Steam Tug Mayflower, Bristol, England (UK), 2012

A much smaller steam-powered vessel in Bristol is the Mayflower, built in May of 1861. To put that in perspective, the U.S. Civil War had only been going on for one month. Britain would side with the Confederacy, at least unofficially, and temporarily. That's a whole story in itself. In spite of its name, though, the Mayflower had no connection to America. More impressive was that it served for 103 years, until 1964!!! It didn't wear out, either. It still runs today, although only for tourists. It wasn't under steam when I was there, but it had run recently. The stern claims it was or is based in Gloucester, probably because it was originally built for the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. For most of its career, though, it served primarily right here, in the Bristol Channel. In fact, it probably helped to push the S.S. Great Britain at some point. However, the engine was replaced in 1899, soon after it was moved to the Channel, so the engine used today, while old, isn't really a genuine 1861 steam engine.