Seafaring celebration
Published Date:
08 September 2008
Despite a washout on Saturday, more than 3,000 people flocked to Hull Marina yesterday to enjoy the port's annual Maritime Festival – which included musical performances of sea shanties such as this from the group La Bouline.
And the amazing true-life heroics of the brave Hull seamen who joined a special wartime branch of the Navy were recalled, with the screening of the recently-released film by US movie maker Robin Williams, Mayday – Tugs Of War, which recounts the story of the HM Rescue Tug Service.
The ships, with names like Bustler, Growler and Brigand, were manned by men with fishing and Merchant Navy backgrounds, many of who came from Hull.
Over the course of the Second World War rescue tugs saved thousands of lives and valuable shipping, stemming the losses caused by German U-boats.
In 1944, 160 tugs took part in the Normandy invasion, towing valuable equipment across the English Channel.
The historic Beverley barge Syntan was also on display to the public, as well as the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Explorer.
The festival showcased traditional crafts such as coopering and crab pot braiding, and visitors were able to find out about one of the country's oldest diving clubs, Hull British Sub Aqua, now in its 54th
year.
The full article contains 214 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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Last Updated:
08 September 2008 9:05 AM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Yorkshire
