The Man Who Helps Keep Heritage Steamship Alive 37 Years On

A former tugman on the Manchester Ship Canal is among a group of volunteers recognised for successfully saving heritage steamship the Daniel Adamson – decades on from mooring her up for what everyone thought was her final official voyage.

Launched in 1903, The Danny, as she is affectionately known, is the last surviving steam-powered tug to be built on the Mersey. Indeed, she is thought to be the oldest operational Mersey-built ship anywhere in the world.

However, after the decline of shipping on the canals of north-west England her fate was uncertain until being saved by a team of people who were passionate about her past.

In a year that has seen heritage visitor attractions like the Cheshire-moored vessel battle for their very survival thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of volunteers such as 73-year-old Colin Leonard is particularly poignant this Volunteers’ Week (June 1-7).

“I never thought I would be sailing on her 37 years later, as I thought she would have gone for scrap a long time ago,” said Leonard. “So I felt it was only natural for me to get involved in her new life and keeping her afloat.”

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Originally known as the Ralph Brocklebank, the tug was built to tow barges laden with goods from Cheshire and the Potteries to Liverpool. She also worked as an unarmed patrol boat during the First World War.

In 1922, she was bought by the Manchester Ship Canal Company (MSCC) to carry passengers to the inland docks of Manchester, then the cotton capital of the world.

The vessel was then chosen as the MSCC’s official director’s launch in 1936 when she was renamed after company founder Daniel Adamson and underwent a radical Art Deco refit. The Danny keep tugging for several decades but her towing duties became less frequent and in 1984 the MSCC withdrew her from service.

In 2004, she was earmarked for scrapping but her future was secured by the volunteer-led Daniel Adamson Preservation Trust and 11 years later £3.8m in Heritage Lottery Funding was secured to restore her to full working order.

The Danny is now celebrating the fifth anniversary of her restoration, with the living museum recently confirming its 2021 cruise schedule after a 21-month suspension of services.

And it is thanks in very large part to its volunteers such as Leonard, from Runcorn, Cheshire, who puts in hours as a member of the deck crew, organises attendees for outside events and assists in educational services, taking The Danny’s story into local schools and colleges.

When asked what he particularly likes about his work with The Danny, he says: “Knowing I have played a part in keeping an important part of our maritime heritage preserved for future generations.”

Leonard’s wife Sheila, 71, also volunteers as an office administrator where she liaises with members, organising talks and works with the fundraising team.

Like her husband, she gets a strong sense of satisfaction being part of a team that helped keep this bit of maritime history afloat. “My life has been so busy and fulfilling since I have been a volunteer – I would recommend to anyone who is a bit lonely or needs to make new friends to join us on The Danny.”

However, Dan Cross, 47, a tug master in Cheshire/Merseyside, who is also a volunteer captain, marine superintendent and former chairman at the Danny, urges people from any ability and background to consider volunteering.

“We’re very keen to recruit younger volunteers, we need to make volunteering sexy to the younger ones and not frowned upon as a crowd of anoraks.”

Sarah Vibert, interim CEO, NCVO commented: “As in this story, volunteers are always working at the heart of every UK community. Volunteers’ Week is an important chance for everyone to recognise all of those who deliver important work as volunteers. The pandemic has rightly raised the profile of volunteering and more people than ever are aware of the immense contribution being made every single day by the amazing volunteers across the country. We must ensure this recognition continues. That is why this 37th annual Volunteers’ Week is an important time to say: thank you volunteers!” 

To find out more about the historic steamship and her cruises, how to volunteer or make a donation, visit:

The Danny website

Other volunteers include Jordan Rice, 30, a production associate from Halewood, who shovels coal as a trimmer, works with The Danny’s shore crew and enjoys the “banter”.

Kevin Lytton, 73, an engineer from the Wirral, started volunteering as chief engineer in 2006 after hearing about The Danny on local radio. “There’s a real sense of achievement working and maintaining machinery that is nearly 120 years old,” he said.

Similarly, Phil Janion, 70, a retiree from Widnes, said that working as deck crew and in maintenance gave him the chance to work with some unique engineerings of 1903. “It takes me back to the days when I worked for the MSC on that tugs,” he added.

Meanwhile retired Eddie Janion, 70, from Frodsham, used to work in MSC dredging in the 1960s and 1970s and enjoys crewing and maintenance on the Danny to help keep 100 years of local maritime history alive.

About The Danny

Built in 1903, the vessel was and originally named the Ralph Brocklebank after a former chairman of the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board and member of shipping dynasty T & J Brocklebank. she is unique in being the last surviving steam-powered tug to be built on the Mersey and believed to be the oldest, operational Mersey-built ship anywhere in the world.

In these early days, the Ralph Brocklebank also carried passengers between Ellesmere Port and Liverpool, a service that continued until 1915. During the First World War, she also had a short stint working for the Royal Navy as an unarmed patrol boat around the Liverpool coastal area.

Renamed to The Daniel Adamson ( a nod to ship canal’s founding father and first MSCC chairman, Daniel Adamson) in 1936, her refit boasted the clean bold lines, geometric patterns and block colours of the modern Art Deco style of the day. She was a miniature version of one of the newer generations of Atlantic liners, such as Liverpool’s own magnificent Cunard-White Star flagship RMS Queen Mary and had already had a King, Sultan and General as esteemed guests.

The Daniel Adamson was nearing the end of her era, and her decline mirrored the ship canal’s demise and in 1984 she was withdrawn from service.

In early February 2004, despite being a unique century-old maritime survival, she was earmarked for scrapping at Garston. The Daniel Adamson Preservation Society was founded by Dan Cross and the restoration of the ship, abandoned for more than 20 years, began.

In 2016, renovated to her former glory, The Daniel Adamson embarked on her next voyage as a living and working piece of maritime history. 

About Volunteers’ Week: Volunteers' Week is a long-standing, national event in the voluntary sector, established in 1984 and now in its 37th year. It is supported and celebrated by small grassroots organisations as well as larger, household-name charities, who together run hundreds of events across the UK. These events showcase and celebrate volunteers and the contribution volunteering makes in our communities. The theme for this year’s Volunteers’ Week is ‘A time to say thanks’ – marking the incredible contribution of volunteers during the coronavirus pandemic. Volunteers’ Week is led in partnership by NCVO, WCVA, Volunteer Scotland, and Volunteer Now. To find out more visit www.volunteersweek.org and follow #VolunteersWeek.

About NCVO: The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the largest membership organisation for the voluntary sector in England. With over 16,000 members, NCVO represents all types of organisations, from large ‘household name’ charities to small voluntary and community groups involved at the local level. We are also the lead body for volunteering in England.

www.ncvo.org.uk

Pictured - The Danny (Copyright johndavidsonphotos.co.uk)