RFA Argus being towed into dry dock on river Tyne 

@Tyneships Thanks Steve. Out all night, but something I really wanted to see was such a large ship coming in through the piers without engines.

Nice one Alan - early start by the looks of it ;-)

@cawky22 Yes Brian, once inside the dock it's best to stop the thrusters and engines so as not to disturb the blocks. If you do move them, big trouble!!

@Tyneships Yes. Arrived in anchorage having already lost one engine, then fouled her 2nd prop in the anchorage. She came thru the piers and up the river with no engines at all, but did have the bow thruster.

Another cracking video, is it possible for the wash off the propellors to knock the blocks over? I have posted this video on the shipais forum. Brian

She come in 1998 for a half refit, & ship repair, full shell blast.. double bottoms fulley blasted. All the decks fulley blasted, then respray with non...skid.. to be honest there isn't one part of that ship I haven't blasted, from the Rudders Trunking to cofferdams, fresh water tanks shit tanks.. you might brought a lot of the ship I worked on up the Tyne.. RFA Olna.. she was a refuelling vessel out at sea.. she had some size cargo holes.. I know because I sprayed them... Ford George. Westminster.. bramble leaf. Pear leaf. Ford Grange. RFA Olwen. Ford Austin. Dorset Dagmar. Then change in to oil production . Bonga.. hundreds of ferrys.. star Link. B&O,s.. Stena line.. solitaire cable vessel. Celtic terrier... Funny its named after a dog.. the Celtic terrier took months to blast , the hole ship got blasted from top to bottom.. all her cargo holes were reblast after reblast.. the knob of the painting inspector was never happy, he would just constantly chalk off & mark to reblast again & again.. one night, one of the blaters took a break, & turned the compressor off. It just blew up in a massive flash. another 5 compressors just went up, Air Chambers blew up with thousands of air pressure filled with compressed air.. I never forget the crane driver picked up the diesel tank up & moved it a way from the fire.. two & ahalf million worth of damage that night.. in side of a massive compressor you have a tiny little chamber what is called the separator & that what starts the compressor, because diesel is hard to start.. thats what caused the start of the fire....

So was she towed in through the Piers Alan - hadn't seen anything in the press about it?