PS Waverley

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PS Waverley

The paddle steamer Waverley is the last operational Clyde steamer
Clyde steamer

The era of the Clyde steamer in Scotland began in August 1812 with the very first successful commercial steamboat service in Europe, when Henry Bell 's PS Comet began a passenger service on the River Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock....
, and the last seagoing paddle steamer
Paddle steamer

A paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a steam engine that uses one or more paddle wheels to develop thrust for Ship propulsion. It is also a type of steamboat....
in the world. Named after Sir Walter Scott's first novel, the Waverley regularly sails from Glasgow and other towns on the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde

The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland....
, the Thames, the South Coast of England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
and the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England, and extending from the lower Severn Estuary of the River Severn to that part of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Celtic Sea ....
; as well as making more infrequent excursions from other British ports.

Waverley was built in 1946 as a replacement for an earlier PS Waverley of 1899 that took part in the WW II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
war effort as a minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations....
and was sunk in 1940 while helping with the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk

The Battle of Dunkirk during the World War II was the defence and evacuation of British and Allied forces in Europe from May 26 to June 4, 1940....
.

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The paddle steamer Waverley is the last operational Clyde steamer
Clyde steamer

The era of the Clyde steamer in Scotland began in August 1812 with the very first successful commercial steamboat service in Europe, when Henry Bell 's PS Comet began a passenger service on the River Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock....
, and the last seagoing paddle steamer
Paddle steamer

A paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a steam engine that uses one or more paddle wheels to develop thrust for Ship propulsion. It is also a type of steamboat....
in the world. Named after Sir Walter Scott's first novel, the Waverley regularly sails from Glasgow and other towns on the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde

The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland....
, the Thames, the South Coast of England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
and the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England, and extending from the lower Severn Estuary of the River Severn to that part of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Celtic Sea ....
; as well as making more infrequent excursions from other British ports.

History
The Waverley was built in 1946 as a replacement for an earlier PS Waverley of 1899 that took part in the WW II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
war effort as a minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations....
and was sunk in 1940 while helping with the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk

The Battle of Dunkirk during the World War II was the defence and evacuation of British and Allied forces in Europe from May 26 to June 4, 1940....
. The new 693-tonne steamer was launched in October 1946 at builders A & J Inglis
A & J Inglis

Anthony and John Inglis, founders of A & J Inglis, Ltd, were engineers and shipbuilders in Glasgow, Scotland during the mid-19th century. The firm built over 500 ships in a period of just over 100 years....
, Glasgow
Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and List of largest United Kingdom settlements by population in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's Scottish Lowlands....
, and entered service in June 1947. She was built for the London & North Eastern Railway Company to sail on their Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde

The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland....
steamer route from Craigendoran Pier, near Helensburgh
Helensburgh

Helensburgh is a town and former burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gare Loch....
, up Loch Long
Loch Long

Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles in length, with a width of between one and two miles....
to Arrochar
Arrochar

Arrochar can refer to:* The village of Arrochar, Scotland in Argyll and Bute** The Arrochar Alps are a group of small mountains near this village....
, and in her first year in service, she wore that company's red, white and black funnel colours. In 1948 nationalisation of Britain's railway companies brought the steamers under the control of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company (CSP), a subsidiary of the Railway Executive, and the funnels were repainted yellow with a black top. In 1965 a Scottish red lion rampant was fixed to each side of both funnels, and her hull was painted monastral blue until 1970.

After a revival of pre-war fortunes in the 1950s, the 1960s saw a gradual change in holiday habits leading to a decline in passenger numbers, and the closure of many of the small piers. Since 1969, and the formation of the Scottish Transport Group, the CSP had been gradually merging with the West Highland shipping and ferry company David MacBrayne Ltd, and in 1973 the company became Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne

Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast....
Ltd.

Restoration
The Waverley was withdrawn after the 1973 season as too costly to operate and in need of significant expenditure. By then the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS) had been set up as a registered UK charity, and had acquired the near-derelict small River Dart paddler PS Kingswear Castle
PS Kingswear Castle

The PS Kingswear Castle is a steamship. It is a coal-fired river paddle steamer, dating from 1924 with engines from 1904. It now runs summer excursions on the River Medway and the Thames....
. Caledonian MacBrayne, keen to ensure that the ship was preserved, sold the Waverley to the PSPS for the token sum of one pound (GBP). Neither side really believed that the vessel would return to steam, but just in case, Caledonian MacBrayne stipulated that she should not sail in competition with their remaining cruise vessel, TS Queen Mary
TS Queen Mary

The two funnel Clyde steamer TS Queen Mary was built at the William Denny and Brothers shipyard at Dumbarton for Williamson-Buchanan. The 871 gross tons steamboat was powered by three direct drive steam turbines, and carried 2086 passengers making her the largest excursion turbine on the River Clyde....
. A public appeal was launched to secure funding for the return of the Waverley to service and the fund-raising operation was successful. The PSPS found themselves running a cruise ship operation: Waverley Excursions.

Since then the Waverley has been joined in the PSPS fleet by PS Kingswear Castle
PS Kingswear Castle

The PS Kingswear Castle is a steamship. It is a coal-fired river paddle steamer, dating from 1924 with engines from 1904. It now runs summer excursions on the River Medway and the Thames....
and MV Balmoral, and has had a series of extensive refits and a lot of restoration work, including a new boiler and improvements to meet modern safety standards. She has circumnavigated Britain and every year carries out extensive sailings around the country.

Between 2000 and 2003 the ship underwent a substantial rebuild, funded principally by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This major exercise took place in two stages at the shipyard of George Prior at Great Yarmouth and has succeeded in returning the ship to her original 1947 condition.

Damage to Worthing Pier
On 15 September 2008, Waverley was involved in minor damage to Worthing
Worthing

Worthing is a large seaside resort town and a local government borough in West Sussex, England. Around 100,000 people live within the borough itself and 183,000 in the urban area....
Pier
Pier

A pier is a raised walkway over water, supported by widely spread piles or column. The lighter structure of a pier allows tides and currents to flow almost unhindered, whereas the more solid foundations of a quay or the closely-spaced piles of a wharf can act as breakwaters, and are consequently more liable to silting....
after the steamer berthed and secured lines to the pier bollards, when part of the landing stage became dislodged and the ship had to depart without taking on passengers. No damage was sustained to the steamer, and the only damage to the pier was that a length of timber was pulled out.

Layout

The steamer has noticeable red, white and black funnels with a traditional brown grained (or "scumbled") superstructure and black paddle wheel boxes, decorated with gold lettering on each side. The ship's operators claim the Waverley is "probably the most photographed ship in the world".

The Waverley is powered by a triple-expansion, three-crank diagonal steam engine (made by Rankin & Blackmore, Engineers, Eagle Foundry, Greenock
Greenock

Greenock is a large town and former burgh of barony in the Inverclyde council area of western Scotland. It forms part of a contiguous urban area with Gourock to the west and Port Glasgow to the east....
, Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
), which is rated at 2,100 IHP
Horsepower

Horsepower is the name of several non-International System of Units units of power . It was originally defined to allow the output of steam engines to be measured and compared with the power output of draft horses....
and achieved a trial speed of 18.37 knots
Knot (speed)

The knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. Its kn abbreviation is preferred by American and Canadian maritime authorities, and by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; however, the kt and kts abbreviations also are used....
at 57.8 rpm
Revolutions per minute

Revolutions per minute is a units of measurement of frequency: the number of Turn completed in one minute around a rotation around a fixed axis....
. Passengers can watch these engines from passageways on each side of the engine room.

Gallery

Footnotes

External links