TUG MEECHING MODELS

And there were three!

By Andy Gilbert

A few months ago I was contacted by Ms Rita Goretti Murphy from Ireland. Rita is gradually commissioning a whole 'fleet' of models of Sealink/British Railways ships. She wanted a model of the Meeching and an internet search led her to the many Our Newhaven pages about the tug. I was pleased to be able to her send a copy of the GA (General Arrangement) plans and many photos of the tug.

The GA plans are the ones that most model builders will work from. In the case of the Meeching, her plans were usually kept under lock and key in her own drawer up at the Marine Shops and were officially supposed to have been returned to her designers. However, a copy was very unofficially sneaked out to my Dad in 1966 and then given to me. If any model builders require a high resolution copy, please let me know. The cost is £15 and proceeds will go to Our Newhaven funds to help keep the website running.

Rita Goretti Murphy's model of the Meeching has just been completed and she has sent me some photos. The model shows Meeching in her Sealink British Ferries livery - circa 1984/5.

That brings the total number of known models to three. Now I'm told that there is, or at least there was, one more builders' model of her as she appeared in British Railways colours in the very early 1960s, but locating it is a difficult task - all I know for sure is that it was seen in a country house in Sussex maybe a dozen years ago. If anyone has any information on this almost mythical model, please let us know!

And there is one more model on the way. Work has started on parts of its inner structure, but expert model builder George Boyd is so busy with commissions that it will be 2017 before he gets a chance to fully build it. It should be a cracker as it will be built to quite a large scale - maybe 1:24 - and will be fully radio controlled. As a taster, I've included a photo of his superb model of Meeching's little sister, Kingston Lacy. Locals may have seen her working in Shoreham harbour under her original name of Kingston Buci in the 1960s and 1970s. She was built next to Meeching in P K Harris' shipyard in Appledore and launched a few months later.

It's hoped that it might just be possible to get all four models together for a photoshoot at Newhaven Museum at some point. In the meantime, here are the three model Meechings and Kingston Lacy.