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ANTLIA is a narrowboat, built for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Co. Ltd. (GUCCCL) by Yarwoods at Northwich and launched in January 1936. Her yard number was 502 and her GUCCCL fleet number was 8. Her hull is made from riveted iron plates and she once had an elm bottom, now replaced with steel. She has a pointed bow with a raked curved stem, and a counter stern. The current engine is an inboard Lister diesel; model HB2, with two cylinders and twenty-two horsepower, made in 1960. ANTLIA worked for GUCCCL between 1936 and 1941. She was then commandeered by the Ministry of War Transport and was used on the River Lee as a fire fighting boat until 1945. After the war, she worked as a maintenance boat until 1949 for the South East Division. In 1950, she was transferred to Gloucester via the Kennet and Avon Canal and was among the last six boats to use the canal before it closed. She went on to become a maintenance boat for the South West Division until 1956, when she was chopped in half. Her stern was taken by the tug TARDEBIGGE and the bow by WATER VIXEN; a British Waterways holiday boat. The two ends were re-joined in 1994 and she has since been restored to cargo carrying condition.
If you are the owner of this vessel and would like to provide more details or updated information, please contact info@nationalhistoricships.org.uk
National Historic Ships UK acknowledges the financial support of its sponsors