Steam Tug Flying Buzzard is a harbour tug built by Ferguson Bros, Port Glasgow in 1951 for the Clyde Shipping Co Ltd. She was one of three near identical vessels the others being Flying Merlin and Flying Petrel.
She was sold from the fleet in the 60s and after a spell in Dundee ended up residing in Maryport at the then new Maritime Museum. When the Museum went to the wall in 2001 she was bought by a private owner who removed her boiler and brass fittings and effectively left her to rot in the harbour.
In 2004 she was bought by Mr Mike Nelder, the steam plant was removed and replaced by an oil motor from a scrapped trawler. The redundant main steam engine and ancillary equipment was sold to the Scottish Maritime Museum and is being restored at the moment. The capstan was on display at last weekend's Glasgow River Festival and was being operated by compressed air.
For more information on Flying Buzzard visit her website here
The museum had another working exhibit on their stand which was a compound steam engine from a floating crane - more on that one another time.
Cheers for now!
Gavin
