PS Ryde

Last updated

Paddle steamer "Ryde" - geograph.org.uk - 156552.jpg
PS Ryde at Binfield, Isle of Wight, in 2006
History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NamePS Ryde
Owner
  • Southern Railway (1937–39)
  • Royal Navy (1939–45)
  • Southern Railway (1945–47)
  • British Railways (1948–70)
  • Island Marina Holdings (−2010)
Operator
  • Southern Railway (1937–47)
  • British Railways (1948–70)
Port of registry
  • Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Portsmouth (1937–39)
  • Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Portsmouth (1939–45)
  • Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Portsmouth (1945–70)
Builder William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton
Cost£46,800
Launched23 April 1937
In service1937
Out of service1970–2010
Identification
  • Code Letters MMKG (1937–39, 1945–79)
  • ICS Mike.svg ICS Mike.svg ICS Kilo.svg ICS Golf.svg
  • United Kingdom Official Number 166061 (1937–70) [1]
FatePreservation attempt abandoned January 2019
StatusLaid up at Island Harbour Marina
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length216 ft 0 in (65.84 m) [1]
Beam29 ft 1 in (8.86 m) [1]
Draught7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) [1]
Installed powerTriple expansion steam engine [1]
PropulsionPaddle wheels

PS Ryde is a paddle steamer that was commissioned and run by Southern Railway as a passenger ferry between mainland England and the Isle of Wight from 1937 to 1969, with an interlude during the Second World War where she served as a minesweeper and then an anti-aircraft ship, seeing action at D-Day. After many years abandoned on moorings at Island Harbour Marina on the River Medina, she was purchased by the PS Ryde Trust in late 2018, with the intention of raising money for her restoration. [2] [3] [4] That project was abandoned in January 2019. [5]

Contents

Operational history

PS Ryde 1937 – 1939

PS Ryde was commissioned by Southern Railway in 1936 as a sister ship for Sandown. Costing £46,800 (equivalent to £3,210,000in 2021) [6] she was built by William Denny and Brothers in Dumbarton on Clydeside and was licensed to carry 1,011 passengers. After her launch on Saint George's Day 1937, by Lady Walker, wife of Sir Herbert Walker, General Manager of the Southern Railway [7] she replaced the PS Duchess of Norfolk on the Portsmouth to Ryde Pier passenger ferry service. [8]

HMS Ryde 1939 – 1945

In 1939, at the outbreak of the Second World War, PS Ryde and PS Sandown were both requisitioned by the Royal Navy. She was renamed HMS Ryde, and initially both were used as Minesweepers in the Thames Estuary and Dover Straits. [4] [9] She was converted to an anti-aircraft vessel in 1942. [10] In May 1944 she traveled to Portsmouth, from where she sailed to the Normandy coast to take part in Operation Neptune on D-Day, where she protected the Mulberry Harbours at Omaha beach. [11] At one stage during the landings, she was hit in her engine room by a shell, but it did not explode. In spite of being instructed to beach the ship, if she ran out of coal, Ryde's commander, Lt. Commander Beamer, was able to return her safely to Portsmouth. [11] After D-Day, HMS Ryde was anchored off Bembridge to help to protect Portsmouth Harbour from V-1 flying bombs.

PS Ryde 1945 – 1970

1969 at Portsmouth. PS Ryde in 1969.jpg
1969 at Portsmouth.

Reverting to her pre-war name upon her return to Southern Railway on 7 July 1945, [12] PS Ryde worked on her former route and undertook a variety of chartered trips as well, such as being chartered by Gilbey's Gin to serve as a 'Floating Gin Palace' in London in 1968. [8] [13] However, Southern Railway started to commission more modern motor vessels after the war at the expense of the paddle steamers, starting with two diesel vessels in 1945 to replace PS Southsea and PS Portsdown. [9] In July 1966, PS Sandown was retired and scrapped, and, in September 1969, by then a reserve ship used for Summer services mainly, it was decided to retire PS Ryde as well. At the time of her retirement, she had ferried passengers across the Solent for thirty-two years and was the last sea-going coal-fired paddle steamer in the world. [14] [8] [15]

Hotel and nightclub

PS Ryde in 1977, with the Medway Queen in the background PS Ryde (1977).jpg
PS Ryde in 1977, with the Medway Queen in the background

Avoiding the scrapyard, and after briefly offering cruises from Tower Bridge in London, PS Ryde was bought by two Isle of Wight entrepreneurs, cousins Alan and Colin Ridett, for £12,000 in September 1970. After a two-year refit costing £60,000 and involving the removal of her boiler, she was fitted with eighteen luxury cabins, a restaurant, bar and dance-floor, and was renamed the Ryde Queen Boatel by Miss Carolyn Moore, Miss Great Britain 1971, in the opening ceremony on 14 June 1972. She served alongside the smaller PS Medway Queen in moorings at Binfield Marina on the River Medina near Newport, until Medway Queen was retired and purchased for preservation in 1978. [16] In 1977, the Ryde Queen Boatel caught fire with the damage estimated at £100,000, but she was repaired and became a nightclub, known simply as the Ryde Queen. [17] [3] However, by the late 1980s her popularity had waned and the nightclub was closed in 1989. She remained derelict and abandoned on her mooring, gradually deteriorating, with her funnel collapsing in August 2006. [18]

