The first trips of the 1953 season for Cosens’s largest paddle steamer and flagship of the fleet Emperor of India were scheduled for Tuesday 9th June, under the command of Capt Phillip St Barbe Rawle, with departures from Bournemouth Pier at 10am and 2.15pm for Totland Bay, Isle of Wight. The trip took about an hour and a half each way with the morning run offering 5 hours ashore and the afternoon one about an hour and a half. On arriving back at Bournemouth at 7pm Emperor sailed light ship without passengers to her overnight berth alongside Poole Quay.
Also sailing from Bournemouth on this day were Embassy which offered a 10.15am departure to Southampton Docks to view the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth; Monarch which ran the Swanage service with departures at 10.30am, 2.30pm, 4.15pm and 6pm; and Consul which brought passengers up from Weymouth and whilst at Bournemouth offered a 2.30pm Grand Cruise to the Needles Lighthouse, Isle of Wight before making off back home to Weymouth via Swanage at 5pm.
As the largest and most expensive paddle steamer to operate in the Cosens fleet, the Emperor of India tended to have the shortest season of all often not coming out until late June/early July and retreating back to lay-up in Weymouth in early September. However she was out early in 1953 to capitalise on the revenue opportunity presented by the Coronation Royal Naval Review with all the mass of ships taking part anchored at Spithead. With Empress alone holding the fort at Weymouth and with Consul, Embassy and Monarch away for other work in connection with the review at Southampton and Southsea, it fell to the Emperor alone to run trips from Bournemouth to view the fleet in the Solent off Southsea.
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 9th June 2021.
