Pyronaut
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Pyronaut is a historic fireboat based in Bristol's Floating Harbour.
She was built by Charles Hill & Sons Ltd in 1934 and was originally called Phoenix II before being renamed as Pyronaut. During the late 1930s and The Blitz in World War II she was in frequent use fighting fires onboard vessels and in the surrounding dockside wharehouses and factories. The many post-war fire fighting operations with which she dealt include an oil fire in September 1951 at Avonmouth Docks – Pyronaut made the journey down the Avon Gorge and pumped water continuously for 2 days. The following year saw her fighting a fire onboard MV Stalhein in the City Docks.[1]
In the mid 1970s it was decided that there were few buildings which could not be reached by land based fire fighting equipment, so she was sold, and underwent various refits before being sold in 1989 to Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, where restoration and preservation has been ongoing.[2]
She is now moored outside the Bristol Harbour Railway and Industrial Museum and performs spectacular displays during major harbour events as well as operating for trips on summer weekends.[3]
[edit] Dimensions
- Length Overall: 16.77 metres (54.98 feet)
- Gross Tonnage: 20.32
[edit] References
- ^ Pyronaut 619. National Historic Ships Committee. Retrieved on 2006-08-20.
- ^ Preserving Vessels In A Diverse Local History Museum. Third International Conference on the Technical Aspects of the Preservation of Historic Vessels. Retrieved on 2006-08-18.
- ^ Boat Trips On The Fireboat, Pyronaut. VisitBristol. Retrieved on 2006-08-20.
