12th May 1949:
Consul
Consul was the last of Cosens’s paddle steamers to be returned to service after the Second World War. Indeed given the state of her structure there was some doubt as
11th May 1916:
Captain Rawle
On Saturday 11th May 1916 at Holy Trinity Church Weymouth the funeral took pace of Cosens’s master Captain Philip St Barbe Rawle who had lost his life at Newhaven Harbour
10th May 1937:
Glen Gower & Waverley
On Monday 10th May 1937 P & A Campbell’s Waverley left Cardiff at 8am bound for Newhaven. She was followed at 10.15am by Glen Gower for Brighton. This long positioning run
9th May 1964:
Jeanie Deans
After her refit at Lamont’s Shipyard at Port Glasgow in March and through to mid April 1964, Jeanie Deans returned to service on Saturday 9th May with a charter to
8th May 1934:
Mercury & Caledonia
On Tuesday 8th May 1934 a press cruise was organised to show off the brand new paddle steamers Mercury and Caledonia which had been built for the London, Midland and
7th May 2011:
Kingswear Castle
On Saturday 11th May 2011 Kingswear Castle ran a Thames Estuary cruise from her base at the Historic Dockyard Chatham. We were away at 11.05 with bacon rolls for sale on
6th May 1960:
Princess Elizabeth
With the arrival of the new purpose built car ferry Carisbrooke Castle for the Southampton to Cowes ferry service in May 1959, Red Funnel withdrew Princess Elizabeth and put her up for
5th May 2025:
VE Day Unlocks Doors
VE Day on 8th May 1945 started to unlock the doors and focus minds on a return to peace time excursions. With their Gracie Fields sunk in the war and
5th May 2025:
Unslipping a Dresden Paddle Steamer
Ever wondered how the Dresden paddle steamers are slipped? Then take a look at this video filmed last week as PS Krippen was put back in the water ready for
5th May 1962:
Cardiff Queen
On Saturday 5th May 1962 Cardiff Queen, under the command of Captain Leo Virgo, was rostered to run on the Cardiff/Weston ferry. Having started the day before Good Friday on
5th May 1953:
Monarch
On Tuesday 5th May 1953 Cosens’s paddle steamers Monarch and Embassy left Weymouth at the crack of dawn for Southampton where they entered the same drydock shortly after mid-day. This
4th May 1953:
Maid of the Loch
On Monday 4th May 1953 Maid of the Loch ran trials on Loch Lomond under the command of Captain Donald MacDonald. Ordered from the Clyde shipyard of A & J Inglis
3rd May 1918:
Duchess of Devonshire
On Friday 3rd May 1918 Duchess of Devonshire was at her home port of Exmouth being prepared for her second season running a makeshift Cardiff/Weston ferry service for P & A
2nd May 1934:
Sandown
On Wednesday 2nd May 1934 Sandown was in the fitting out basin at Denny’s yard at Dumbarton having been launched the day before. She had been ordered on 30th November
1st May 2019:
Dresden
On 1st May 2019 there was a paddle steamer parade on the River Elbe setting off from Dresden and sailing up river in consort. There was much blowing of whistles,
May 2026:
Ouchy Shipyard Open Days
The CGN’s Ouchy shipyard opened its gates to the public on 18–19 April 2026, offering a rare chance to see the engineering, craftsmanship and behind‑the‑scenes work that keeps the Léman
30th April 1936:
Kenilworth
At her annual dry-docking in the run up to the 1936 season the Board of Trade started to make noises about the amount of work which would be needed to
29th April 1961:
Medway Queen
On Saturday 29th April 1961 members of the London and Home Counties Branch of the PSPS visited Medway Queen on the grid at the Acorn Shipyard at Strood. They were greeted
28th April 1901:
Majestic
On Sunday 28th April 1901 the freshly built Majestic was lying alongside at the shipyard of A & J Inglis (which 46 years later would build our own Waverley) with
27th April 1964:
Consul
On 27th April 1964 Consul left Weymouth under the command of Capt Cyril “Chum” Holleyoak, formerly of Consul (1961), Embassy (1962) and Princess Elizabeth (1963), for slipping at Poole but