Preservation

Early attempts

PS Ryde in 2008 Flickr - ronsaunders47 - NO MORE PLEASURE TRIPS..jpg
PS Ryde in 2008

In September 2009, it was announced that enthusiasts were attempting to raise funds to buy the steamer, held by receivers after her former owner, Island Harbour Holdings LTD, went into administration. A non-profit company, PS Ryde Trust, wished to restore the vessel to once again be in the condition to sail tourists across the Solent. It was estimated that £7 million would be needed for the restoration, with fundraising needs of £1,000 a month for mooring fees and £600,000 for the move to a dry dock, with the remainder of the funding coming from the National Lottery. [19] In early 2010, work began to dismantle the vessel, beginning with asbestos removal. [20] In 2012, the ship's bridge collapsed. The PS Ryde Trust failed to negotiate a deal to save the vessel and the PS Ryde was left to continue to deteriorate.

An application was made to the Isle of Wight Council Planning Department on 11 June 2014 by the new owners of Island Harbour Marina for permission to retain the PS Ryde on site for a further three years. This is to allow time to evaluate and find the funding necessary to try and save her. The application was approved by the Council on 5 August 2014, guaranteeing her continued existence for at least another three years [21] The planning permission granted for the redevelopment of the marina states that Ryde must be removed within three years of work commencing. [8]

PS Ryde Trust

PS Ryde in May 2020 PS Ryde in May 2020.jpg
PS Ryde in May 2020
Remains of PS Ryde in May 2023 Paddle steamer "Ryde", Island Harbour, Isle of Wight, England.jpg
Remains of PS Ryde in May 2023

In June 2018, it was reported that Ryde had been sold and that there were plans to restore the vessel. A charitable trust was to be set up with this aim. An assessment of the vessel was to be undertaken with the assistance of the National Ships Register. It may have been necessary to cut the ship into sections to move her, with restoration estimated at £7–10 million. [22] In November 2018 the P.S. Ryde Trust announced that funds had been raised to purchase Ryde and funding applications for the restoration would be made. [4] After securing for the winter period and pumping out, it was intended that restoration work would start in April 2019 and last for two years, should the necessary funds be available, after which PS Ryde would be fully restored. [23]

An inspection in December 2018 revealed that the remains of the bridge and much of the decking had collapsed. Attempts to remove the vessel would be environmentally hazardous, and it was decided to abandon the restoration project and dismantle the vessel later in 2019. Money raised from an on-line appeal would, instead, be used to fund work on the PS Medway Queen. [5] However, as of March 2023, the dismantling work still had not commenced.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandown</span> Town on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, England with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake in between. Sandown has a population of 11,654 according to the 2021 Census and together with Shanklin and Lake forms a built-up area of around 25,000 inhabitants.

PS <i>Waverley</i> 1946-built preserved seagoing paddle steamer

PS Waverley is the last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world. Built in 1946, she sailed from Craigendoran on the Firth of Clyde to Arrochar on Loch Long until 1973. Bought by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS), she has been restored to her 1947 appearance and now operates passenger excursions around the British coast.

PS <i>Kingswear Castle</i>

PS Kingswear Castle is a steamship. She is a coal-fired river paddle steamer, dating from 1924 with engines from 1904. After running summer excursions on the River Medway and the Thames for many years she returned to the River Dart in Devon in December 2012 to run excursions from 2013 onwards on the river she was built on and for. Kingswear Castle is listed as part of the National Historic Fleet of ships of "Pre-eminent National Significance".

PS <i>Medway Queen</i> Paddle steamer, little ship of Dunkirk

The PS Medway Queen is a paddle driven steamship, the only mobile estuary paddle steamer left in the United Kingdom. She was one of the "little ships of Dunkirk", making a record seven trips and rescuing 7,000 men in the evacuation of Dunkirk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight Railway</span> British pre-grouping railway (1864–1922)

The Isle of Wight Railway was a railway company on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom; it operated 14 miles of railway line between Ryde and Ventnor. It opened the first section of line from Ryde to Sandown in 1864, later extending to Ventnor in 1866. The Ryde station was at St Johns Road, some distance from the pier where the majority of travellers arrived. A tramway operated on the pier itself, and a street-running tramway later operated from the Pier to St Johns Road. It was not until 1880 that two mainland railways companies jointly extended the railway line to the Pier Head, and IoWR trains ran through, improving the journey arrangements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Denny and Brothers</span> Scottish shipbuilding company, 1840 to 1963

William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scottish shipbuilding company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Harbour Marina</span> Human settlement in England

Island Harbour Marina, on the Isle of Wight, UK, is a commercial marina on the River Medina in the small hamlet of Binfield. It is located approximately halfway between Cowes and the County Town of Newport. Visiting yachtsmen will find it just past the Folly Inn on the East bank. Being a relatively small marina, it best suits pleasure craft of up to 20 metres in length. The marina accommodates both annual berthholders and short-term visiting craft.

