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Image: CC0 (Public Domain, Nationaal Archief) · commons.wikimedia.org
Zwarte Zee (1933 tugboat)
Scrapped
Zwarte Zee was a Dutch ocean-going rescue tug built for L. Smit & Co's Internationale Sleepdienst, the third vessel of that company to carry the name. On her 1933 launch she was the largest and most powerful tugboat in the world, a title she held for over two decades, and she was the first Smit tug driven by diesel engines rather than steam.
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Resources
+ Submit a resourceHistory & specifications
- Wikipedia: L. Smit en Zoon shipyard historyWebsite
Shipyard build list confirming Zwarte Zee's launch date, dimensions, and power as built by L. Smit en Zoon.
- Wikipedia: Zwarte Zee (English)Website
Summary of the tug's specifications, launch, and record as the world's most powerful tug for over two decades.
- Wikipedia: Zwarte Zee (schip, 1933) - DutchWebsite
Detailed Dutch-language history including renamings, captain Teun Vet, and final sale for scrapping in 1966.
Photos
- Wikimedia Commons: Sleepboot Zwarte Zee photo (Nationaal Archief)Photo
CC0-licensed 1933 photograph of the tug on the Noordzeekanaal by Willem van de Poll, suitable as a reference image for modelers.
History
Specifications
She measured 63.35 m overall length with a 9.81 m beam and 6 m draught, displacing roughly 793 tonnes standard at launch (later 836 tonnes). Power came from two Werkspoor four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines delivering about 4,200 hp to twin shafts, giving her an unusually high top speed for a tug of 17.5 knots. She was built by L. Smit en Zoon at Kinderdijk, launched 2 June 1933, and entered commercial service on 3 October 1933 with Princess Juliana aboard for the trial voyage.
Service history
Designed to compete with the German Bugsier company's tug Seefalke, Zwarte Zee's speed let her reach ships in distress quickly, and she served as Smit's flagship for years. She was taken into Royal Netherlands Navy service in May 1940, and after the war returned to Rotterdam for repairs before resuming commercial towing and salvage work. In 1961 she was renamed Zwarte Zee III after a new, fourth vessel took the Zwarte Zee name, and in spring 1962 she was renamed again to Ierse Zee; she was sold for scrapping in October 1966.
Notable facts
The cost of her construction, 600,000 guilders, was considered a significant gamble given the ongoing economic crisis of the early 1930s. Her long-serving master, Captain Teun Vet, commanded her almost continuously from commissioning until 1957 and is closely associated with her fame; he was decorated with the Bronze Cross (later the Bronze Lion). A book, De vier Zwarte Zeeën (C. de Haas & D. Pilkes, Alkmaar, 1992), documents the history of all four Smit tugs bearing this name and is a useful modeler's reference, alongside NVM drawing no. 10 14 038 used by scratch-builders.