News

Visitors were welcomed to the Albion Dockyard in Hanover Place, Bristol from 12 noon and a short re-dedication ceremony commenced soon after 2pm with Project Manager Bob Stokes acting as Master of Ceremonies.

After speeches by Councillor Faruk Choudhury (the Lord Mayor of Bristol), Marshall Vine (MQPS President), Brian Burton (MQPS Chairman) and David Abels of the Albion Dockyard the traditional bottle of champagne was cracked on the ship’s bow by Evelyn, Emelia, and Elizabeth, daughters of Andrew Summerell (MD Albion Dockyard Ltd.).

A gathering of vessels of the Steam Boat Association waiting outside the dry dock then gave a rousing whistle salute which was followed by the National Anthem and a further prolonged whistle salute. The ceremonial party also included Sir William and Lady McAlpine, John and Noreen Chambers (MQPS Vice Presidents), Lucy Perry (representing the Heritage Lottery Fund), John Kempton   (MQPS Vice Chairman) and representatives from The Merchant Navy Association. The ceremony was witnessed by over 1000 visitors and guests.

The Albion Dockyard band performed beautifully from the fore deck of Medway Queen herself, both before and after the ceremony. The band previously played at nearly all the launches at the Albion Dockyard since 1942, when the yard was operated by Charles Hill and Sons until its merger with the Potterswood Band in 1966. It also performed at a ceremony marking the start of Medway Queen’s rebuild in 2009.

The event proved a popular one. Besides society members who came on a weekend coach trip to Bristol from Gillingham in Kent, enthusiasts from all over the UK and many Bristol residents came to the yard to see the ship pass this milestone in her restoration. Before the ceremony they were able to admire this historic vessel in her pristine new coat of paint and discuss her history with members of the society.

Medway Queen’s story includes seaside excursions, wartime minesweeping and the Dunkirk Evacuation as well as a rather different reputation as a nightclub on the Isle of Wight in the 1960s. Souvenirs, books and draw tickets were on sale and the inevitable collecting boxes were filled beyond expectation. Several new members were welcomed into the society.

The ceremonial party and guests assembled on board and were given a tour of the ship by Andrew Summerell before the main event. Afterwards, members of the Medway Queen Preservation Society and the public were allowed on board to admire the work done so far and to appreciate how much remains to be done.

The hull rebuild and the establishment of the society’s apprentice training workshops on Gillingham Pier have been supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and funding from the European Regional Development Fund via the INTERREG IVA 2 Seas Programme. The ceremony marked the end of this major phase of the ship’s restoration and the beginning of the refit to working order.

The timescale in which this refit can be achieved is entirely dependent on the success of the society’s fund raising and to that end grants, sponsorship and individual donations are all being sought. The priority areas are the upper aft saloon as a dining space and the engine room as a visitor attraction and the central part of any working vessel. A new boiler will be required for which the society does not yet have funding. Any offers of help in cash or in kind would be welcomed at the Medway Queen Project Office, Gillingham Pier, Gillingham. ME7 1RX.

The ship will not be leaving the dry dock immediately. There is more work to be done in preparation for the tow and then the tug has to be available and the weather outlook acceptable. When these conditions are all met the ship will be moved without further ceremony. Predicting exactly when this will happen is not possible but the details will be posted on www.medwayqueen.co.uk as they become clear.  It is intended that the ship’s arrival in Gillingham will also be marked in a suitable way but notice for this will be very short. The fitting out phase will then commence in earnest.

Further events celebrating the tow home include a Music Festival on 7th September and the society’s Gillingham Pier workshops will be open to society members and to the public on all 4 days of the Heritage Open Days weekend of 12-15 September.

Details of both events will be posted on their website.

All photo's by Richard Abels.

The first completed SYLVIE class launch, as featured in FUNNEL 157 pg.22 and 78, has now been successfully launched.

Four others are under construction, one being professionally fitted out as a hull ready for plant to be fitted ( steam, electric or IC) and will be available very shortly.

Further details and specifications for this hull are available from Richard Havard (see Funnel or members directory for contact details).

The hull of PS Medway Queen is nearing completion in the Albion Dockyard, Bristol. The yard has built the first fully riveted hull to be constructed in the UK for over 50 years and this phase of the restoration is now drawing to a close. The rebuild was supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. To mark the end of this phase of the project a re-dedication ceremony will be held at the dockyard on Saturday 27th July. This represents an eagerly awaited milestone in the restoration and it is also a significant event for engineering in the UK.

