The Octopus was the former British Moorgrieve of the British Royal Navy built in 1944, bought by the Dutch Bureau Wijsmuller in 1963 and broken up in 1970.
According to www.googleships.co.uk was she the Moor-class mooring vessel Moorgrieve launched 4 September 1944 at the Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing C. Limited yard at Goole for the Royal British Navy, building number 404, fitted out with steam engines and 457 tons GRT, sold in 1964 to the Dutch Bureau Wijsmuller at Ijmuiden and renamed Octopus while converted into a salvage vessel. She was laid up in 1969 and her engines were at IJmuiden removed. Finally broken up at Hamburg, Germany in 1970.
J.J. Colledge. Ships of the Royal Navy an historical index vol. 2 (1970), said she was launched at Goole 4 September 1944 and placed on the sale list in 1963. For technical details he referred to the Moorburn, a mooring vessel of 1.000 tons, dimensions 160 x 34"and armed with 1-12pdr gun and 2-20mm guns.
N.J. Ouwehand. 100 jaar Wijsmuller. Van Uitbrengreizen in 1906 tot samenvoeging met Svitzer (2006) wrote that the GRT was 557 tons and she provided 1.000 ihp.
According to http://www.bureau-wijsmuller.nl/mapoctopus/inhoudoctopus.htm was she towed end August 1963 by the Nestor from Vlaardingen to IJmuiden. According to not confirmed sources was she to be broken up at Zaandam but was Wijsmuller given temporarily permission by the scrap yard to use her for salvaging of the sunk WR.47. However, when she became possession of Wijsmuller it was nothing more than an empty hull without any equipment on board and not capable to go anywhere lacking own power. Dimensions 48,46 x 11 x 3,60 meter (hold), fitted out with a 1.000 ihp steam engine and measured 507 BRT. She was fitted out with two lifting arms with a lifting weight capacity of 200 ton fore or horizontal with the complete ship of 1.000 ton. There were 6 winches on board, 2 fore, 3 amidships and one aft. The latter could also be used for towing. Between September-October 1964 rebuilt and fitted out at the yard of Verschure at Amsterdam, Netherlands. Since her rebuilding her BRT was 512 tons. Mid July 1969 went she to Zaandam where the engines and boilers were removed and in 1970 she was broken up at Hamburg, Germany. This interesting and informative website provides much more information dealing with the Octopus and other ships and vessels of Wijsmuller.
