Name Southern Queen

Built in 1926 by Short Brothers, Leicester, SOUTHERN QUEEN is an open passenger boat of oak construction with a Ford Barracuda Mk II. She has the capacity for 81 passengers. Prior to World War II she worked out of Folkestone and was commandeered by the Navy at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. She was commanded by Sub-Lieut. B.G.P de Mattos and is credited, under heavy fire, with moving the very last contingent of troops (French Servicemen) from the Mole breakwater. She made countless trips to and from larger ships anchored outside Dunkirk, bringing soldiers to safety and back home, as well as towing other damaged vessels back into port.  She then remained in naval service throughout the war as a fire boat in Dover Harbour.

She returned to pleasure use at Folkestone and, in 1961, was registered to owner A.E. Bellingham of 51 Burrow Road. The following year, she was taken to the Isles of Scilly where she was used for inter-island services. Later owners in the Scillies were Frank Pender and Alec Hicks. She was beached and abandoned in 1995, then later towed back to Rye, East Sussex.

After extensive work and restoration, in 2000, SOUTHERN QUEEN made the pilgrimage back over to Dunkirk with the other 'Little Ships', and in 2012, she was invited to take part in the Queen's Jubilee celebrations on the River Thames. Unfortunately, engine issues prevented her from joining the procession, and she was hauled ashore in Ramsgate before moving to Gillingham for storage.

Update, April 2023: A crowdfunder has been launched to help restore the vessel which has now been moved to Southampton where she is being surveyed and stabilised prior to conservation work to return her to operational use. See: YouTube for further details of the vessel's recovery.