Builders: Philip & Son Dartmouth 1924
Propulsion type: Paddle compound , by Cox & Co Falmouth (originally installed in the first Kingswear Castle in 1904)
Owner: Dartmouth & Torbay Steam Packet Co, River Dart Steamboat Co Ltd, Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust.
Service dates: 1924 - Still Sailing!
Tonnage: Gross 94
Comments:
A beautiful little Edwardian paddler, Kingswear Castle still survives and is fully operational, sailing from Thunderbolt Pier in Chatham, Kent. She has her own web site, which can be accessed by clicking here. She is shown above in July 2007, with her mast lowered, having just come under the Rochester bridges prior to an afternoon cruise in the River Medway.
PS Kingswear Castle's engines come from the 1904 steamer of the same name and she was very similar in appearance to Totnes Castle and Compton Castle. She survived in service until 1965 and was purchased by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society in 1967 for £600.She was based on the Isle of Wight for a while, but became run down and the society considered selling her for scrap due to the lack of funds and expertise to preserve her. She was moved to the River Medway in 1971 and was gradually restored over the next 8 years. In November 1983 she steamed again on trials and in 1984 she carried passengers (just twelve of them!). She now runs a full summer service from the Chatham Dockyard and under the direction of her master, Capt. John Megoran she is a well known feature on the rivers Medway and Thames. Long may she continue.