PS Medway Queen

Cantata

Cantata

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Those of you who, like me, grew up around the Thames Estuary, will all remember the paddle steamer 'Medway Queen'. Sadly the original quietly died in Damhead Creek, near Kingsnorth Power Station, but bits of her were saved like the decking and the main engine.
The MQ Preservation Society managed to get Lottery money to build a new hull down in Bristol, which is finished although the ship is shedloads of money away from ever being able to work again, even if the MCA ever allow her to carry pax which is said to be very unlikely.
Anyway, these last few days she's been under tow from Bristol to the Medway, where it's said she will be brought alongside at Gillingham Pier on the tide tomorrow (Tuesday).
And here she is passing Herne Bay about an hour ago, bit murky in the mist as well as being 3 miles away from my camera.
View attachment 37168
 
Terrific to see, but a bit odd as up to yesterday their website made no mention she had started round, despite saying they wanted an "informal" welcome of as many local boats as possible!
 
Firefly said:
Terrific to see, but a bit odd as up to yesterday their website made no mention she had started round, despite saying they wanted an "informal" welcome of as many local boats as possible!
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They are not good at telling anyone what's going on, least of telling the mass of members who cough up money every year to help all this happen.
Ship and tug are now moored up for the night in the Medway just east of Stangate Creek.
Quote from the site:
"We are expecting to bring the Medway Queen in to Gillingham Pier on the 13:30 tide tomorrow (Tuesday 19th) We have to work with the local council and police, as the access road is a public highway and we are required to close it for safety, we will keep you all posted and hopefully confirm this later today.

Please note that the road onto the pier will be closed to traffic and parking will be strictly limited, also the area where she will dock will be roped off for safe handling and only those directly involved in berthing the ship will be permitted to enter the area.

For safety reasons no one, except those involved in connecting the ship to shore side services, installing temporary lights etc., will be permitted to board the ship."

Makes you really feel part of it all, I don't think.
 
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If it wasn't arriving on a weekday, in November, when it's possibly a tad chilly and our boat wasn't tucked up in Ramsgate for a couple of months, I would consider going for a look.

I was around when LV 21 arrived at the pier.....a controlled crash with swearing.....could be worth a visit if anyone's local, a YouTube 'paddle steamer crashes into pier' moment possibly??
 
Cantata said:
For safety reasons no one, except those involved in connecting the ship to shore side services, installing temporary lights etc., will be permitted to board the ship."[/I]

Makes you really feel part of it all, I don't think.
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A friend of mine was a volunteer in the early stages of the restoration and spent many hours working on her until professional work started, presumably after the Lottery money came along. He was then barred from working on her unless he joined the union.
 
FulmarJeddo said:
A friend of mine was a volunteer in the early stages of the restoration and spent many hours working on her until professional work started, presumably after the Lottery money came along. He was then barred from working on her unless he joined the union.
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Well, that is interesting stuff indeed. I thought something like that might be going on, it would explain a lot.
 
Couple more photos on arrival:

MedwayQueen1.jpg


MedwayQueen2.jpg
 
Despite my grumpy attitude to it all, it is good to see the ship. She's one of those designs that just looks right.
Faintly amused at reports in press and on TV, where they said "the ship has been in Bristol for 5 years being restored and has now returned". Tosh, perhaps fed to them. It's a brand new ship built from scratch, with some of the original bits screwed onto it!!
 
Was racing along the Medway in my salad days.. we saw the Medway Queen and the Waverly were under full steam ...

No camera so just a memory
 
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Hmmm.
I thought pretty much the entire hull is new - after all she was touted as the first fully-riveted ship to be built in n UK for n years.
The deck planking was re-used, the engine is original (but not the boiler, there isn't one yet), and IIRC the funnel and paddle boxes were restored. I don't know how they get to 60% !
 
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