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Registration number
61
Status
National Historic Fleet
a12admin
Previous names
- 1937 - 1939 PS RYDE
- 1939 - 1945 HMS RYDE
- 1945 - 1972 PS RYDE
- 1972 - 1977 RYDE QUEEN BOATEL
- 1979 - 1989 RYDE QUEEN
- 1989 PS RYDE
Details
Function
Passenger Vessel
Subfunction
Ferry
Location
Newport
Vessel type
Paddle Steamer
Current use
None
Available to hire
No
Available for excursions
No
Construction
Builder
Denny, William & Bros Ltd, Dumbarton
Built in
1936
Hull material
Steel
Rig
None
Number of decks
2
Propulsion
Steam
Number of engines
1
Primary engine type
Steam triple expansion
Dimensions
Breadth: Beam
52.46 feet
(16.00m)
Length: Overall
222.85 feet
(67.97m)
Tonnage: Gross
566.00
History
RYDE QUEEN was built for the Southern Railway Co. for the ferry service between Portsmouth and Ryde on the Isle of Wight. During the Second World War she served as a minesweeper. In 1942, RYDE was converted into an anti-aircraft vessel and took part in the Normandy Landings of June 1944. She returned to passenger service in 1945. Withdrawn from service in 1970, she opened as a restaurant/pub in Binfield in 1972. December 2006 saw her lying ashore on the River Medina, Isle of Wight, in poor condition with her funnel collapsed.
As of December 2018, the vessel has collapsed further and, as the latest attempt to conserve he has proved impracticable given her condition, the ship may have to be dismantled.
Key dates
-
1936
Built by W Denny of Dumbarton
-
1937/1940
Passenger vessel Portsmouth to Ryde Isle of Wight
-
1942
War service as an anti aircraft vessel
-
1944
Took part in the Normandy landings
-
1970
Withdrawn from service and re-equipped as a Boetel at Binfield, Isle of Wight
-
1979
Re-equipped as a nightclub
-
1989
Nightclub closed and vessel abandoned
-
2019
Lying abandoned at Binfield Marina, Isle of Wight
Sources
Brouwer, Norman J, International Register of Historic Ships, Anthony Nelson, pp171, Edition 2, 1993
Sullivan, Dick, Old Ships, Boats and Maritime Museums, Coracle Books, 1978
Steamboat Register: An illustrated Register of surviving steam vessels in the British Isles, Steam Boat Association of Great Britain, Edition 6, May 1994
Cutts, N J, Ships Monthly: Preservation News, May 1989
Own this vessel?
If you are the owner of this vessel and would like to provide more details or updated information, please contact info@nationalhistoricships.org.uk
