Devon Ferry & Excursion Ship Postcards

Avocet Cruises - M.D.Barrow (Exmouth)


This is one of a series of pages on the Simplon Postcards website covering Devon Excursion Ships. In 2007, Devon Princess Cruises operated the Dartmouth Castle from Exmouth and Torbay. She was later sold back to the Dart and Avocet Cruises ceased operations.

Mike Barrow of Exmouth operated Pride of the Bay as Pride of the Bay Cruises from 1970. He then acquired the fleet of Herbert Jennings in 1973, along with the Devon Princess of 1945. In 1977, the M.D.Barrow fleet consisted of Devon Princess (1945, 70 grt, 70 ft, 132 pass), Pride of the Bay (1938) and Tenby Queen (1926).

Tenby Queen was replaced by Devon Princess II (50 grt, 63 ft, 185 pass) in 1981. Devon Princess III (46 grt, 65 ft, 194 pass) arrived in 1984, replacing Pride of the Bay. Devon Princess left the fleet in 1988, followed by the remaining two members in 1991. Devon Princess II passed to M.J.& R.J.Ould of Torquay who renamed her Torbay Princess. They later also acquired Devon Princess III, but by 1995 she was running again for previous owner M.D.Barrow. In 2007, Devon Princess II and Devon Princess III ran with Western Lady Ferry Service as Western Lady VI and Western Lady VII.

Britannia M (1929, 13 grt, 43 ft, 61 pass) joined the M.D.Barrow fleet in 1997 from Teignmouth. In 1999, Devon Princess III was running for P.Scott's Brixham Belles as Brixham Belle II. M.D.Barrow acquired Devon Princess IV (ex-Riverside Lady from the Thames and Tyne) and Typhoon from Guernsey. Devon Princess IV seems not to have been used at Torquay and was moved to the Exeter Canal around 2008, since becoming derelict. Britannia M was sold to become the Sea Dream II at Topsham. Typhoon became Torquay Belle with Greenway Quay & Ferry Service, who operate the Greenway-Dittisham ferry plus Torbay cruises.

Dartmouth Castle was acquired from Dart Pleasure Craft in 2005. After a 2-year overhaul, Mike Barrow ran the Dartmouth Castle in 2007 on cruises from Exmouth and Torbay. They also charter a Moonraker boat Lady Penny. In 2010, Dartmouth Castle was bought by the Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company, successors to her previous owners Dart Pleasure Craft.



Ships on This Page:-
Britannia M (Built: 1929)
Dartmouth Castle (Built: 1948)
Devon Princess (Built: 1945)
Devon Princess II (Built: 1981)
Devon Princess III (Built: 1984)
Devon Princess IV (Built: 1988)
Pride of the Bay (Built: 1938)
Tenby Queen (Built: 1926)
Typhoon (Built: 1966)

Other Devon Pages:-
Devon Excursion Ships - Devon Header Page
Brixham Belle Cruises (Carol & Peter Scott)
Devon Railway Ferries & Tenders
Devon Dock, Pier & SS Co
Devon Star Shipping
Exe to Sea Ferries J & M Rackley (operate Starcross ferry in 2007)
River Dart - Dart Pleasure Craft
River Dart - Riddalls
River Dart SB Co
River Tamar - Millbrook SB Co
Western Lady Ferry Service

Associated Pages:-
UK Excursion Ships and Ports
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page

References:-
Estuary & River Ferries of South West England - Martin Langley & Edwina Small - Waine Research (1984)
Excursion Ships & Ferries - John S.Styring - Ian Allen (1958)
South Devon Ferries - Alan Kittridge - Tempus (2003)
The Fair Few Miles - History of the Western lady Ferry Service - S.A.Armstrong - unknown publisher
Trip Out Guides - Written and published by G.P.Hamer - various editions from 1977 to 2007 consulted

My thanks to Graham Thorne for assistence with this page

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Table of Ship Histories
Name Other names Built Dartmouth Castle (3) 1948




Devon Princess Cruises


Pride of the Bay
(Built: 1938)

Pride of the Bay was built as the Leven of the Caledonian Steam Packet Co in 1938. Sold to Belfast 1965 but almost immediately came to West Country. First ran with South Western Steam Navigation at Paignton. She passed to Mike Barrow in 1970, much modified and stayed to early 1985. She ran in Jersey 1985-99 and then came to Weston-super-Mare as Bristol Queen where she runs Bristol Channel excursions and acts as ferry to Steep Holm.


Pride of the Bay as Bristol Queen at Weston Super Mare on the Bristol Channel
Photo: © Chris Jones
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Pride of the Bay as Bristol Queen on the Bristol Channel
Photo: © Chris Jones.






