| History | |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |
| Name | Hero |
| Builder | Andrews of Maidenhead |
| Launched | 1895 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Pinnace |
| Installed power | Steam |
Hero is a steam-powered pinnace, [1] a small boat of the type used, for example, as a tender to larger vessels, believed to have been built as an electric launch, [1] by Andrews of Maidenhead, England in 1895, [1] with the name Avondale.
She is made from teak on steamed oak ribs laid in the carvel style, with a clipper bow, counter stern and a wooden canopy on 10 brass stanchions. [1] Her overall length is 35 feet (11 m), beam 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) and draft 2 feet (0.61 m). [1]
The vessel reportedly attended the Cookham regatta in 1901 [1] and was known to be electrically powered in 1912. [1] She was converted to run on petrol by the late 1960s, [1] after which, she was again converted, to run on steam, [1] with a Merryweather boiler. [1] It was in this state that she was acquired by John Player & Sons, [1] who used her for promotional purposes, and lent her [2] to the producers of the television series The Onedin Line, in which she was featured. [1] [2] She also appeared in the series Edward the Seventh.
Players also installed an oil fired scotch dry back boiler. [1] The vessel was acquired by its current owner Nigel Thomson in 1996, [1] who again replaced the boiler, with one built 1998 by D.& S. Steam Engineering Ltd of Raunds, Northamptonshire. [1]