Now that she was down to eye-level, passers-by could see that concrete, chipped away on the deck, had revealed the original footings for the foremast, bollards and gallows. Also evident was the fact that the whole bridge section was by now completely cut through, being held temporarily in place by a series of nuts and bolts.
On deck, the door which had originally sealed the entrance to the recovery area, was now laid on the deck. There would be further use for this elsewhere on the Tiger.
Out of sight from the jetty, below in the recovery area, half of the Cam-installed false floor had been removed revealing the original fishroom stanchions-although only now a third of their original height.
On the 1st of October, the intermittent flash and flare of the welders torch could be seen on the bridge as lengths of angle-iron were fixed in place. These irons, six running fore and aft and two running top to bottom of the bridge, would strengthen, or brace, the plates against possible buckling when the bridge section would be lifted. The chart/wireless room and skippers berth would be braced in a similar fashion. In order to make the lift easier, engineers started to cut through the casing, from Port to Starboard, with a grinding disc, just forward of the funnel. Now, with all the bracing irons in place, the whole bridge section could be removed in two pieces, thereby minimising both the size and weight of the operation.
On the fore-deck, the companionway hood to the recovery area was measured and cut with an acetylene torch leaving a section, still attached to the deck, in place. This section left was the same dimensions as the original middle fishroom hatch for which it would now be used as a basis.
In doing this, it could be argued that this was the first positive action in the replacing of the 'original' fittings to the Tiger.
The Icing Sliced! The Tiger alongside with her bridge and casing removed and placed on the foredeck.
Whatever the case, the torch was brought into play again to slightly widen the doorway to the whale-back in order to accomodate the door which had been removed from the recovery area companionway. Once this door was in place, it would afford greater security when the vessel was not open to the public. At approximately 3pm, the crane arrived and, after its stabilising legs had been extended, swung its jib out over the Tiger, ready for the first lift. The first item to be removed was the now severed companionway hood which was swung ashore to join the scrap heap on the jetty.
Next, the port side davit and its mounting were removed then lifted, one after the other, onto the jetty. The davit, although non-original, would not be consigned to the scrap heap. Such had been the meticulous planning of the project, an important role for the davit had already been designated.
With the davit now safely on the jetty, work began on the removal of the radio mast from the funnel and the mast too joined the other fittings on the jetty. Before the crane was finished, two more containers of waste material were to be lifted ashore. With the remainder of the Cam fittings now removed, the Tiger resembled more and more the trawler she used to be.
By the 5th of October, both sets of rescue zone doors had been removed and the gaps left were made ready for the new plates which, when welded in place, would leave no suggestion that the hull had been cut at all.
On the port side, only the after-most doors had been removed and the gap made good. The remaining, fore-side doors would be left as they were for the time being.
On the boat-deck, the highest point of the stern was marked and cutting, with a grinding disc, began.
In the recovery area - or perhaps it may be now more apt to refer to it as the fishroom - doorways had been marked in both the engine room and fore-hold bulkheads. These doorways were, of course non-original but would be necessary to allow the safe and fluid access of the vessel by the public when she was ready for the 'Tiger Tours', as they would become known.
Brain Behind the Brawn L to R. Derek Masson, Arthur Harris and Steve Read.
On the 6th of October, 68 days after the Tiger was officially handed over to the town, the wind was very fresh which would make the next stage of the conversion even more difficult and delicate. Today was the day designated for the lifting of the bridge onto the fore-deck. Before this could be done, a certain amount of preparation would be necessary .
Lifting pads and rings were welded to the bridge in strategic places that would afford a clean, level lift whilst on the boat-deck the flagstaff, by now bent and crooked after many years of being battered by seas, was removed in readiness for the lifting of the pre-cut stern section. As this would leave a dangerous gap in the deck exposing the drying room and aft accomodation, a 'jury' rail was erected using scaffolding poles across the area to seal the danger off.
At approximately 2pm, the crane arrived and backed slowly down the jetty towards the stern of the Tiger. Once in position, the jib was swung out over the stern and the book lowered towards the men waiting below. After securing and adjusting the lifting chains, the bolts which had been temporarily holding the stern section in place were removed and the crane lifted and swung the section ashore onto the jetty.
This done, the crane then re-positioned itself in readiness to lift the bridge section, by now in two halves.
After check lines had been attached and a last inspection of all the retaining bolts had been made, the bridge section rose slowly up and then forward towards its temporary resting place on the fore-deck. After some careful, and precise, positioning the bridge was slowly lowered onto the fore-deck, coming to rest on chocks placed there for greater stability.
Once done, the crane backed up slightly in order to remove the bridge casing which was done following the same procedure as was employed for the bridge, placing the casing just behind the bridge on the fore-deck.
Before the cranes work was done, new plates were hoisted aboard, a hazardous undertaking in the high wind, in readiness to be welded into the gaps left by the rescue zone doors the following day.
In complete contrast to the 6th, the 13th of October dawned bright and sunny and, at 1O.38am, the pace on the docks was one of ease and the warm weather and bright sun lent to this 'Sunday afternoon' atmosphere.
On No2 jetty though, where the Tiger was still berthed, there was signs of the activity that had taken place during the previous six days. The funnel, sat atop the bridge casing, had had its cowl removed for scraping and the funnel top had had a plate welded across its aperture, thus sealing it against any heavy rainfall, preventing seepage. The entire sections left by the removal of the bridge and stern section was covered by tarpaulins, again as a preventive measure against the weather and to deter over-inquisitive passers by who might visit this new 'attraction' to the town.
One visitor this morning was a reporter from Radio Humberside who was collecting interviews and opinions, my own included, for broadcast on the station the following day.
On the starboard side, the new plates had been fitted, the only evidence of this having taken place being the different colour of the new metal.
Over on the port side, work had started on the addition of a platform which would used in conjuntion with the ladder, now removed from the starboard boat deck, to allow the safe flow of visitors to and from the boat-deck when the vessel opened to the public. On the boat-deck itself, all remaining non- original vents had been removed and the holes.they left had been sealed.
