Vic 32

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Has this vessel always been known as Vic 32 or has it ever been names otherwise?
C_W

[marisca]

Via the wonders of the interweb (so it must be right!)

History

VIC 32 was built in 1943 at Dunston's Shipyard in Thorne, Yorkshire and her engine was by Crabtree of Great Yarmouth. She was built on a 1939 Puffer design - boats that operated on the West Coast of Scotland, supplying the Highlands and islands with everything that was needed in these remote parts.

During the war, she is believed to have carried cement, ammunition and aviation fuel, delivering supplies to the fleet in Loch Eil and Scapa Flow. She was renamed C702 and worked at Rosyth Dockyard after the war. She was sold in December 1963 to Whites, Inverkeithing, to be scrapped, but was sold on and moved to Whitby for restoration, reverting to her original name.

In October 1975, she was purchased by Nick Walker and, in May 1976, steamed to London, where she was restored at St Katharine's Yacht Haven. The hold was converted into accommodation at two levels, the hatch boards were raised by 23 inches and windows were fitted in the sides to give a clerestory roof. She was then used by her owner for trips on the Thames and for a cruise to the French Channel coast. In 1978, VIC 32 sailed via Inverness and the Caledonian Canal to Crinan, on the Sound of Jura, in Argyll and Bute. She offered seven-day cruises from Tarbert to Loch Fyne and the Firth of Clyde, and on the Caledonian Canal, and was operated by Highland Steamboat Holidays Ltd.

In 1994, her base moved to Crinan Ferry. In 2004, her boiler failed its annual survey and she ceased operations. The Puffer Preservation Trust was formed to raise funds for a new boiler, and with the help of National Heritage Lottery funding, she was re-boilered in 2006 and returned to service, offering week-long cruises with the renamed Puffer Steamboat Holidays Ltd.

Source: Paul Brown, Historic Ships The Survivors (Amberley, 2010), updated Mar 2011.

[wully]

As far as I'm aware it was built as ' Victory Inshore Craft' No.32...

[Silkie]

I thought it was Victualling rather than Victory?

[wully]

I thought it was Victualling rather than Victory?

You are more than probably correct - it was a long time ago I was told the story.

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Thanks Marisca for your indepth reply.
Four prints by J Mc Nee, we bought in Dunoon yesterday are the reason for me asking the question.
I have now figured it out, and the 'Lascar' was a puffer and not a VIC, (hadent realised they were a different class of vessel)
The prints depict busses and boats, I would imagine to be on the west coast during the 40-60s. Macbrayne and West coast motors busses.
Silkie you are correct about the victualing bit.
This site might be of interest to some of you.
http://www.themackenzies.pwp.blueyonder ... /index.htm
C_W

[Mercian]

Yes it is Victualling not victory. We have one on the Medway, VIC96 now based at Chatham. I believe, but may wrong, that she was sailed to the Medway from Maryport. Now part of the Medway Maritime Trust.

[spuddy]

Minor points only but the Medway one is VIC 56. It's parked at the Trust quay but is privately owned. It's now fully operational - it was coming down river as I was going up earlier in the year. A fine shup that puffed gloriously.

[spuddy]

Tracked down a pic of the Medway VIC

if it comes out that is

[Nick]

.
The Vic32 passed us puffing nicely up the Sound of Shuna as we came home from our Summer cruise (July 30th) this year.

[Mercian]

That Medway one looks a bit close to the LPG tanker, just one spark!

[Mercian]

We also have a an ex Soviet sub on the Medway, needs work though!

Here goes with a photo,

[photobucket]http://s1299.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... 0.jpg.html[/photobucket]

[Mercian]

Doh!

[Silkie]

So, on the RHS of the page where the image is stored on Photobucket there is a section called Image Links and if you click on the one labelled IMG code the correct string will be copied to your clipboard ready for you to paste directly into your post like so.



The [photobucket] tags on here are for embedding video.

[Mercian]

Thanks Silkie.