This tug is listed on the UK Core Collection of Historic Vessels, a list comprising the 60 most historically significant ships in Britain.

In addition to representing a vanished class of ship, once so essential to our maritime economy, the John H Amos has the added advantage that her size and configuration make her ideally suited for the education of young people and the public generally about the operation of such steam-powered service vessels in the past.

The John H Amos has been based on the Medway in private ownership for the past 28 years. For some time it has been apparent that a vessel of this size and complexity is beyond the resources of an individual to maintain.

In order to overcome this problem the Medway Maritime Trust has taken ownership of the
John H Amos and has had a thorough survey of the vessel carried out with the aid of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This survey revealed that there is no technical impediment to the full restoration of the tug to steaming condition.

The Trust therefore intends to restore the ship in a number of manageable stages.
To this end, we have been offered the opportunity to haul out the vessel onto a floating pontoon large enough to provide the facilities of a repair and refit shipyard. With the tug safely out of the water on the pontoon we shall have the time and resources to devote to funding a full development plan, which is already formulated, to raise the full cost of restoration to the highest standards of historical authenticity.

Those involved in this project are determined to bring it to fruition, for the benefit of the people of the area and of the wider community beyond.

If you find our proposal of interest, or you think you can help, please contact us and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the John H Amos.