MT ''Deerhound'' (formerly RMAS ''Deerhound'') is a Dog-class medium berthing

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

built for the

Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service The Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service (RMAS) was a British Government agency which ran a variety of auxiliary vessels for His Majesty's Naval Service (incl. Royal Navy, Royal Marines) and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The service from 2009 has be ...

(RMAS) in 1966 by

Appledore Shipbuilders Appledore Shipbuilders is a shipbuilder in Appledore, North Devon, England. History The Appledore Yard was founded in 1855 on the estuary of the River Torridge. The Richmond Dry Dock was built in 1856 by William Yeo and named after Richmond ...

Appledore, North Devon Appledore is a village at the mouth of the River Torridge, about 6 miles (10 km) west of Barnstaple and about 3 miles (5 km) north of Bideford in the county of Devon, England. It is the home of Appledore Shipbuilders, a lifeboat slipwa ...

. Both ''Deerhound'' and her sister ''Elkhound'' were designed to work with the Polaris submarines of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and as such they are fendered all the way down the stem and part way along the keel to prevent damage to the submarines hull under water. In July 1983, during ''Deerhound''s time with the RMAS, she met the submarine , returning from taking part in the Falklands War, where she sank the ARA ''General Belgrano''. ''Deerhound'' helped her to berth at

Faslane Naval Base His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...

. ''Deerhound'' and ''Elkhound'' were sold in 1996 and are now owned by Babcock Rosyth Defense Ltd (BRDL). They are operated for BRDL by Rosyth Marine Services who also supply a number of their own vessels and barges to BRDL for the support of the Rosyth Royal Dockyard. In late 2011 the operating contract for these vessels was taken over Briggs Marine of Burntisland. Deerhound has been sold to a private individual Aug 2019. ''Deerhound'' is a twin screw tug with the screws driven by two Lister-Blackstone 8-cylinder diesel engines via a reversible gearbox. This along with her twin rudders gives her high manoeuvrability for a traditional tug. She has a bollard pull of 17 tonnes making her powerful enough to work with every ship in the Royal Navy as well as a variety of barges and

lighters A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...

. Towing can be done via her Clyde towing hook or from her forward bits on the bow. Barges are usually lashed up alongside, with two springs and a head and stern line to allow for greater control around the dockyard.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deerhound, MT Tugboats of the United Kingdom Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service Ships built in Devon 1966 ships