Old Photographs of Challenge

Johnny Hoiles

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The eight photos below have very kindly been given to me by Tug of www.thamestugs.com (see link page)

The last one in colour is from Cyril Phillips collection (see photo below) and shows Challenge leaving the tug

moorings at Gravesend towing Contest the couple of miles up river to Wards at Grays for scrapping.

Challenge towing Contest for the last time to be scrapped

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The pictures two below were kindly sent to me by David Bell-Lennan

and show Contest waiting to be scrapped in 1972

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The Pictures below were sent to us by Barrie Domleo

They were all taken on the 2nd June 1970

Barrie wanted to build a scale model of a Thames steam tugs and asked London Tugs if they
could arrange a visit to one on the last steam tugs on the Thames.
Barrie was rather disappointed to find three silent, fully crewed DIESEL tugs moored at the end of the pier
at Gravesend at the time that was arranged.
But then, sailing up the river came a steam tug with a thin plume of smoke rising from the funnel,
As it turned out she was Challenge.

They show Challenge in the twilight of her years as a working tug on the Thames.
Only two years later she would be towing her sister ship, Contest, to be scrapped, (see above) and the year after that she was sold to
Taylor Woodrow for preservation herself.

The colour pictures where taken with an Olympus half frame camera
and the B&W with a Pentax 35mm.

Thanks to these photographs we have been able to confirm that the new, slightly lighter brown paint
we are using on her superstructure is more accurate to the original colour she was painted for the last few years.