Afrika
Tugboats… For a model ship maker, tugboat models are one of the most preferred among other type of ships. They are not very complicated mostly, they do not have parts that you have to repeat or produce in batches, they are good for radio controlled dynamic model projects, and they are so beautiful to look at. Well, at least, the steam era and early diesels.
Before letting you download the plans of the tugboat Afrika, let’s take a look at the story of her. She was built in 1931 by P. Smit Jr NV Rotterdam. Yard number 474. She has a length of 30.48m, width of 6.53m and 2.83 draft. Her triple expansion steam engine gave her 550HP and attached to her single propeller, allowed her to speed 10 knots.
During her carreer, she changed a few owners and names. Until 1936, N.V. Nederlandsche Stoomsleepdienst v/h van P. Smit Jr. Then the manager changes to N.V. Internationale Sleepdienst Maatschappij and renamed as Maas. There is most probably a typo on the source but while working in a salvage operation of Italian ship SS Comitas, she got hit and sunk due to damage. Later that year, refloated and repaired around these years.
In 1940 she falls in German hands and gets the name Laz 44 by Kriegsmarine. In 1941 gets transferred to Dutch sea rescue and renamed ZRD 20. Same year she goes back to Kriegsmarine as DWO 128. In 1945, she was found in Copenhagen and returned to Smit and got back the name Maas.
In 1953 the tugboat was renamed Waterweg and in 1956 she was sold to Caspel S.p.A., Servizi Marittimi Portuali Palermo Italy. The new owners renamed the tug as Sicanus. On 23rd of October 1973, during bad weather she ran aground and was scrapped there in 1975.
The plans of tugboat Afrika is in PDF format, scans from original drawings. The plans include Hull lines plan, rigging plan, general arrangement plans, deck plans, etc. Once sorted out, it will be a good source to build a scale model.
sources
Internet Archive
Stichting Maritiem-Historiche Databank
zeesleepvaart archive
