UK-based specialist shipping company Robert Wynn and Sons has delivered a historic vessel from Southampton to the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Hartlepool.
The 644 km journey began when the Rescue Motor Launch (RML) 497 – a Coastal Forces vessel that was used during the Second World War – was towed from the River Itchen to the port of Southampton.
Upon arrival at the port, the RML was secured on a bespoke cradle, which was loaded onto Robert Wynn and Sons’ specialist semi-submersible barge, Terra Marique.
Once the vessel was positioned on the cradle, the water within the partially submerged Terra Marique was pumped out and the cradle was secured in place in preparation for its transportation to Hartlepool.
After a four-day journey along the UK’s east coast, the 81-tonne vessel and 45-tonne cradle were jacked up using a 16-point jacking system and transferred onto a self-propelled trailer from ALE.
The RML was subsequently rolled off the barge in Hartlepool and transported by road to its final destination at the NMRN, where it will sit alongside other significant ships.
