Tug Collection

Liverpool & Mersey Tug
The Mersey tug The Minegarth, approaching the Pier Head at Liverpool, Merseyside, England, with the Royal Liver Building beyond. Date: 1950s

SS Asturias, ocean liner, built in 1926, served during the Second World War, and was used as the Titanic in the 1957 film, A Night to Remember. Date: late 1940s

SS United States - United States Line - Transatlantic liner - prior to construction and maiden voyage. Date: 1949

Titanic at Belfast
Thess Titanic leaving Bairds Works, Belfast

RMS Orvieto - Orient Line Steamer
The Royal Mail Ship Orvieto was a steamer of the Orient Line engaged in the passenger trade between England and Australia

RMS Caronia - Cunard Line - launched in 1904 - scrapped in 1932. The start of World War I caused her to be requisitioned as an armed merchant cruiser

Pool of London / Shipping
A busy scene on the river Thames in the Pool of London between London Bridge and Tower Bridge; a ship (Cyprian Prince ?) is moored at the riverside

Hms Dreadnought 1906
The ship that gave her name to a new style of warship - the mighty HMS Dreadnought leaves Portsmouth harbour, escorted by a paddle-wheel tug

The Cunard Liner RMS Scythia - became a troop and supply ship during WW2. Date: 1922

USS Nevada, American battleship, Panama Canal
USS Nevada (BB36), American battleship, passing through Caillard Cut, Panama Canal, with a tug escort. Date: circa 1920

RMS Homeric - Ocean Liner for the White Star Line Date: circa 1920s

Cunard poster
Poster for Cunard shipping line and their service to the USA and Canada featuring the magnificent Aquitania being pulled into port by tug boats

Departure of the Emigrant Ship Lizzie Webber, 1852
Engraving showing the two-masted emigrant ship, Lizzie Webber, leaving Sunderland for Australia, 1852. This was the first emigrant ship to make that passage

RMS Queen Mary leaving Clyde shipyards, near Glasgow
RMS Queen Mary (Cunard-White Star liner) leaving the John Brown shipyards on the River Clyde, near Glasgow, on her completion. Date: 1934

Cunard Line - Ivernia, off New Brighton, c1910. Creator: Unknown
Cunard Line - Ivernia, off New Brighton, c1910. The British ocean liner SS Ivernia, launched in 1899, was owned by the Cunard Line and built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson of Newcastle upon Tyne

Tug of War winning team, Demosthenes, Aberdeen
Tug of War winning team on board the Demosthenes, belonging to the Aberdeen White Star Line

A tug boat passes under Southwark Bridge, London
A tug boat passes under the newly re-opened Southwark Bridge on the Thames River in London, 1921. St Pauls Cathedral is seen silhouetted in the background. 1921

WILLOWGARTH TUG BOAT
Willowgarth, one of the REA diesel tugs, on the River Mersey at Liverpool, England. Date: built 1959

Seaport of Galveston, Texas, 1800s
Galveston bar and roadstead on the Gulf Coast, 1870s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Diver and Octopus
Divers are periodically at odds with octopi, and diver Palmer, at Cape Town, is one of many - but a tug on his line brings help from his colleagues

Littlehampton Pier
At Littlehampton Pier (which is complete with windmill and lighthouse), a steam tugboat brings a large sailing ship safely into port. Date: circa 1910s

Tugboat and container ship, San Pedro Port, Los Angeles, California, United States of America, North America

HMS Royal Sovereign, British battleship
HMS Royal Sovereign, British Revenge class battleship, launched 1915, served in the First World War and part of the Second World War

Douglas Dakota picking up a glider, Normandy; Second World W
Illustration showing a Douglas Dakota, C-47 Skytrain, swooping down with a hook trailing to pick up a Waco glider, Normandy, France, 1944

The tug Slavonia parting company with Dredger 13
An episode of the recent winter storms: The tug Slavonia parting company with Dredger 13 in the trough of gigantic waves as an Atlantic hurricane snaps the powerful hawser like a strand of cotton

Spain / Balearics / Ibiza
A view from the sea toward the island of Ibiza. Date: 1896

Cleveland, Ohio, USA - Ore Boat unloading - Steel Mills
Cleveland, Ohio, USA - Ore Boat unloading at one of the Steel Mills on the Cuyahoga River - the Terminal Tower can be seen in the background - nighttime. Date: circa 1934

