PS MEDWAY QUEEN
HISTORY
1924 - 2009

THERE ARE NO SURVIVING PADDLERS OF THE EARLY TYPE OTHER THAN THE
MEDWAY QUEEN

The Medway Queen gave pleasure and occupation to a great many people during her service career. She was a regular feature of the Medway and Thames Estuary scene, and is still remembered with affection by the people who knew her, who travelled on her and who were involved with her during the Second World War.

Her service to the country during the Second World War is a remarkable as it is heroic and she could, and ought to, stand as a symbol of bravery and a memorial to the men of Dunkirk. She has been threatened with destruction by the enemy and by neglect and has been sunk and rescued several times. She is, nevertheless, still with us. She is a survivor and an important fragment of our heritage and she ought to be saved.
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The Paddle Steamer Medway Queen was built at Troon in Scotland, by the Ailsa Yard in 1924, for the 'New Medway Steam Packet Company' of Rochester, Kent, for service on the River Medway and the Thames Estuary. She was the first and last new-built paddle steamer to be acquired by the company and the only one built for service in this specific location. Right from the time she was built, she was recognised as one of the finest examples of Scotland's shipbuilding craft.

She is a classic "estuary" paddle steamer approx., 180ft in length and 316 tons gross,134 tons net weight. Construction is steel plate riveted on frames. 24 feet beam with 50 feet beam over paddle frames. Normal draught 5 feet 6 inches, Her passenger load was about 800 persons. She is the only remaining example of the typical British paddle steamer of the period 1890s to 1920s and is one of the last built.

Her engine is compound diagonal steam, built by Ailsa. Her speed was 13 knots at 45rpm,15 knots maximum at 55rpm. Her boiler was Scotch type 11 feet long, fitted with triple furnaces, coal fired when built, her yard No PS 388.

Her regular route was from Chatham and Strood, on the River Medway, to Sheerness, Southend, Herne Bay and at times Margate and also as far as Clacton, all on the Thames Estuary and return daily.

She was a day time pleasure steamer operating from piers at her various ports of call. She was part of the "Queen Line" fleet of the New Medway Steam Packet Company based at Rochester, Kent.
In 1937 she attended the Coronation Review at Spithead. In 1938 she was converted from coal to oil burning, by Wallsend Engineering, a fact which was later to be of significance in her record number of crossings to the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940, where she rescued 7000 men during seven trips, a record for any craft smaller than a destroyer, gaining four awards for gallantry, having shot down three enemy aircraft.

In 1939 she carried children evacuated from Kent to East Anglia, and joined the Royal Navy as a minesweeper No J 48 (N 48) served until 1942 in the 10th minesweeping flotilla in the North Sea, she was then used as a training vessel for the duration.

Medway Queen as a minesweeper 1939-45

After the war in 1947 she was returned to her owners, and civilian role. This was after a rebuild at Thorneycrofts, of Southampton. In 1953 She once again attended a Review at Spithead, for the Coronation of Elizabeth the Second.
She operated over her former routes until withdrawn, with a bottom in need of
re-plating, she was taken out of service, with the possibility of being broken up.

After great public outcry, and a press campaign, she was saved when sold and
opened as a marina clubhouse on the Isle of Wight (1966). She became a victim of her own success, when she was replaced by the Paddle Steamer Ryde, being a larger ship, which the owners said was needed. In the 1970s she was moved to the River Medina, and then was sunk by accident.

After being partly submerged for sometime, she was raised in 1984 and towed back to the River Medway on a pontoon, by her new owners. She was unfortunately abandon,only to sink again against the Chatham Dockyard wall.


Drawing of the Medway Queen on potoon moored in the River Medway
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It was shortly after this that the Medway Queen Preservation Society was formed in 1985, with the intention of preserving this historical ship.
It took a further two years to remove the mud that had accumulated over the years of her sinking, and then to patch the holes in the hull. This was eventually achieved, and a site was found at Kingsnorth, on the Hoo Peninsular, called Damhead Creek.

The ship was raised and it was moved to her new home in 1987. It is here that we have worked to keep the ship in a condition to enable us to restore her eventually

The founder members of the society felt that this ship represented a very important part of the commercial and maritime history of the river Medway. She recalled a period in the history of Medway when paddles were a common sight and the leisure-tourist day tripper industry was of great importance. The paddle steamers not only gave employment in construction, maintenance,repair, operation and servicing but also brought prestige to their operating areas. The paddle steamer fleets were well known and people were proud of them.

The Medway Queen is the last Estuary pleasure paddle steamers left in the UK. This ship is of National Importance and should now be in the 'Core Collection' of historical ships for preservation, and not left on the 'Designated List' as it is at present.

That the feeling has grown and developed in others is shown by the steady increase in the membership over the past few years and by the interest and approval of the local and national press and media.


HMS Medway Queen at Dunkirk

Are we as a nation going to watch the Medway Queen know as the "Heroine of Dunkirk" founder for all time, it will be a time of great shame if a nation that seems to hold its maritime history so important allows this to happen.
Sadly this could come to pass as the vessel has still not been included in the 'Core' list of historic vessels of 'National Importance' only on the 'Designated ' list, only considered of some importance, so much for her exploits at 'Dunkirk'

My fears have now been recognised by the comment from the Heritage Lottery Fund of
" Not being of enough Historical Importance"

Is this how we were to possibly remember the 'Heroine of Dunkirk'
'Sunk at Moorings' for the want of help?

The Local Heritage Fund has allocated the MQPS £1.8 million to save the hull of the Medway Queen. Albeit this is good news, I believe this is insufficient for the job, asking for more may have been rejected, being a local fund that can grant up to £5million, but being granted this amount would have been unlikely.
But still MQ is listed as 'Local Importance' and not 'National Importance' I have been assured it makes little difference, if so why have these lists at all? I do not buy this.
I was convinced that that no help would be offered by the Lottery, so I must partly eat my words, and applaud this decision ,but with reservations.
I feel this has only come about by the sheer pressures that have been applied from many quarters over the last 23 years, and third attempt for funding, by the many friends of MQPS that been have gained over the years. I still feel it is whom you know, as opposed to what you know in this land of ours.
Many worthwhile causes are going to the wall, because of this system; while the not so historical are getting results.

All the pressures have at last paid off, what a long haul! The Society have been awarded by the Lottery, £1.8million to build a new hull, but twice as much as this will be needed to finish this job.
If all goes well a new hull should be built, to return to the Medway.
Hopefully by then fund raising will be well under way to refit the hull, a complete new interior, plus a restored engine, new boiler, not to forget the restoration of the paddlewheels, Paddle boxes and funnel have already been restored, and waiting in the Historic Dockyard at Chatham.

The signing of the contract for the rebuild of the PS Medway Queen, took place at the Historic Dockyard at Chatham, aboard the restored HMS Gannett, on Friday the 3rd October 2008; it was a cold but bright day. Some fifty people were present including local dignitaries, Directors of NMSPC, committee members, and last but not least, the hard core of workers, without whom this project would have foundered many years ago.
If all goes well, nine months from now we should have a re born Medway Queen, ready for stage two, so still a long way to go yet. No time to rest on laurels at present. Albeit we allowed ourselves this day to relax, and enjoy the moment.

John Kempton Signs the contract.

This site www.medwayqueen.com

Official site www.medwayqueen.co.uk