Two undated card photos of the Fish Quay, North Shields. If you look at the second photo i'm sure that's a young "magoonigal" taking notes (see red arrow).

I had more hair then, of course.............

Having hair, those were the days.

Never mind old Gooney, where is our tug man with the name of the fine paddler?

Ends in LET or LEY maybe??

Running through Dave's Tyne Tugs site, the candidates seem to be:

GAUNTLET (1869): http://www.tynetugs.co.uk/gauntlet1869.html
JAMES CONLEY (1864): http://www.tynetugs.co.uk/jamesconley1864.html
STANLEY (1868): http://www.tynetugs.co.uk/stanley1868.html

.... as the system allows only 8 URLS per message, the 4th one will be listed separately!!

Ron

Candidate no. 4!

WILLIAM FINDLEY (1884): http://www.tynetugs.co.uk/williamfindley1884.html

Ron

Good detective work Ron. However 3 of those you mention had single cylinder engines and therefore likely to have had single boilers and single funnels. The exception is GAUNTLET and she has the added advantage of being a John Dry tug which would be a match for the funnel colours. Maybe? Could even be a Very Maybe?