History of the Last Empire Ship

History of the last Empire Ship

 Members of the Rotary Club of South Foreland were privileged to receive a talk by David Walton, the Chairman of the Trustees of The Steam Tug Cervia Preservation Trust at their meeting on 24 September. David described the history of the steam tug in question and the activities of the Trustees intent upon the preservation and conservation of the vessel which is currently docked in Ramsgate Harbour.

 In addition to the actions of preserving and conserving the tug, the education of third parties is of importance to raise awareness of the plight of the vessel and proposals for the future. The steam tug Cervia is owned by Thanet District Council and in 2026 the tug will attain its 80th anniversary since it was built. The steam tug is an Empire vessel and was laid down in Aberdeen in 1945 and was completed in 1946 built to a basic tug design and distinguished by a single funnel. She has been an oil-fired vessel from new. She was originally known under the first name of Empire Raymond but renamed Cervia by her subsequent owners William Watkins Ltd who purchased her for 36 thousand pounds after approximately 18 months government service. 

Cervia has a sister ship called Challenge that was built in 1931 and spent the war years doing important work including participating in Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk, assisting with the placing of the anti-aircraft forts in the Thames Estuary and with the towing to Normandy of the Mulberrry Harbour sections for use following the D Day invasion. Both vessels spent many years servicing the Tilbury Docks, being based at Gravesend.

 Cervia tug has been stationed in Ramsgate Harbour for some 40 years and has been looked after by an enthusiastic band of volunteers, who between them have generated over 45,000 voluntary labour hours. ST Cervia is thought to be last Empire Ship surviving in the United Kingdom which adds to her historic significance and is Number 5 on the National Historic Ships official list of historic vessels that are in or originated from the UK. As such she is also a member of the National Historic Fleet which are the top 200 vessels considered to be of significant historic importance to the nation and its maritime history. 

Steam Tug Cervia’s life has not been without incident and of particular note in her history is an incident that occurred in the mid-1950s when she was engaged in manoeuvring the P&O liner “Arcadia” in Tilbury Lock when prop wash from the liner caught the Cervia leading to her capsizing and sinking in a very short period of time at 11.30pm on a pitch black evening. Three of her crew were rescued from the tug but sadly five were lost, four of them being interred in Gravesend Cemetery. The Cervia was subsequently raised, refurbished and put back into service. The captain of the Cervia at the time of the tragedy had been decorated during the war with an MBE for saving lives at sea and the tug flies a red ensign on the rear flagpole at half-mast during the last week of October each year to acknowledge the tragic outcome of the event of 1954. Commemoration services were held in Gravesend in St George’s Church in 2023 and on the Seventieth Anniversary in 2024 and another is due to be held in Chalk Church on 25th October this year. During her time in Ramsgate "Cervia" was the harbour tug to assist Sally Line ferries should the need arise.

 The volunteers who care for her are supported by the trust and are focussed on the rehabilitation of the steam tug and are anxious to conserve this historic vessel as an important education tool in the Harbour for the benefit of generations to come. It is hoped she will form an integral part of Thanet District Council’s drive to promote a tourist centre based on the harbour at Ramsgate. Indeed, ST Cervia is a tourist attraction in her own right. Over the Christmas period along with other vessels in the Harbour she is decorated with lights.

 All in all, David Walton provided a highly informative talk, supported by photos projected onto a large screen, about an historic vessel that has had a chequered existence.

 For further information and photographs people are welcome to visit the website www.steamtugcervia.co.uk or the Facebook group at ‘Friends of the Steam Tug Cervia’ There is also a page on Instagram.