Sea Alarm was a 263 ton tug

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

 which was built as
Empire Ash in 1941 for the Ministry of War Transport  (MoWT). She was sold in 1947 and renamed Flying Fulmar. She was sold in 1956 and renamed Sea Alarm. On retirement in 1973 she became an exhibit at the Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum, but was controversially scrapped in 1998 after the forced closure of the museum.

History

Empire Ash was built by John Crown & Sons Ltd

John Crown & Sons Ltd

John Crown & Sons Ltd, was a British shipbuilding company founded in 1847 and based on the River Wear, Sunderland.-Ships built by John Crown & Sons Ltd:-See also:* List of shipbuilders and shipyards...

, Sunderland as yard number 201. She was launched on 13 Auguast 1941 and completed on 17 October 1941.
She was built for the MoWT. On 15 May 1946, Empire Ace was sold for £18,750 to Clyde Shipping Co Ltd, Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 and renamed Flying Fulmar. In May 1956 she was sold to C J King & Sons, Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 and renamed Sea Alarm. Operated under the management of the Alarm Steam Tug Co Ltd. In January 1973 she was sold to T W Ward Ltd, Briton Ferry

Briton Ferry

Briton Ferry is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The town encompasses the electoral wards of Briton Ferry East and Briton Ferry West....

 for scrapping, but was resold the following month to the Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum, Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

. She was restored by 1978 and was dry-docked for many years at Roath Dock. The museum closed on 1 June 1998 and Sea Alarm was scrapped apart from her engine. Questions were asked by the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs about the scrapping of the tug as there was public outcry at the time.

Official number and code letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers

IMO ship identification number

The IMO ship identification number is made of the three letters "IMO" followed by the seven-digit number assigned to all ships by IHS Fairplay when constructed. This is a unique seven digit number that is assigned to propelled, sea-going merchant ships of 100 GT and above...

.

Empire Ash had the UK Official Number 168694 and used the Code Letters

Code letters

Code letters were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids. Later, with the introduction of radio, code letters were also used as radio callsigns.-History:...

BCRK.

External links

• Ships Nostalgia thread about Sea Alarm