Spider T is an historic barge, which turned up at our marina just a few days before we left. She’s an iron-hulled Humber sloop, built one hundred years ago at Warren’s Shipyard on the River Humber.
Commissioned in 1926 for Captain Tomlinson, she went on to come second in the Humber Regatta later that year before taking up her job of carrying cargo, including bricks and grain, for the next fourteen years.
With a length of 61.6ft, a beam of 15.6ft and a depth of 4.6ft, it was always going to be a tight squeeze getting her into Staniland Marina‘s dry dock. The ship’s crew and marina staff manoeuvred her into position, using a mixture of propulsion, expertise, ropes and hope. Once aligned for her entrance, she inched forward until a shout went up, “Stop!” She couldn’t clear the cill (the concrete watertight seal for the dry dock gate).
Our marina sits on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal, right next to Thorne Lock. It has an easterly flow from the River Don to the River Trent. While the canal is not tidal and the direction doesn’t vary, the water levels change according to the amount of rainfall; when it is heavy, the locks at Thorne and Bramwith can be opened or closed to keep the canal from flooding. Thorne Lock is often kept slightly ajar to avoid a build-up of water.
To give Spider T enough clearance, the lock keepers closed the gates, and a few hours later, the canal water level had risen until it was high enough to allow the historic sloop over the cill and into the dry dock.
The pride of the fleet, in 1939, Spider T received a government grant for an engine, and was de-masted and re-commissioned as a motor vessel for the war effort. After the war, she continued to work until 1970, when she was sold at auction, fell into disrepair and sank.
In 1972, she was re-floated and used as a community project by the Rotherham Police.
By 1994, she was once again a wreck, this time in Goole Dock.
It wasn’t until 1994 that she took the long and precious road back to recovery when a private owner bought her and carried out a complete restoration. In 2005, she became a National Historic Fleet vessel, now with the addition of a jib and topsail to her original mainsail and foresail.
More information about Spider T:
Spider T and other historic vessels at the UK National Historic Ships website
100 years of adventures
The untold story of Spider T‘s wartime missions
Reminiscing on the Spider T
If you like our content and would like to support us, we will give you ad-free access to our videos before they go live to the public, discounts in our shop, access to Jamie’s iconic full-res photographs, and supporter-only blog posts. Click our ugly mugs for more info!
