Sandringham
(Solent
Boating Co: 1956-1965 - built: 1900)
(Blue
Funnel Cruises: 1965-1969)
Sandrigham was
built in 1900 for the Port of Portsmouth Floating Bridge Company. She
was mainly intended for excursion work and replaced the Eva Mary. She
was used by the War Department in WW2 and was not released until 1956
when she was sold to Solent Blue Line (later Blue funnel cruises). She
was fitted with Gardner engines and ran until 1969. Her engines were
used in the Venus.
Princessa(Solent
Boating Co: c1958-1965 - built: 1921)
(Blue
Funnel Cruises: 1965-1986)
48 gross
tons - 65 ft long - 170 passengers
Princessa was built by Camper
& Nicholson in Gosport for the
Port of Portsmouth Floating Bridge
Company
in 1921. She was intended for use as an excursion vessel rather
than a harbour ferry. Princessa was used on trips around
Portsmouth Harbour and across the Solent to Seaview. She was
powered by a 2-cylinder compound engine by Plenty of Newbury.
She was bought by the Solent Boating Company and fitted with
a Gardner diesel engine and small deckhouse. Princessa
was employed on Southampton Water and the Beaulieu River until
1986, when she moved to Falmouth to work for the Pill family.
Since 2001 she has been run by John Pill (as
Falmouth Pleasure
Cruises), and operates morning and afternoon cruises to the Helford
River. She is the largest excursion boat on the River Fal. See
www.boattrips-falmouth.co.uk for details.
Princessa at Southampton Royal
Pier on 15th April 1976.
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Princessa arriving at the Prince
of Wales Pier, in service with
Falmouth Pleasure
Cruises
Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 23rd July 2008
Princessa leaving the Prince of
Wales Pier for her moorings, in service with
Falmouth Pleasure
Cruises
Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 23rd July 2008
Verda
(Solent
Boating Co: c.1958-1965 - built: 1929)
(Blue
Funnel Cruises: 1965-1984)
Verda was built in Millwall
for the
Port
of Portsmouth Steam Launch & Towing Company in 1929. She was used
on the Gosport crossing. She was powered by a 2-cylinder compound
engine by Plenty of Newbury. She was bought by the Solent Boating
Company and fitted with a Gardner diesel engine and small deckhouse.
Verda was employed on Southampton harbour tours, and other
Solent cruises. She survived in 2008 as a bizarre house boat
at
Shoreham.
Verda leaving Portsmouth in
May 1975.
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Solent
Queen
and Verda at Ryde in 1977.
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Verda in the Solent in 1982
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Verda in the Solent in 1982
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Verda in the Solent in 1982
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Verda in the Solent in 1982
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Verda in the Solent in 1982
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Verda in use as a house boat
at Shoreham
There is a second bus
on the other side - Photo:
© John Hendy, 24th February 2008
Click to open larger
image in new window
Verda in use as a house boat
at Shoreham
Photo:
© John Hendy, 24th February 2008
Click to open larger
image in new window
Solent Queen
(Solent
Boating Co: c.1962-1965 - built: 1918)
(Blue
Funnel Cruises: c.1965-1984)
Solent Queen was built as the
Ferry
King
by Camper & Nicholson in Gosport for the
Gosport & Portsea
Waterman's Steam Launch Company in 1918. She was sold to the Solent
Boating Company in 1962, and rebuilt with diesel engine and deckhouse.
She was renamed Solent Queen and cruised with them until
1984. She later ran as the Crystal Rose in Waterford,
and later became derelict. Michael Byrne is currently restoring
her.
Postcard
of Ferry King as a Gosport ferry
Solent
Queen
and Verda at Ryde in 1977.
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Crystal Rose at Waterford
Photo:
© Michael Byrne
Click to open larger
image in new window
Crystal
Rose
as discovered by Michael Byrne in 2006
Photo:
© Michael Byrne
Click to open larger
image in new window
Crystal
Rose
stripped to hull and floating again for the first time in 20 years
in 2008
Photo:
© Michael Byrne
Click to open larger
image in new window
Venus
(Blue
Funnel Cruises: 1966-1978 - built: 1948)
Venus was built for the Port of
Portsmouth Steam Launch & Towing Company in 1948 by Camper &
Nicholson, Gosport, for the Gosport & Portsea Waterman's Steam Launch
Company in 1948. In 1961 she passed to the Portsmouth Harbour Ferry
Company. She was retained as a reserve ferry and excursion steamer until
1968 when she was sold to Solent Boating Company (Blue Funnel Cruises).
Venus ran as a steamship for
Blue Funnel for
two years before receiving the diesel engines from the Sandringham. She was
sold to Greenwich Pleasurecraft on the Thames in 1978.
Venus in Portsmouth harbour
in June 1974.
Photo:
© Ian Boyle
Click to open larger
image in new window
Blue Funnel Cruises - Page 1 -
Blue Funnel Cruises - Page 2
Portsmouth
Harbour Ferries
-
Portsmouth
Harbour Tours
-
Solent
Steam Packet Ltd
UK
Excursion Ships
-
Ferry
Postcards
-
Cruise
Ship Postcards
-
Ocean
Liner Postcards
Top
of Page
-
Simplon
Postcards - Recent Updates -
Simplon Postcards
Home Page
©1999-2007
Copyright Ian Boyle/Simplon Postcards (all pages on web site)
All Rights Reserved
Free Web Counter
Times viewed since 25/082007: