Although returned to Red Funnel in 1945 after war service it was not until July 1947 that Bournemouth Queen’s major rebuild was complete and she was ready to be returned to excursion service in rejuvenated form with greatly improved passenger accommodation, a large pear shaped funnel and a new bridge with varnished wheelhouse.
Her first appearance at Bournemouth after the war was on Monday 21st July 1947 when she ran a day trip to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight and Southampton on what was a windy day with heavy rain which is not ideal paddle steamer weather.
The previous week her imminent return had been trumpeted with the Bournemouth Evening Echo reporting:
“Many Bournemouth visitors and residents who enjoyed steamer trips from Bournemouth Pier before the war will welcome news that the SS Bournemouth Queen is to return to service at the weekend. The Bournemouth Queen was always a favourite with steamer passengers in the old days. About five years before the war the Red Funnel Company installed a cocktail bar and lounge on the Queen which rejoiced in the name “Queen’s Parlour”. This it may be remembered had a decorative colour scheme of Chinese red with black and gold mountings.”
Unlike some of Cosens’s paddle steamers, which were converted to oil‑firing after the war, Bournemouth Queen remained coal‑fired throughout her career despite her more modern appearance. And on any coal‑fired ship the rate at which the stokers must feed the boiler naturally varies with the speed of the vessel.
Kingswear Castle, for example, has four valve settings for full ahead — numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. Once the boiler and fire are properly set up, number 1 needs only occasional shovels of coal. Numbers 2 and 3 demand a quicker rhythm, and on number 4 the stoker is at it almost continuously. It makes a big difference. And on a long day trip from Poole to Swanage to Bournemouth to Yarmouth to Southampton and back again on Bournemouth Queen, the valve settings made a big difference to her stokers too.
Kingswear Castle returned to service in 2026 after the second part of a major rebuild which is designed to set her up for the next 25 years. The Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust is now fund raising for future rebuilds. You can read more and how you can possibly help here.
John Megoran
This article was first published on 21st July 2021.
