Gretegaff was built in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex in 1920 by the John ver Mehr shipyard.
Cretegaff has her registered name deeply etched into her concrete hull as do all of the Crete ships. However, if half your life you have been known by another name, it is only fair to recognise that fact and to pay homage to that period of her life.
Her official registration number on the Lloyd’s of London List of Maritime Vessels is 144623. She was deemed to be an experimental vessel with an ‘A1’ classification, one that limited her sphere of operations and meant that she was subject to an annual survey. As per the standard specification for the Crete Tugs, Cretegaff is 125 feet long, has a 27 feet 6 inches beam, has a ‘hold depth’ of 12 feet 6 inches and a Gross Registered Tonnage of 267 tonnes. She has a draught of 13 feet 4 inches which is just over 4 metres. She provided accommodation for a crew of 17 hands, with the Officers’ quarters positioned behind the funnel. Her triple-expansion steam engine, delivering 750 Indicated Horse Power, was built by J Milne & Son of Edinburgh,
In 1922 she was sold to the Crete Shipping Company by the Admiralty, part of a large fleet of concrete ships conceived during WWI and born after it ended. They were sold off by the British Government (that had financed their construction) as surplus to requirements. Shipbuilding returned to more 'traditional' materials such as steel when WWI shortages had passed.
There are many shipping reports that track Cretegaff plying the seas of the North East and the near continent in the early 1920s but unfortunately, The Crete Shipping Company foundered itself by 1924. At this time, the entire The Crete Fleet - those that hadn't sunk or been scrapped - was mothballed on the Tyne for many years looking for new owners. Many left the UK and each has it's own story - stories I intend to tell.
In 1936, Cretegaff was sold to Captain S.A. Portus of Garston and she was used to transport newsprint from Liverpool to the Isle of Man. This fact is recorded in Captain Stephen Carter's book 'The Toxteth Tragedy' as he knew Cpt S. A. Portus himself. By 1937 she was dismantled (all useful equipment salvaged) by Frederick Oldham Limited of Liverpool. In February 2021, 84 years AFTER she was hulk in Liverpool, I got confirmation, with photograph,s that two of her internal doors were now tables at Kehoe's Pub and Parlour, Kilmore Quay near Wexford.
rReports that she acted as a grain barge on the River Mersey are unsubstantiated and highly unlikely due to her size, length and breadth. Size matters.
What is certain is that in 1937 she was bought by the Drogheda based Irish Oil & Cake Company to be used for 'grain storage' and she was towed to the River Boyne from Liverpool. It is often reported that she arrived in Drogheda 'under her own steam' which is not correct - she didn't have a steam engine at this point. Having settled in the Port of Drogheda, she became known as ‘The Lady Boyne’ and is still referred to as such by literally everyone with Drogheda roots. I have had feedback from the 'Drogheda Diaspora' from around the world that normally starts with the words "That'sThe Lady Boyne". What's in a name...?
There are photos existing of her moored up at the Irish Oil & Cake Mills on the River Boyne in 1949 provided by Michelle Allen in a 2021 Facebook post on Drogheda Down Memory Lane, so she was still in fine fettle after the War.. Recollections are hazy but in the 1960s, she was moved to the North Quay and then eventually to the river bank at Marsh Road where she lay for many years.
The Lady Boyne proved to be an amazingly attractive 'Adventure Playground' for the children and youths of Drogheda - what is there not to like about a 125' abandoned concrete tug on the river bank. Whilst The Lady Boyne was much beloved by many of the folk of Drogheda, for others she was just an old wreck - in the way of Port development and 'an eyesore'. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and one local admirer, John MacSharry was moved to poetry which was published in ‘The Boynesider’ on December 11th 1987
O ship you look so lonely
along the quayside
I wonder how many years it’s been
since you sailed upon the tide
Looking at your ghostly state
I wonder what became your fate
Here you lie along our shore
for all to see but not adore
What parts of the world did you venture ?
What ports of Europe did you enter ?
All of this we’ll never know
as the bridge of time does flow
It’s now all past
Your crews all gone
No more life
No more song
For you are alone for all to see
a little shipwreck down by the quay.
John was one of number that had innovative ideas and plans as to how The Lady Boyne could be turned to better use. Councillor Frank Godfrey, later to become Mayor, was other big supporter of keeping The Lady Boyne in Drogheda. I received a Facebook message via Drogheda Down Memory Lane which, verbatim, goes like this :-
"As kids living on the Marsh Road, we played down the banks where she was moored. You had to climb up the rope to get on and be part of the gang. The best times of my life!'
In the photo gallery you will see a few photos sent to me of the good times on The Lady Boyne
As things came to pass, she was acquired by the developer of Carlingford Marina in 1987 who intended to use her as a breakwater at the new marina. There is much to that time in the life of 'The Lady Boyne' that will be in the book !
In April 1988, 'The Lady Boyne' was towed out of Drogheda, an event captured by three local girls and reported in the newspaper at that time (take a look at 'What the Papers Say' section for the article. By the time she left the mouth of the River Boyne, she became Cretegaff, her registered name, and on she journeyed, up to Carlingford Lough, where she resides to this day.
Her duties began as a breakwater as the Marina was developed, When the marina was completed, she sat in the middle of all the wonderful yachts and boats. She acted as the Marina clubhouse until around 2001 when the main Marina facilities were completed 'landslide' and throughout this time, and up to this day, she was the hub of the jetty and pontoon infrastructure at Carlingford Marina.
Later this year my book - 'The Life and Times of The Crete Fleet' will hopefully be finished and published. I have received many contributions from the folk of Drogheda, countless people that have very fond memories and a decidedly soft spot for the concrete tug ' previously known as' 'The Lady Boyne for half a century or more. Thank you all for those contributions and for sharing your stories and for the 'vintage photographs that you will see int he Photo Gallery
In January 2021, I was given permission (as a lessee of a business that operates in the Marina) to go aboard. It was an amazing experience to be inside the last remaining, floating example of a Crete Tug that exists today, over one hundred years after she launched.
Later this year my book - 'The Life and Times of The Crete Fleet' will hopefully be finished and published. I have received many contributions from the folk of Drogheda, countless people that have very fond memories and a decidedly soft spot for the concrete tug ' previously known as' 'The Lady Boyne for half a century or more.
Thank you all for those contributions and for sharing your stories and for the 'vintage photographs that you will see inthe Photo Gallery
Thanks also to Andy Spearman for this article in Drogheda Life
https://droghedalife.com/news/new-book-and-web-site-featuring-the-lady-boyne
“If only ships could talk, the Crete Fleet could tell quite a story. They cannot, so I am trying to tell their story for them. I hope that over time, a lot more can be discovered about “The Life and Times of The Creet Fleet ”