The 93 year-old fire float ‘PYRONAUT’, one of the working exhibits at M Shed, was called back into action on Friday 26th June 2026 to help cool down the large swing bridge at Cumberland Basin.
The extreme heat wave has been causing the bridge girders to expand and stop it from being able to open and close, so a dose of harbour water is handy to help cool the steel down.
Coincidentally I had a day off and Bob gave me a heads-up about this operation, so I was able to cycle out and catch ‘Pyronaut’ passing Albion Dockyard and capture the event on video.
Katie also came along and took some cracking photos-see below.








