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The Salvage Squad are pleased to have a chance to improve on their restoration of the fireboat Massey Shaw. In the last series they retrieved it from a muddy creek in the backwaters of the River Thames, near Greenwich.
Launched in 1935, the Massey Shaw was the first fireboat to be purpose-built for the Thames, and was named after Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, the Victorian founder of the London Fire Brigade. Two enormous diesel engines pushed the fireboat along at 12 knots. At the scene of the fire, these could be switched over to run two huge turbo pumps, pushing out over 3,000 gallons of Thames water per minute.
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The fireboat's first major call out or 'shout' was to the biggest fire London had seen for over 100 years. The rubber warehouse at Colonial Wharf burned for six days and was a difficult challenge for the new boat. But the Massey Shaw's pumping ability turned the boat into a hero.
Working amongst the docks and wharves of the Port of London, the boat gained a place in the affections of Londoners. It was one of the craft that rescued troops in the Dunkirk evacuation at the beginning of the Second World War and fought fires throughout the London Blitz, playing a major role in saving St Paul's Cathedral. The Massey Shaw finally retired in 1971 after more than 35 years of service.
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The restoration of the Massey Shaw presents the Salvage Squad with some tough challenges. They have to lift out one of the two 6-tonne engines with a crane and repair it. They need to fix the giant valves that control the water flow to the pump, sort out the telegraph system connecting the driver and the engine room and replace the massive timber bumpers on the outside.
Axel used to be a London fireman so he is especially delighted to be working on the Massey Shaw, which he describes as 'the crown jewels of the fire brigade'. While Jerry and Claire work in the engine room, Axel turns his hand to replacing the rotten timber bumpers on the bow. Using a traditional shipwrights' technique, he has to bend 4-inch-thick oak planks round the curve of the bow.
With the help of experienced shipwright, Julian Kingston, Axel seals the newly prepared oak boards into plastic ducting, which he fills with steam. The ducting has to be well insulated to prevent the steam from cooling off as it passes through it, as this would result in one end of the plank being steamed and bendable, while the other end remains stiff.
After a few hours in the steamer, Axel removes the oak planks and they are flexible enough to fit around the Massey Shaw's curves. Working quickly before the wood stiffens again, the thick oak planks are fixed carefully into place on the boat's bow. Axel and Julian are delighted with the end result.
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When Jerry and Claire's work on the engine, telegraph and pump is completed, the Massey Shaw is ready to return to the Thames. They all feel a real glow of pride as Tower Bridge is opened in honour of the heroic fireboat.
Unfortunately, the troublesome Glennifer diesel engine can't be coaxed into life on the big day, so the Massey has only one working engine. Claire is determined not to let the Glennifer get the better of her and returns to the Massey a year later to complete the job. The problem is with the timing of the engine, and the Squad call in Dave Rogers to help finish the job.
Claire and Dave take the Massey in triumph to the London International Boat Show where she entertains the crowd by powering up and down the Royal Albert Dock, firing a plume of water from her brass monitor.
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