Full Size Printed Plan Scale 1:48 Director class paddle tug Suitable for Radio Control
Description
Full Size Printed Plan & Building Notes
No material plans only
Forceful
Full size plan printed on sheets 42" x 28", 30" x 24" & 20" x 20" 20lb bond
Fourteen pages of building notes and photos (not all shown )
Scale 1:48
Length 391/2
Beam 16in
Radio Control
Recommend builders with experience
Designed by David Metcalf
Model built by David Osbaldstone
Paddles/Drive built by George Baker
THE Forceful is the last paddle tug in active service with the Royal Navy (or any other Navy in the world). When she is decommissioned in the near future her going will mark the end of almost 150 years of paddle tug use in the Royal Navy.
The first large scale use of steam ships in the RN were paddle tugs. This was captured in Constable's painting of the 'Sovereign of the Seas' which shows a 100 gun ship of the line' being towed into port by a paddle tug. With the going of Forceful this tradition will end.
The Forceful is a Director class paddle tug: (Director, Dexterous, Faithful, Favorite, Forceful, Grinder and Griper) ‑ these tugs came into use from 1957 onwards. They were designed specifically to handle aircraft carriers, their masts being designed to fold down flat so that they could easily get under the overhanging sides of the carriers. At that time, 1957,the RN had 23 fleet carriers. It was felt that paddles would give the tugs greater maneuverability alongside the carriers. Their passing is due to two main factors, (a)the RN now has only 3 carriers still in service (Bulwark Hermes and Triumph, and (b) the paddle tug is a very labour intensive boat. With a crew of 26 on the Forceful
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