 

The Albion Dockyard (Hanover Place, Bristol BS1 6UT) is not far from the SS Great Britain, and will be open to the public from 12 noon on Saturday 27th July until approximately 5pm, admission free. A short re-dedication ceremony will be performed at approximately 2pm. After the usual speeches Evelyn, Emelia, and Elizabeth, daughters of Andrew Summerell (MD Albion Dockyard Ltd.), will re-dedicate the ship. The sluices will then be opened and flooding up of the dock will commence. This is a lengthy process and it is unlikely that the dock will be completely filled in the course of the afternoon. After the dedication it is hoped that members of the Medway Queen Preservation Society will be able to tour those parts of the ship that are safely accessible. All of these arrangements are subject to operational conditions at the yard remaining favourable of course. The weekend of the 27/28th July is also the Bristol Harbour Festival weekend, with a huge variety of interest and entertainment just a few minutes walk from the dockyard. Even more reason for coming to Bristol and wishing Medway Queen well.

 

The ship will not be leaving the dry dock immediately. There is more work to be done in preparation for the tow and then the tug has to be available and the weather outlook acceptable. When these conditions are all met the ship will be moved without further ceremony. Predicting exactly when this will happen is not possible but the MQPS website (www.medwayqueen.co.uk) has a page dedicated to the “tow home” and details will be posted there as they become clear.

 

It is intended that the ship’s arrival in Gillingham will also be marked in a suitable way but notice for this will be very short. The fitting out phase, supported by the EU Interreg IVA program under the "Heroes of the Two Seas" project, will then commence in earnest. As another of the series of events centred on the tow home the society’s Gillingham Pier workshops will be open to society members and to the public on all 4 days of the Heritage Open Days weekend of 12-15 September.

Congratulations go to SBA member John Tilley for winning the Trophy for the most innovative entry in Watercraft Magazine's Cordless Canoe Challenge held at this years Beale Park Boat Show. 

 

John's entry Whimsy is a boat  that doubles as a motor bike sidecar. You can watch Whimsy in action in the following video:

 

 

The historic steam tug Kerne celebrates her centenary in 2013 and is to undertake a series of sailings to mark this achievement. 

Completed at Montrose, Scotland in 1913 as the Viking the Kerne was acquired by the Admiralty and deployed in Chatham Dockyard after being renamed the Terrier, serving the Navy through both World Wars.  On her release by the Admiralty in 1948 she was bought by J.P. Knight Ltd. of London, renamed Kerne and sold to the Straits Steamship Company Limited ( a subsidiary of the Liverpool  Lighterage Co. Ltd ) to operate on the River Mersey and in Liverpool Docks where she worked until April 1971 when she was superseded by diesel power.  The Kerne was bought by a group of enthusiasts in September1971 who have maintained her in operating condition for 42 years, dedicating much time and effort into preserving and operating this now unique coal fired steam ship.  The Kerne can be seen in steam, travelling along the waterways of the North West of England and open to the public in the spring and summer months.

The following Centenary Sailing Programme is planned for 2013 :-

Centenary celebration event

To be held at the Leigh Arms, Acton Bridge, on the Weaver Navigation in Cheshire on Saturday 18th May 2013 and Sunday 19th May 2013.   The Kerne will be on public display along with a display of George Coles, Clayton and Shuttleworth Steam Traction Engine and Alan Porters, Burrell Steam Roller in a triple centenary celebration.  The Kerne will be moored on the quay of the Weaver Navigation adjacent to the Leigh Arms.  This event has been organised jointly by the Kerne Preservation Society and the management of the Leigh Arms who will have available their excellent food and Celebration Steam Beer, making for a party atmosphere.

Battle of the Atlantic 

This commemorative event is to be staged from the 24th to the 27th May in Canning Dock Liverpool, in the vicinity of the Mersey Maritime Museum.  It is a tribute to the Tug Boat crews who undertook the perils of the Atlantic in World War 2 to recover the damaged and broken convoy ships, often with only the basic navigation aids available to them and with little protection against U Boat attack.  The event is staged by Liverpool City Council.   Kerne has been invited to participate in the River Mersey parade of participating naval vessels, departing from the port on Tuesday May 28th at the conclusion of the celebrations.

Mersey River Festival

To be held from the 7th to the 9th of June, the river festival is to include a variety of narrow boats, sailing and power vessels from the 19th and 20th Century, with both static displays and sailings in the River Mersey.  The event will be centred on the Albert Docks with the Kerne open to visitors in Canning Dock.

Passage to Manchester

During the week commencing the 11th August it is planned to sail the Kerne along the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal to Salford Quays and moor on the public quay adjacent to the Lowry Centre and Media City. Visitors are welcome on board over the weekend of the 17th and 18th August.  Details of sailing and opening times will be published of the Kerne web site in due course.

Birkenhead Transport Festival

The festival is to be held on the 14th and 15th of September.   Details of the content and programme will be published by the organisers and available on the Kerne web site in due course.
 
The Kerne website www.tugkerne.co.uk will provide further details of each event in due course.

Lots of useful information on launch sites and slipways in the UK or Europe can be found on the Boatlaunch website.

Information on the slipways on the River Thames is also available on the Electric Boat Association's website.