Oil Rig on the river Tees JLP01_08_099192
Graythorp, Hartlepool. An aerial view of tug boats towing the oil platform Graythorp I along the Tees Estuary away from Graythorp

Miles Monitor -another, even more expensive dedicted target tug from the Miles stable

Cargo ship in Culebra Cut, Panama Canal, Panama, Central America

Queen Mary Ocean Liner, whistles used for signalling
Queen Marys three giant whistles two on the fore funnel and one on the midships funnel, were fitted. Each were seven feet in length, and could be heard five miles away, but so low pitched

Newport Alexandra Docks, c1940s
Consignment of railway coaches for shipment to Iraq. Steam tug " Trusty" can be seen in the foreground

RMS Titanic, maiden voyage, 10 April 1912

Liverpool Dockers at Dawn, 1903 (oil on canvas)
XIR36941 Liverpool Dockers at Dawn, 1903 (oil on canvas) by Tardieu, Victor Francois (1870-1937); 61x76 cm; Musee d Orsay, Paris, France; French, out of copyright

A small tugboat pulling a number of Thames River Barges
A lovely postcard composition depicting small tugboat pulling a number of Thames River Barges. Date: circa 1909

Lowestoft, Suffolk - Sailing trawlers towed to Sea Date: circa 1920s

A Good Pull
25th May 1929: Cunard liner the SS Berengaria with tugs in attendance. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Jonathan Hulls steamboat, 18th century
Jonathan Hulls steamboat, historical artwork. A patent for this steam-powered towboat was taken out by the British inventor Jonathan Hulls in 1736

U-Boat - Deutschland - crossing the Atlantic Ocean
U-Boat Deutschland - the first submarine to cross the Atlantic Ocean - pictured arriving in Baltimore with Civilian Captain Paul Konig in July 1916

Greenwich Hospital and the River Thames, London, 1900
Illustration showing the view across the River Thames, from the Isle of Dogs, looking towards the Greenwich Naval Hospital, London, 1900

Twickenham in Ca 1750
Dr Battys house Twickenham, Middlesex, seen from across the Thames : three horses tug a barge along the river

Suspension Bridge, from Sion Hill, Clifton, c. 1875 (colour litho)
3062685 Suspension Bridge, from Sion Hill, Clifton, c.1875 (colour litho) by Lavars, Edward Colston (1842-1917); Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, UK; eBristol Museums, Galleries & Archives; English

Wounded but Victorious, c1916 (1919). Artist: Charles John De Lacy
Wounded but Victorious, c1916 (1919). A British battlecruiser being towed into port after the Battle of Jutland. The Battle of Jutland was the largest naval battle fought by the British Royal Navys

SS Arandora Star
11th July 1931: Blue Star liner Arandora Star at Immingham docks, Lincolnshire. (Photo by J. B. Helsby/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Tugboat Along The Chicago River
A tugboat at work pulls a larger boat along the Chicago River waterfront, Illinois, circa1905 (Photo by Hulton River/Getty Images)

Queen Mary
27th March 1936: The Cunard liner Queen Mary, arriving at Southampton for the first time. (Photo by Rapho Guillumette/Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Harbour tug with containers and cranes in the background, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, North America

Harbour Walk, with Theodore the Tug, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, North America

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"Tug: Guiding Giants and Defying the Seas" Liverpool & Mersey Tug, a steadfast companion to maritime legends. From the towering SS Asturias to the majestic RMS Caronia of Cunard Line, these behemoths relied on its unwavering strength. The Willowgarth Tug Boat, an unsung hero in Belfast's shipyards, witnessed the birth of Titanic - a symbol of human ambition and tragic fate. HMS Dreadnought 1906, a vessel that revolutionized naval warfare, found solace in the mighty tug's assistance during her maiden voyage. In Galveston's bustling seaport in Texas during the 1800s, tugs tirelessly maneuvered ships like RMS Scythia and RMS Orvieto of Orient Line Steamer through treacherous waters. Across continents, USS Nevada triumphantly sailed through Panama Canal with aid from trusty tugs - defying obstacles as it showcased American might. RMS Homeric for White Star Line embarked on grand voyages across oceans; yet it was humble tugs that ensured her safe passage amidst tempestuous waves. A vintage Cunard poster captures the essence of tugboats' vital role - guardians guiding elegant liners towards their destined horizons.