TID172 was built in 1946. It is believed that she was first in service in Lowestoft for a short period after being commissioned and then transferred to Chatham for the rest of her admiralty service.
In 1973 TID172 was sold to ship breakers and they in turn sold her to Albert Groom for preservation. Between 1973 and 1975 she was used for pleasure and at one point was taken up to London and used to provide steam power to the tug "Challenge".
In 1975 TID172 was laid up in Ipswich Wet Dock (England). In 1980 Albert displayed a sign on the side of the vessel asking for volunteers to help get her operational again. As a result the present preservation group became involved. Overhauling the boiler was took all that winter and it was flashed up in the spring of 1981 for her first trip in 5 years; a turn around the Wet Dock.
TID172 was used for a few local trips during the summer of 1981 and was based in the wet dock at Ipswich. During the winter of 1981/2, whilst the tug was in her winter lay up there was an explosion in the aft accommodation. This blew the deckhead out and Albert was blown up into the air and landed back in the aft accommodation. Fortunately, he only suffered a broken collar bone and burns to his hands and face. Apart from the deckhead, the explosion had blown off one of the towing bars, pushed the engine room bulkhead forward and damaged the cooling water circulating pump and numerous pipes.
The tug was taken to Ipswich Ship Repair Yard where all the damaged steelwork was replaced. The preservation group spent over a year repairing the damage to the Engine Room which involved the condenser being moved to allow work on the bulkhead.
On a separate visit to the shipyard, TID172 was put on the slip and most of the chine was doubled.
The boiler had been left full of water during the lay up and there was electrolytic corrosion of the tubes. On several of the occasions that steam was raised a boiler tube failed. As there was no way of telling which tubes were likely to failnext, the boiler had all its plain tubes replaced in 1985.
In 1987 the funnel was replaced and a ten year boiler survey was carried out. TID172 attended the Centenary celebrations of Felixstowe dock basin.
On the 23rd of January 1988, Albert Groom died and TID172 was bought from his executors. Following receipt of a grant from a local engineering body, part of the rubbing strake was renewed by Ipswich Ship Repair Yard. In June 1986, TID172 went on her first major trip to Dordrecht, Holland for the biennial festival Dordt in Stoom.
In 1989 TID172 steamed to Ramsgate and Calais where a lot of local interest was generated. The gale of 1989 destroyed the wheel house and a new one was built.
In 1990 and 1992 TID172 again visited Dordrecht for the festival. On returning in 1992 she went to the shipyard in Ipswich for doubling of the rest of the chines and for renewal of the rudder bearings.
TID 172 attended Dordt in Stoom again in 1994 and 1996 and returned to Calais in 1995.
1997 brought another ten year survey on the boiler. This time three combustion chamber stays were replaced together with the feed water pipes and pipe work for the blow down and scum valves. A new smoke box was fitted and the boiler completely re-tubed. This has been a massive undertaking and 1997 is the first year that TID172 has not been in steam since 1982.
Apart from the major works and trips mentioned above there has been general maintenance throughout the years and TID172 has been steamed on six or seven occasions every year for local trips.