Megoran’s Musings

On Tuesday 28th August 1956 Monarch rescued two men from a small dinghy, called Dumbo, off the Old Harry Rocks in Poole Bay whilst on passage on her regular route

During the period from their development in the 1880s up to their almost complete demise by the late 1960s excursion and ferry paddle steamers in the UK enjoyed an enviable

On Thursday 26th August 1937 Duke of Devonshire was scheduled to leave Torquay (10.45am) for the 17 nautical mile run along the beautiful Devon Coast passing the Ore Stone, Babbacombe,

On Saturday 25th August 1928 the paddle steamer Royal Sovereign was scheduled to sail from Old Swan Pier at London Bridge to Ramsgate with London Belle shadowing her from Greenwich

On Wednesday 24th August 1960 Princess Elizabeth was scheduled to run from Haldon Pier Torquay on the following timetable: 11am MORNING CRUISE viewing Thatcher Rock, Babbacombe, Oddicombe, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Berry

In issue number 14 of Paddle Wheels ex army officer Captain L G A Thomas, then a stalwart of the Wessex Branch, recounted a day out he had almost forty

Prior to the Second World War it was the usual practice of Red Funnel to schedule two sailings a week, usually on Mondays, Wednesdays or sometimes Fridays, in the summer

On Monday 22nd August 1955 Britannia ran the long day trip from Bristol and Cardiff to Ilfracombe in place of Bristol Queen. Bristol Queen had been re-rostered to take over

On Saturday 21st August 1965 Princess Elizabeth was chartered at Weymouth on her usual day off service to play the role of a Dover Cross Channel packet for filming for

On Friday 20th August 1965 Princess Elizabeth left Weymouth at 9.30am for a day trip to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight with return at 7.30pm. It was a lovely day. The

After service in the Second World War as an anti-aircraft vessel and latterly as an accommodation ship Red Funnel’s cross Channel flyer Balmoral was returned to Southampton in 1947 in

On Thursday 19th August 1926 Columba was scheduled to leave Glasgow (7.11am) on the “Royal Route” for Rothesay (10.15am), Colintraive (10.40am), Tighnabruaich (10.55am), Tarbet (11.55am) and Ardrishaig (12.40pm) setting off

On Tuesday 18th August 1953 you could have taken any of 15 departures from Bournemouth Pier on one of four different paddle steamers between 10am in the morning and 9.30pm

Lulworth Cove was ever a beauty spot at which paddle steamers delivered far more passengers than they ever picked up but there were some staying in the vicinity who did

On Sunday 17th August 1958 Embassy sailed from Bournemouth Pier for a “Grand Channel Cruise to Portland Dockyard for a close up view of America’s famous nuclear submarine Nautilus.” Nautilus

On Saturday 16h August 1958 Bristol Queen was scheduled to sail from Bristol (9am) to Clevedon (10.05am), Cardiff (11.05am), Penarth (11.15am) and, Barry (11.50am) for Ilfracombe (2pm). She was then

Although not propelled by paddle wheels I tend to think of La Duchesse de Normandie as an honorary paddle steamer. She was 180ft long. She had two triple expansion steam

On Friday 8th August 1924 St Elvies was scheduled to take the day trip leaving Prince’s Landing Stage Liverpool at 10.45am for Llandudno (1.05pm – 1.15pm), Beaumaris (2.10pm), Bangor (2.25pm)

On Saturday 15th August 1959 Consul ran one hour trips from Weymouth at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm to view the United States Navy’s newly built nuclear powered submarine USS Skipjack

On Monday 14th August 1939 Balmoral was scheduled to sail on a day trip from Southampton to Ryde, Southsea, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor and Bournemouth. She was due away from Southampton

Consul started her 1960 season on Saturday 4th June running a ferry service between Weymouth and Portland Naval Dockyard for Navy Days. Her last scheduled trips of the season were

On Wednesday 13th August 1952 Cardiff Queen was scheduled to run from Hastings (8.15am), Eastbourne (9.15am) and Brighton (10.30am) to Shanklin, Isle of Wight (1.30pm – 3.30m) then back to

On Monday 12th August 1935 Golden Eagle, “The Happy Ship” was scheduled to leave Tower Pier (8am), Greenwich (8.30am), North Woolwich (9am), Southend (10.45am) for Margate (12.30pm). She then ran

On Monday 11th August 1930 Snowdon was scheduled to leave Llandudno (10.30am) for Beaumaris (11.45am), Bangor (12 noon), Menai Bridge (12.15pm) and Caernarvon (1pm – 3pm) with return to Menai

On Fridays from 6th July to 24th August 1962 our Waverley was advertised in the steamer notices to run the “Up River Cruise to Glasgow Viewing the famous shipyards and

On Wednesday 10th August 1960 Monarch was rostered to spend the day on the Bournemouth/Swanage service followed by a non-landing evening cruise to Totland Bay, Isle of Wight. She was

On Monday 9th August 1965 Waverley ran aground in Ardrossan Harbour while covering the 07.05 ferry service inward bound from Brodick. This trip was included in Waverley’s weekly roster from

In the last two posts we have seen snapshots of what Balmoral was doing in her Red Funnel days based at Southampton in 1956 and 1966. Today, let’s fast forward

On Monday 8th August 1955 Cardiff Queen ran a super long day trip away from Swansea at 8.30am for Ilfracombe 10.30am and then back across the Bristol Channel to Milford

On Friday 8th August 1952 Cosens’ Victoria was due away from Weymouth (9.30am) for Swanage (12.05pm) and Totland Bay, Isle of Wight (2pm – 4pm) and then back to Swanage

On Wednesday 7th August 1963 Embassy ran a day trip from Poole via Bournemouth to Yarmouth and Cowes, Isle of Wight. By this stage in her career Embassy had largely

On Thursday 6th August 1914 Majestic, described by Cosens as “Second to none on the South Coast”, was re-scheduled to run a day trip from Bournemouth (10.25am), Boscombe (10.40am) and

Let’s take a snapshot of a week in the life of Cosens’s Monarch running from Bournemouth in August 1960 and see what she was rostered to be up to: Friday