Devon Princess
(M.D.Barrow: 1973-1988)

Devon Princess was built in 1945 as an HDML (Harbour Defence Motor Launch - at 70 ft long (smaller than the Fairmile 'B' launches). She was originally owned by Herbert Jennings & Son. In 1964, in Herbert Jennings ownership, an Exmouth Council survey found that a cruise on Devon Princess was voted the best local visitor attraction. She operated cruises from Exmouth to Torquay, Brixham, Lyme Regis and the River Dart. She was owned by Devon Princess Cruises (M.D.Barrow) from 1973.


Postcard of Devon Princess
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Postcard of Devon Princess (right)






Tenby Queen
(Built: 1926)
Built by Blackmore, Bideford as Worcester Castle and ran at Aberystwyth up to and after World War 2. Sold c1950 for conversion to a houseboat. Purchased from River Dart by Newman of Tolverne and entered service on River Fal as Skylark of Tolverne. Sold 1962 to Bewley, Paignton and ran two seasons as Beach Belle, then to Tenby as Tenby Queen. At Exmouth by 1977 and Registry closed 1983 as 'beyond repair'


NPO postcard W1189-32920C of Tenby Queen in service at Tenby
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Devon Princess II
Devon Princess III

Devon Princess II (50 grt, 63 ft, 185 pass) and Devon Princess III (46 grt, 65 ft, 194 pass) were built in 1981 and 1984 for M.D.Barrow of Exmouth, joining Devon Princess in the fleet. They ran cruises from Exmouth and Torquay. Devon Princess II passed to M.J.& R.J.Ould of Torquay who renamed her Torbay Princess. Ould later also acquired Devon Princess III, but by 1995 she was running for previous owner M.D.Barrow again. In 1999, Devon Princess III was running for P.Scott's Brixham Belle Cruises as Brixham Belle II. In 2003, P.Scott's Brixham Belle Cruises acquired the fleet of M.J.& R.J.Ould, reuniting Torbay Princess (ex-Devon Princess II) and Brixham Belle II (ex-Devon Princess III). P.Scott began jointly operating the Torquay-Brixham ferry with the Western Lady Ferry Service. This arrangement was short-lived, and Torbay Princess (ex-Devon Princess II) and Brixham Belle II (ex-Devon Princess III) were sold to Western Lady Ferry Service, where Devon Princess II (ex-Devon Princess III) was renamed Torbay Princess II, joining their two remaining Fairmile 'B' launches Western Lady III and Western Lady IV. When the Fairmiles were withdrawn, Torbay Princess and Torbay Princess II were renamed Western Lady VI and Western Lady VII, to run the ferry service from 2007.


Postcard of Devon Princess III



Western Lady VII (ex-Devon Princess III)
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Dartmouth Castle
(Built: 1948 - Devon Princess: 2005-2010)


Dartmouth Castle (3) was built in 1948 to replace the paddle steamer Dartmouth Castle (2) of the River Dart Steam Boat Company which was laid up during the war, and was sold in 1947. She was followed by the similar Berry Castle (3) the following year, both from Philip of Dartmouth. In 1975, the Millbrook Company bought the large Dartmouth Castle (3) from the ailing River Dart Steamboat Company. They sold her back to Dart Pleasure Craft the following year, who effectively succeeded the River Dart Steam Boat Company on River Dart services. In 1977, the Millbrook Company also bought the Cardiff Castle from the River Dart Steamboat Company. In 1980, the directors of the Millbrook SB Co (Derek Crawford, Les Worth and Sidney Mashford) sold their shares to Dart Pleasure Craft who then ran both Dart and Plymouth services.

The Dartmouth Castle has a length of 26.52 metres and a gross tonnage of 81. She was purpose built with both sea and river operations in mind and has a maximum load line draft of just over 95cm, thus making her ideal for Avocet Bird Watching Cruises on the River Exe.

In 2007, Mike Barrow ran the Dartmouth Castle on cruises from Exmouth and Torbay. She is listed as an Historic Ship (Certificate number: 299) in the National Register of Historic Vessels. Fresh from a complete refit she is now working from Torbay and Exmouth in her original role as a passenger vessel. The Dartmouth Castle seats nearly 300 passengers, with over twice the passenger space of the Devon Princess II & III previously used on the Avocet Cruises. Dartmouth Castle was bought by the Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company in 2010.


More images of Dartmouth Castle


Dartmouth Castle on the River Dart, on a Totnes-Dartmouth trip when owned by .
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1997.


Dartmouth Castle on the River Dart
Photo © Luke Farley, April 2007
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Dartmouth Castle in 2007
Photo: © Devon Princess Cruises
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Dartmouth Castle in 2007
Photo: © Devon Princess Cruises
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Dartmouth Castle in 2007
Photo: © Devon Princess Cruises
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Dartmouth Castle in 2007
Photo: © Devon Princess Cruises
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Dartmouth Castle in 2007
Photo: © Devon Princess Cruises
Click to open larger image in new window


Dartmouth Castle in 2007
Photo: © Devon Princess Cruises
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Name	Other names	Built
Dartmouth Castle (3)		1948