Registration number 464
Status Registered
adminnhs
starboard side view
THAMESA - on the Thames at Henley 10 August 1995, starboard side.

Previous names

  • Tigris III
  • 1936 Minehaha

Details

Function Leisure Craft
Subfunction Yacht
Location River Thames
Current use Unknown
Available to hire No
Available for excursions No

Construction

Builder White, J Samuel & Co Ltd, Cowes, Isle of Wight
Built in 1936
Hull material Wood
Rig None
Number of decks 1
Number of masts 2
Propulsion Motor
Number of engines 1
Primary engine type Diesel
Boiler type None
Boilermaker None

Dimensions

Breadth: Beam
10.30 feet (3.14m)
Depth
4.59 feet (1.40m)
Length: Overall
40.56 feet (12.37m)

History

Built in 1936 by J Samuel White at Cowes, Isle of Wight, THAMESA is a twin screw motor yacht. Her hull is carvel constructed of teak. She is ketch rigged and her engines are twin Thornycroft RTR 6 60hp diesels. When built, she was named MINEHAHA and her owners used her for cruising in the Solent. During World War II she assisted at the Dunkirk evacuations where she was damaged by fire. Found in Ramsgate Harbour, she was repaired by Tough Brothers and used as a tug named TIGRIS III. After the war she was reconverted to a motor cruiser and renamed THAMESA. The Beatles travelled on THAMESA in 1964, en route to the ABC TV studios in Teddington. 

THAMESA is up and running again now after losing her port cylinder head gasket and one of her exhausts in 2006.

Key dates

  • 1936

    Built by J. Samuel White at Cowes, Isle of Wight
  • 1936-40

    Named MINNEHAHA and used her for cruising in the Solent
  • 1940

    Assisted at the Dunkirk evacuations where she was damaged by fire
  • 1940-45

    Found in Ramsgate Harbour, repaired by Tough Brothers and used as tug named TIGRIS III
  • 1946

    After the war she was re-converted to a motor cruiser and renamed THAMESA
  • 2006

    Lost her port cylinder head gasket and one of her exhausts
  • 2014

    On slipway undergoing maintenance including caulking on decks and revarnishing 

Sources

Brann, Christian, The Little Ships of Dunkirk: 1940-1990, Collectors Books Ltd, 1989
ADLS News: Fleet news, Spring 2015
Classic Boat: The Little Ships Prepare to Revisit Dunkirk, May 2015

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