ON THE WATERFRONT: Remembering the steam days of the river police

But a 50-year period overlapping the transition from pulling power to motorisation saw the impressive sight of river policemen patrolling in stylish steam launches. Two of these craft served the River Wear Watch - both named Patrol.

The first entered service on September 5, 1896, having been purchased second-hand from boat builder and engineer Mr FT Harker of Stockton-on-Tees at a cost of £160. Constructed from cedar wood and fitted-out with mahogany, she was 28 feet long with a five-foot six-inch beam.

Equipped with a boiler tested to 260 pounds per square inch (PSI) with a working pressure of 120 PSI, she could operate with fresh or salt water and fuelled with coal or preferably coke. Her compound surface condensing engine gave a top speed of over 10 knots, allowing a rapid response to any incident.

Being an open boat, she was providing with awnings for hot or wet weather.

Patrol arrived in the Wear from the Tees on September 3, having encountered heavy seas during her passage but had shown great seaworthiness. The next day, she underwent river trials, covering the distance from Wearmouth Bridge to Short Bros’ shipyard at Pallion in only 15 minutes.

Usually, she would be berthed alongside one of the old manual fire floats off the west end of Scotia Quay.

By 1914, Patrol had reached the end of her working life and was laid up in South Docks, being advertised for sale in 1915.

FT Harker was chosen to build her replacement at a cost of £330, delivery being delayed until 1917 due to wartime production demands.

The new Patrol was fitted with a cabin and measured 32 feet long with a beam of 6 feet 6 inches, being propelled by a steam engine of 4 by 8 by 5-inch stroke.

Often to by seen moored alongside one of the fire boats off Scotia Quay, she gave over 28 year’s valuable service.

During a heavy air raid on May 16, 1943, Patrol’s cabin windows were blown out by a bomb blast with further damage being caused to her wheelhouse.

Her boiler was condemned by the National Boiler and Insurance Co Ltd’s inspector on October 30, 1945, after which she was sold for £60 to a Mr J Hudson of Wear Street, South Hylton in August, 1946, on condition she would be renamed.

In 1947, she was replaced by a modern motor launch of the same name.

Our photograph shows the second steam launch Patrol at a Deptford ship launch in 1944.