Around the low water on Friday 27th November 1903 a diver was sent down alongside the railway pier at New Holland to try to retrieve the port gangway door which had fallen in from the paddle steamer Cleethorpes as she arrived fresh from her builders in Dundee at lunchtime on Saturday 21st November. The diver managed to locate it in the murky depths lying on the bottom. Ropes were attached and it was hauled back aboard. Result.
Work continued aboard Cleethorpes in the next couple of weeks putting the final touches to making her ready for entry into service on the New Holland/Hull route in December.
Kingswear Castle returned to service in 2023 after the first part of a major rebuild which is designed to set her up for the next 25 years running on the River Dart. The Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust is now fund raising for the second phase of the rebuild. You can read more about the rebuilds and how you can help if you can here.
John Megoran
This article was first published on 27th November 2020.
