The Tugmen's Tale

Born in Hull, on the Willerby Road, Mike Crawley first went to sea in 1963, after completing a radio operator’s course and joining the Merchant Navy. He later transferred to inshore tugs, working in Hull docks, then to offshore or deep sea tugs, and also worked in the North Sea for the oil industry.  Mike’s career on the tugs took him across the world, before he changed direction to pursue a life behind the camera, becoming, amongst other things, a successful television cameraman specialising in live broadcasts for horse racing.

Gary Bales worked on the tugs sailing out of Hull from 1972 until 1988. In 1982, he embarked on a journey that was to be quite unlike any other: setting sail for the South Atlantic on board the ‘Irishman’, as part of the Task Force employed to liberate the Falkland Islands, during the war between Argentina and the United Kingdom.   On 25th May 1982, the Argentine air force hit the British merchant ship ‘Atlantic Conveyor’, killing 12 of the crew. The ship was abandoned but remained afloat; the ‘Irishman’ was sent to salvage the vessel. Gary Bales and his tug mate, Dennis Betts, managed to board the burning ship to attach the tow line, not once but twice. They were awarded the British Empire Medal for their bravery.