey.

Obviously things had been going far too smoothly and although the weather was fine at Maryport, it does not take long for things to change along this part of the west coast. Only a few hours after leaving harbour, the wind freshened and with a heavy sea, the decision was taken to anchor on the lee of the Mull of Galloway to wait until the tide had turned.

Clare Curling entered details of the VIC’s progress on their website and noted “lots of jellyfish and great views of the beach. We steamed on around 22.00 hours round the Mull of Galloway - a bit rough.” They steamed all through that night to eventually reach Tarbert, where the VIC tied up at the steamer pier.

After that eventful ‘baptism’ on the high seas, the crew could now look forward to calmer waters as they left during the afternoon for the short trip to Ardrishaig, where they would pass through the sea lock into the Crinan Canal.

While the open sea provided the first challenge to their ship-handling skills, the narrow confines of the Crinan would present a new set of problems. Although the canal saw regular puffer traffic in the past, today it is rarely used by steam boats, especially ones the size of the VIC. However, VIC 32 is moored at Crinan Basin and if that could get through the locks, then so could the VIC 96 - at least in theory.

This was one part of the voyage that I didn’t want to miss, and although I was not there to see the arrival at Ardrishaig and the passage through the first three locks, I did manage to catch up with them the next day.

After passing through the first three locks late in the afternoon, the VIC was moored overnight on the approach to the next lock at the village of Cairnbaan. Some of the yachtsmen with their pristine craft coming through the canal in the opposite direction gave the VIC a wide berth and some rather dubious looks as they passed.

British Waterways staff were on hand to offer assistance if needed, although they may have been more worried about what a rogue VIC could do to their lock gates. They need not have been concerned, as Derek and his crew negotiated Cairnbaan and all the other locks on the canal without difficulty. Although space was pretty tight, as the addition of walkways to the lock gates had reduced their effective length, careful and skilful use of the winch by the deck crew allowed the VIC to be positioned correctly in each lock.

That day on the Crinan Canal with VIC 96 was one of the highspots of the year for me and I was disappointed that I would be unable to follow her on the rest of the journey. That evening she tied up in the Crinan Basin with the VIC 32 moored opposite. The crew took a well-earned rest day before continuing up the west coast, stopping at Oban before reaching Corpach and the entrance to the Caledonian Canal. The fine weather experienced on the trip through the Crinan and the Corran Narrows had been replaced by rain, low cloud and drizzle, the usual Scottish summer weather!

The crew of the VIC spent three ‘atmospheric’ days travelling along the length of the Caledonian Canal, where the locks are much larger than those on the Crinan and are all hydraulically operated. Rather than straining manpower being used to open the gates, here the push of a button suffices.

The Caledonian Canal passes through the town of Fort Augustus, where the VIC tied up overnight before heading out onto Loch Ness and the series of locks which take you into Inverness. Here the VIC was moored in Muirtown Basin for a few days while the crew had some rest and to load another 10 tons of coal. Since they had left Maryport, they had journeyed steadily north and east, but having reached Inverness they would soon be heading the ship south for the run along the east coast to Chatham.

Having left Inverness, there were three good days steaming, although the swell was heavy at times, and scheduled overnight stops were made at the Scottish fishing ports of Buckie and Fraserburgh before reaching Aberdeen on 21 July where the crew was changed.

The next day the VIC headed down the east coast of Scotland, encountering some fairly lumpy seas, and despite a big swell running, the vessel was anchored for the night in
St Andrew's Bay. By morning, the seas had calmed down slightly and she headed out across the Moray Firth. Passing Berwick-upon-Tweed, the VIC was now off the coast of England and a few more miles of steaming saw them anchor for the night off Lindisfarne (or Holy Island).

The next day, they arrived in North Shields, where they were offered a superb berth which was really fit for the QE2, and certainly big enough; but the fendering was found to be so large that the VIC couldn’t get close enough to the dockside. Sadly these palatial moorings had to be foregone and the VIC moved on a short distance to South Shields where the moorings were more suited to a vessel of her size. A few days would be spent here while the crew enjoyed a break and waited for a further supply of coal to be brought across from Maryport by Sheddie Simpson.

Having said goodbye to South Shields, the VIC steamed on firstly to Whitby, where on arrival they moored above the swing bridge. Their brief stay was a notable steam event;
with the VIC in the harbour, the Old Glory Sentinel bus steaming around the town and
one of the steam locomotives from the NYMR at Whitby station.

The stopover at Whitby was followed by an overnight steam to Grimsby, which became a little more complicated than anticipated when the GPS packed up for a couple of hours and more traditional methods of navigation had to be relied on.

From Grimsby the next port of call was Great Yarmouth, another overnight steaming this time covering 100 miles in around 12 hours, a fine performance by all concerned, especially as the GPS packed up again. At Great Yarmouth the VIC moored just down the quayside from herring drifter Lydia Eva and a rest day was taken.

It was now almost a month since leaving Maryport, but the end was in sight as there would be only a couple more days until arrival at Chatham. A dawn start saw the VIC leave Great Yarmouth for its last port of call at Ipswich and after steaming through some very choppy seas, the vessel moored in the Haven Marina. During the two days spent here, the VIC was washed down, cleaned and the upper superstructure was given its topcoats of cream paint - she was going to be smarter at the end of her journey than the beginning!

The final departure from Ipswich was delayed by an hour due to an incoming ship, but once under way, they made good progress and later that afternoon VIC 96 moored off Slaughterhouse Point at Stangate Creek on the River Medway. In fine weather and under blue skies, she was escorted by a number of small craft up the Medway to her new home berth at No 1 Basin at 3pm on Saturday 8 August.

A remarkable achievement by an historic vessel and an enthusiastic crew of dedicated volunteers who are all to be warmly congratulated on safely completing an
epic voyage.

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