IT IS twenty-five years this week that an 85-year-old Southampton tug tender, which once operated in Southampton during the halcyon liner days, was undergoing a painstaking restoration that saw once again proudly bear her original name — Calshot.

The then Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Mary Key — who, as Mayor, doubled as Admiral of the Port — unfurled a Red Ensign to unveil the name the ship bore from 1930 until 1962. The occasion was also cause for a double celebration as the Thorneycroft-built former Red Funnel craft was also proudly displaying the completion of the first part of its restoration work — the revival of her first-class accommodation and main deck.

Built in 1929 by Thornycroft at Woolston, she was the largest tug tender built for ferry operator Red Funnel. The Calshot was at the heart of the action in Southampton Docks’ heydays. She not only manoeuvring some of the giants of the ocean, like the Mauritania, Queen Elizabeth and Normandie, but she also welcoming onboard famous celebrities such as Winston Churchill, Elizabeth Taylor and Bob Hope among her distinguished roll of passengers.

Up to 566 passengers could be carried in her first and second class saloons and those privileged enough to travel in first class for the brief trip on the Calshot were surrounded by wood panelling, upholstery and cushions and a refreshment room with a bar and pantry.

When the Second World War came Calshot was requisitioned and sailed to Scapa Flow before a time on the Clyde and then returning to Southampton for D-Day preparations. At the end of the war and after an extensive refit at Woolston, Calshot again embarked on her normal role before being sold in 1964 and working as the ferry Galway Bay in Galway, Ireland.

After operating the Atlantic coast of Ireland for 22 years, she returned to the Solent in 1986 and was purchased by Southampton City Council for around £15,000, as a reminder of the city's long association with the sea, with hopes of restoring the vessel as a major attraction for the planned Maritime Museum at Ocean Village.

"The Calshot is a reminder of the great days of the liner trade. She is a class of vessel uniquely associated with the liners, helping them to dock, and also taking passengers to and from the liners which anchored in Cowes Roads," said Mrs Key at the time.

“Not only was she part of an era when Southampton was gateway to the world — she was very much a local ship, crewed by local men, and through her summer duties as a pleasure steamer, known to generations of city people.”