Closure of Bristol City Docks
By 1967, the equipment of Pyronaut and Endres Gane was becoming worn out and obsolete. A new fire-float for Avonmouth Docks, the Aquanaut, was ordered from Thames Launch Works Ltd., London, and delivered in 1969. Powered by twin Thornycroft diesel engines driving Schottel propulsion units, the new craft was very manoeuvrable, and her Rolls-Royce turbocharged pumps allowed her to deliver 2,000 imperial gallons (9,100 l; 2,400 US gal) of water per minute through hoses and four monitors; additionally, she carried large tanks for foam which was discharged through a fifth, dual-purpose, monitor. Aquanaut replaced the Endres Gane, which was sold into private hands; she can still be seen acting as a storage hulk in the city docks.
Instead of buying a new fire-float for the city docks, it was decided to re-equip Pyronaut, and this was carried out in 1968 to 1969, at Charles Hill's. Her Petter Atomic diesel engines and Merryweather reciprocating pumps were replaced with Ruston & Hornsby diesels. These were installed with the normal drive facing forwards, so that the full power of the engines could be applied to the new Coventry Climax centrifugal pumps, and yet still provide sufficient power from the auxiliary end of the engines to drive the screws. At the same time, remote controls of the engine from the steering position was introduced, so that it was no longer necessary to station an engineer in the engine room at all times.
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