Builders: William Denny & Bros Dumbarton 1925
Propulsion type: Turbine, compound single-reduction
Owners: Southern Railway Company
Service dates: 1925 - 1964
Tonnage: Gross 2701
Comments:
This picture was taken in late August or early September 1938 and shows the Southern Railway's TSS Isle of Thanet departing from Folkestone for Boulogne. It comes from a Dufaycolour picture taken by Cyril Perrier's father. Cyril tells me that his family were on holiday in Folkestone late in his school holidays, as the 1938 'Munich Crisis' was developing. I am grateful to Cyril for letting me show this picture for the first time here.
Built in 1925 by Denny's, Isle of Thanet was a sister to Maid of Kent and both had an operating speed of 21 knots. They were an improvement on their predecessors in that they had more covered deck space. They also carried only one, large funnel and had crusier sterns. Maid of Kent was lost at Dieppe on 21 May 1940, but Isle of Thanet survived until 1964. Her last sailings were on the Folkestone to Calais & Boulogne routes, with her final passenger trip on 15 September 1963. Nine months later she was towed to Blyth for breaking up by Hughes Bolckow.
Thanks go to George Robinson for additional information on this steamer.