SB Decima


The Decima is a steel Thames sailing barge constructed in Southampton in 1899 by J G Fay & Son Ltd, for E. J. Goldsmith of Grays, Essex. She is back under sail and resident on the River Darent in Dartford, Kent. She is a notable "Historic Ship".

History

The ubiquitous Thames sailing barge had evolved over a century from the small swim-headed wooden river lighter, to the efficient river and estuary vessel with a rounded bow and stem post, that would take cargoes of up to 200 tons and regularly race to test design changes. The farmer sailed vessel used on short runs on the upper reaches of the London River had been eclipsed by the hoy companies running mixed cargoes from Margate and Ipswich to the west of London, and indeed doing occasional coastal work as far as the Tyne and the Lizard.
These companies owned not one but many of the wooden barges and were commissioning barges made of iron and steel. One of the largest of these companies was Goldsmiths of Grays in Essex, a company that owned 147 barges in 1905s against the fleet of 120 run by the London and Rochester Trading Company in the 1930s. A.P.C.M. was a collection of the fleets of cement firms and they had over 300.
In 1898 they commissioned twenty-two 160 tonners 'iron-pots' from Braby in Deptford and Fay and Co in Southampton. Braby barges had square chines which enhanced their windward performance at the expense of off the wind, all the Fay barges were all built to a similar design with rounded chines. The rounded chine led to dismal performance to windward and a heavy dependency on the leeboards. The SB Decima was built to this design by Fay and Co.
NameOfficial No.TonsYearBuiltRegistered
ASTRILD 110162691899SouthamptonLondon
BRITON 109988801898SouthamptonLondon
CALLUNA 110043641898SouthamptonLondon
CAMBRIA 110043681899SouthamptonLondon
CARINA 110044641898SouthamptonLondon
CIRCE 110147681899SouthamptonLondon
DECIMA 110055671899SouthamptonLondon
ESTEREL 110200671899SouthamptonLondon
GLORIA 109991571898SouthamptonLondon
GRECIAN 110011801898SouthamptonLondon
LORNA 110042641898SouthamptonLondon
MELISSA 110078671899SouthamptonLondon
NAMARA 110079671899SouthamptonLondon
NORMAN 10998982/791898SouthamptonLondon
SAXON11001080/741898SouthamptonLondon
SCOT 110008801898SouthamptonLondon
SCOTIA 110198691899SouthamptonLondon
SENTA 110161691899SouthamptonLondon
SIESTA 110083671899SouthamptonLondon
SPARTAN 10999067/821898SouthamptonLondon
SPERANZA 110054671899SouthamptonLondon
TROJAN 109987791898SouthamptonLondon
VARUNA 110124691899SouthamptonLondon
VIROCCA 110123691899SouthamptonLondon
YAMPA 110125691899SouthamptonLondon
YARANA 110126691899SouthamptonLondon

As a steel ship, skippers could push her hard without fear of busting the caulking, but the ironpots were built for steady not spectacular progress. At sea they could be recognised by an undersized topsail. The barges were 'seekers' but the skippers, as Goldsmith's employers they had less freedom on which cargoes to accept and the route, that was done by the office. Goldsmith were described by Benham as ´the Pickfords of the North Sea'.
She was involved in the great 70-mile-an-hour gale of November 23, 1938 when nine barges sought assistance from lifeboats along the Suffolk coast. The lifeboat took off her crew, and she made her own way to safety on a beach in Holland. She was sunk herself in 1940 when a deck cargo of timber broke free off Southend pier. She was recovered and resumed trading.
She was sold in 1949, and became a motor barge. Her rigging was stripped away and she continued trading. She took her last cargo in 1977: scrap metal to Queenborough.

Restoration

Out of trade she was first sold to her last skipper, Bertie Wildish who re-rigged her as a charter barge with sails and motor. In 1999 she was sold to Jeremy Taunton for use as a houseboat. The well-known sailing barge restorer and shipwright Tim Goldsack, bought Decima in 2003. He completed a major restoration. She was gutted and a substantial number of the hull and deck plates were replaced. She was given a new set of rigging and good second-hand sails. A new Gardner 6LXB engine was fitted. She was sailing again in 2004.
Decima was sponsored by the jam maker, Wilkin and Son Ltd of Tiptree, Essex in 2010, and their logo was displayed prominently on the topsail.
She was sold by Tim Goldsack to David Leal in 2016.
In 2018 she passed along the Dartford Creek to above Dartford lock.

Rig and construction

The hull of a keel-less Thames barge was always a compromise between the cargo carrying capacity, and her sailing properties. Swim-head lighters could pack in the grain, but not sail competitively in rough water, let alone in lower reaches of the river, or on the estuary. Decima was built to work the estuary and do runs along and across the Channel and the North Sea, she was built to an established specification and a design decision was made that should have a rounded chine and put greater use to her leeboards. Her hull was constructed of steel and was long, and wide.
Thames barges could be rigged in many ways, and in her life she has been rigged with a loosefooted sprit-sail twice, in between acting as a motor barge. An indication of the original spars and sails can be surmised from E H March's detailed measurement of the SB Kathleen, a wooden barge doing similar work that was launched 3 years later. This is supported by a 1909 dated sailplan in Goldfinch's of Whitstable sailbook. In contrast, we have some details of the Jewish, that was built in 1899 in Barking then renamed as the HKD. She was a 65-ton, by vessel.

Spars

On the Kathleen, the mainmast was heel to hounds, heel to head, the topmast was to hounds, to cap with a headstick. The sprit was. The mizzen was with a sprit, and a boom. Her bowsprit was with outboard.
On the HKD, the mainmast was heel to hounds, heel to head, the topmast was heel to hounds, pole with a headstick. The sprit was. The mizzen was with a sprit, and a boom. Her bowsprit was outboard.

Sails

On the Kathleen, the mainsail was , by with a lee of and a of foot , giving a sail area of.
The topsail was , with a lee of and a of foot , giving a sail area of.
The foresail was , with a lee of and a of foot , giving a sail area of.
The jib was , with a lee of and a foot of.
Her jib topsails were , with a lee of and a foot of, giving a sail area of, and a lighter set with , with a lee of and a of foot , giving a sail area of.
Her mizzen was , by with a lee of and a of foot giving a sail area of.
On the HKD the sail measurements were roughly similar. She carried of canvas in total.
The sails on a Thames barge are red ochre in colour. The sailcloth is of flax, and to be kept in a supple and waterproof condition it must be dressed. Importantly, the flax must not dry out or will chafe against the rigging or against the rails when not in use. The sailmaker's exact formula is a closely guarded secret, and sailormen believe that some dressings are faster than others. It is based on red-ochre suspended in a mixture of fish oils, linseed oil, seawater and horse urine. The HKD required of sail dressing annually.