TSMV <i>Shanklin</i>

TSMV Shanklin was a passenger ferry that operated between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight between 1951 and 1980. Renamed Prince Ivanhoe she went on to become a pleasure cruiser in the Bristol Channel but in 1981 sank off the Welsh coast on her first season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight ferry services</span> Ferry services connecting the Isle of Wight to mainland England

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Duchess of Norfolk was a 381 GRT paddle steamer built in 1911 for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and London and South Western Railway, who operated a joint service to the Isle of Wight. She was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for use as minesweeper HMS Duchess of Norfolk during the First World War, returning to her owners after the war ended. She passed to the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shipping services of the London and South Western Railway</span>

This article describes the shipping services of the London and South Western Railway and the vessels employed.

PS Duchess of Connaught was a passenger vessel built for the London and South Western Railway and London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1884.

PS Duchess of Albany was a passenger vessel built for the London and South Western Railway and London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1889.

PS Duchess of Kent was a passenger vessel built for the London and South Western Railway and London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1897.

PS Southsea was a passenger vessel built for the Southern Railway in 1930. Requisitioned by the Royal Navy for war service, she was wrecked after hitting a naval mine in 1941.

PS <i>Whippingham</i> (1930) Clyde-built paddle steamer (1930–1963)

PS Whippingham was a passenger paddle steamer built for the Southern Railway in 1930 for the ferry route to the Isle of Wight. After distinguished war service, she returned to ferry work until she was scrapped in 1963.

PS <i>Sandown</i> (1934) Clyde-built paddle steamer (1934 to 1966)

PS Sandown was a passenger vessel built for the Southern Railway in 1934 and later served with distinction in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

PS Solent was a passenger vessel built for the London and South Western Railway in 1902.

TSMV <i>Brading</i> British passenger ferry (1948-1986)

TSMV Brading was a passenger ferry that operated between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight between 1948 and 1986.

TSMV <i>Southsea</i> British passenger ferry (1948-1988)

TSMV Southsea was a passenger ferry that operated between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight between 1948 and 1988.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LLOYD'S REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTEURS" (PDF). Plimosll Ship Data. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  2. ↑ "Ryde Queen Paddle Steamer Purchased for Restoration". Isle of Wight County Press.
  3. 1 2 "PS Ryde Paddle Steamer Purchased and Saved from the Scrapheap". Island Echo.
  4. 1 2 3 BBC (29 November 2018). "Decaying paddle steamer PS Ryde to be restored".
  5. 1 2 "GOODBYE RYDE QUEEN: TEAM PULL OUT OF PS RYDE RESTORATION PLAN". Island Echo. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  6. ↑ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "Southern Railway's Ryde Launched" . Portsmouth Evening News. England. 23 April 1937. Retrieved 26 February 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Young, Andrew; Jennings, Toby (6 October 2017). "Without a Paddle". Steam Railway. Peterborough: Bauer Cosumer Media (472): 72–76. ISSN   0143-7232.
  9. 1 2 "Paddle Steamer Ryde".
  10. ↑ Plummer, Russell (1995). Paddle Steamers at War 1939-1945. Peterborough, England: GMS Enterprises. p. 10. ISBN   1-870384-39-3.
  11. 1 2 "Sad end for a D-Day veteran". 15 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "Steamer Ryde Returns" . Hampshire Telegraph. England. 13 July 1945. Retrieved 26 February 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ↑ British Pathé (13 April 2014). "Floating Gin Palace (1968)" – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ "The Last commercial paddle steamer..." . Birmingham Daily Post. England. 8 September 1969. Retrieved 26 February 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. ↑ British Pathé (13 April 2014). "Floating Gin Palace (1968)" – via YouTube.
  16. ↑ "Medway Queen Paddle Steamer" . Retrieved 24 February 2008.
  17. ↑ "Blaze on a paddle steamer..." . Coventry Evening Telegraph. England. 10 August 1977. Retrieved 26 February 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ↑ "Historic vessels at Risk". Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
  19. ↑ "A new lease of life for the old lady of the sea?". Isle of Wight County Press . Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  20. ↑ "Paddle Steamer Ryde Trust". Paddle Steamer Ryde Trust. Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  21. ↑ "2014 Planning Application supporting documents". Isle of Wight Council. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  22. ↑ "Isle of Wight Paddle Steamer Ryde Rescued for Restoration". Steam Railway. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media (481): 6. 22 June 2018. ISSN   0143-7232.
  23. ↑ "Restoration project launched to save the Ryde Queen paddle steamer". 29 November 2018.

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