The History of Lutteur
The tug "Lutteur" was born
in February 1963 at the shipyard 'Forges et Chantier de la Mediterranee'
(FCM) in Le Havre, France and built for the French Navy.
At the time,the FCM was one of the most prestigious French shipyards,
having built the famous cruise ship the "Normandie" that
held the famous "Ruban Bleu" title for
several years (the record for the fastest Transatlantic crossing).
Based in Cherbourg during all its career, Lutteur had two main missions
: Surveillance and security of the Channel and special assistance
to the FOS (French Strategic Ocean Force) submarines.
Lutteur's status of 'strategic ship' meant that the French Navy gave
it special attention and especially a first class maintenance (15
crew members of which 4 were engineers, full checks and dismantling
every 5 years,etc...).This first class maintenance makes Lutteur an
exceptional boat of a quality rarely equalled on the market.
Lutteur also had a civilian life : its beautiful hull shape and its
"1930s retro" style were in perfect harmony with the high
bows of the cruise ships the "France" and "Queen Elizabeth
II" or other cruise ships stopping over regularly at the Transatlantic
Station of Cherbourg in the 1960s and 1970s. The powerful "Lutteur'
was their designated tugboat.
Lutteur pushing and pulling the QE2
Swinging between the rigorous military life and the splendid Transatlantic
Era, Lutteur was also a valiant tugboat that carried out dangerous
missions in the Channel and the Irish Sea.
Its most famous crew member, who was part of every mission during
12 years was the mascot, 'Jojo' the dog, who was finally upgraded
to the rank of 'quartier maitre 2e classe'.
For all who knew Lutteur, it was a 'happy' boat.
But years go by and other larger and more powerful boats take over
and in 2001, 'Lutteur' was released from its military life with all
honours.
