Tug
Tugs were small engine-powered craft designed to tow other vessels. By guiding larger ships in and out of the docks, they allowed the port to run more smoothly.
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D M Duggan Thacker, c.1884
© National Maritime Museum, London. Thacker Collection.
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Unknown, 1924
© National Maritime Museum, London
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Lighter
Lighters were the most versatile craft on the Thames. They usually carried goods from the large ships in the docks to the smaller riverside wharves. They had no sails or engines, but were handled by one long oar known as a sweep.
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Unknown, 10 June 1970
© National Maritime Museum, London
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William Wyllie, unknown
© National Maritime Museum, London
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Barge
Thames sailing barges were vessels with a very distinctive pattern of sail. Despite their name, they sailed far beyond the river, carrying goods between London and many small ports around the coast of southeast England. Other barges on the Thames were motorised and carried bulk goods.
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Edward William Cooke, 1835
© National Maritime Museum, London
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Unknown, c.1926
© National Maritime Museum, London
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Ferry
For centuries, ferries have carried larger groups of people across the Thames. The most important ferry still working in London is at Woolwich, which now carries cars and some foot passengers. These pictures show two of the Woolwich free ferries.
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Unknown, 20th Century
© National Maritime Museum, London
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Unknown , 1956
© National Maritime Museum, London
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Skiff
Skiffs were small rowing boats. They were a simpler version of the Thames wherry - the vessel used by watermen to carry small groups of passengers across and along the Thames. Skiffs are now used mainly in regattas (rowing competitions).
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William Lionel Wyllie 1851-1931, Unknown
© National Maritime Museum, London
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Thacker, c.1884
© National Maritime Museum, London. Thacker collection.
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Pleasure boat
Both commercial vehicles and pleasure cruisers used the Thames. Dockworkers would often take their children for a boat trip at the weekends up to London Bridge or out to Southend in Essex. Today, pleasure cruises on the Thames are still a highlight for many tourists visiting London.
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Unknown, c.1878
© National Maritime Museum, London
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Cleve Severin, 2002
© National Maritime Museum, London
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