Society Paddler embarks on 25th Sailing Season!

(pics courtesy of Capt John Megoran)

As you may or may not know the PSPS have another paddlesteamer by the name of Kingswear Castle. This immaculate little paddler is based at Chatham Historic Dockyard and was built in 1924 for service on the River Dart along with two sister ships ps Compton Castle & ps Totnes Castle.

The PSPS bought the ship in 1967 and returned her to service in 1985. More on her history can be found here.


I've just received an email advising that the ship has completed her trials this morning and has had her passenger certificate issued for season 2009.

Her first sailings of the new season start on Saturday (11th April) and continue over the Easter weekend in conjunction with a steam event at Chatham Historic Dockyard over this weekend.



As the title suggests this is Kingswear Castle's 25th year of full operation so what better excuse do you need to go for a sail!! More details of sailings etc can be found on the Kingswear Castle Website.



Congrats to Kingswear Castle and to Capt John Megoran who also celebrates his 25th season at the helm of the company as well!! All the Best for 2009 from the Scottish Branch.

Gavin Stewart

Clyde Turbine Legend Up For Sale

Queen Mary as Queen Mary II

(after changing her name to allow Cunard to use it for their new liner)

Queen Mary leaving Rothesay (btwn 1965-68 with Single Funnel)

She may not be a paddle steamer but the 1933 Denny of Dumbarton built turbine steamer Queen Mary has had a connection with our Waverley practically all her operational life - whether it be fleetmate (1948 - 1973) or in competition (1975 - 1977).

Famous for changing her name in deference to Cunard's Transatlantic Liner and withdrawn from service in 27th September 1977, Queen Mary was eventually sold in 1980 to Bass Leisure Retail, decommissioned and moved to London to become a floating pub / restaurant at Embankment on the River Thames where she has remained to date.

Due to a change of owners the old girl is now up for sale again - her future uncertain in this hard economic climate.

More details and photos are available here.

So anyone with a spare £155,000 lying around can have a 1000ton chunk of Clyde maritime history!!

Queen Mary as she is today at Embankment Pier, River Thames

Gavin Stewart

New Hull for Dunkirk Veteran Paddler "Medway Queen"

Major Step in Restoration of Dunkirk Veteran
(Words by Gavin Stewart, Photos from Author's Collection)

In the last week or so news has emerged that Paddle Steamer Medway Queen is to have a new hull built by David Abels (Boatbuilders) of Bristol.

Partnership funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Medway Queen Preservation Society has provided the finance required to carry out this 1st and major step in the restoration of this famous little paddler.

The new hull will be of all rivetted construction - the first time a hull such as this has been built in England for fifty years. More details are available if you follow the link at the end of this article.

A bit of history behind the vessel:

ps Medway Queen was built in 1924 by Ailsa Shipbuilding Ltd at Troon on the Firth of Clyde for service on the River Medway. During peace time she gave pleasure cruise in the river and surrounding waters. When WWII broke out the vessel evacuated children from Kent to East Anglia before joining the Admiralty as a minesweeper - paddlesteamers are ideal for this roled due to their shallow draft (depth below the waterline).

She was also part of the huge fleet of little ships who assisted at the Dunkirk Evacuations in 1940 - Medway Queen evacuating 7000 men over seven return trips - shooting down enemy aircraft in the process!!! In recognition of this huge achievement she honoured with four gallantry awards.

After the war she was reconditioned and returned to service. In 1953 she attended the Coronation Fleet Review (see picture above). How many flags can you possibly get on one little ship!!

Medway Queen continued to give sterling service to her owners until she was withdrawn in 1963. The photo below is believed to show the ship on her last cruise to Southend-on-Sea.

Various static roles followed with varying success until being taken over by the Medway Queen Preservation Society who have saved her from certain demolition and through hard work and determination have gained the support (financial and otherwise) to get the project to this current stage.

So hats off to the Medway Queen Preservation Society and on behalf of the Scottish Branch of the PSPS - CONGRATULATIONS!!!

For detailed information on ps Medway Queen - including how to join them - please go to their website here.

The Heart of Our Paddler

When you see Waverley going about her business in one of her many sailing areas throughout the cruising season what do you see?

Well.....the most obvious things are her two red, white and black funnels - rising proudly from the deck - their rake making the ship look like she is doing 18 knots standing still!! The subtle sheer of her hull or those black fan shaped paddle boxes.

But what makes this masterpiece of wood, steel and brass tick?

See video below to find out!!! (may take a few seconds to load depending on connection speed)

2100ihp of triple expansion steam engine - the heart of our paddler!!

Gav

Video Clip - Steam Capstan from Flying Buzzard

Not about paddles but definitely steam!! Click on the play button bottom left to play the video clip - please note that it may take a few seconds to start depending on your internet connection speed.

Steam Tug Flying Buzzard is a harbour tug built by Ferguson Bros, Port Glasgow in 1951 for the Clyde Shipping Co Ltd. She was one of three near identical vessels the others being Flying Merlin and Flying Petrel.

She was sold from the fleet in the 60s and after a spell in Dundee ended up residing in Maryport at the then new Maritime Museum. When the Museum went to the wall in 2001 she was bought by a private owner who removed her boiler and brass fittings and effectively left her to rot in the harbour.

In 2004 she was bought by Mr Mike Nelder, the steam plant was removed and replaced by an oil motor from a scrapped trawler. The redundant main steam engine and ancillary equipment was sold to the Scottish Maritime Museum and is being restored at the moment. The capstan was on display at last weekend's Glasgow River Festival and was being operated by compressed air.

For more information on Flying Buzzard visit her website here

The museum had another working exhibit on their stand which was a compound steam engine from a floating crane - more on that one another time.

Cheers for now!

Gavin