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Medway Queen seen at Southend in 1960 in a photo kindly supplied by Gillon Ferguson
Built by
in 1924 Ailsa Shipbuilding Co in Troon
Length 179.9 ft : 316 GRT
Engines : Compound Diagonal 21 and 48 in x 48 in
Owned by the new Medway Steam Packet Company, based in Rochester on
the River Medway, England
Cruised from the Medway ports into the Thames estuary and up to
Clacton or Herne Bay
Bow rudder fitted in 1936
Reboilered in 1938 for oil burning
Employed during World War II as a minesweeper
Made seven crossings for the Dunkirk evacuations and seriously
damaged on the final return leg
Returned to cruising after the war for the General Steam Navigation
Co who had taken over the New Medway company
Laid up after the 1963 season
Saved from the breakers, opening in 1966 as a marina clubhouse on the
Isle of Wight but became increasingly derelict and sunken
Returned to the Medway on a floating pontoon in 1984 and berthed at
Chatham under the ownership of the Medway Queen Preservation Society
Flooding on the tide at Chatham as preservationists attempted to preserve and restore her
Refloated on 1/11/97 and towed to Damhead Creek one week later
The Damhead Creek mud berth allowed the preservationists to work on her but deterioration was faster than preservation.
A
plan was drawn up to apply for National Lottery funding to replace the
derelict hull using whatever original materials were re-usable.
Funding was obtained to build a new hull up to main deck level only.
The ship was dismantled in 2006 with potentially reusable parts, particularly the main engine, put into storage
** A REPLICA OF THE VESSEL INCORPORATING THE ORIGINAL ENGINE BEGAN CONSTRUCTION IN BRISTOL IN 2009 : see Medway Queen (II)
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