Builders: Day Summers & Co Ltd. Northam 1927
Propulsion type: Paddle: Compound diagonal
Owners: Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Ltd. Torbay Steamers Ltd and others.
Service dates: 1927 - 1966 (now at Dunkirk)
Tonnage: Net 151 Gross 388 (later GRT 371 after converting to oil burning)
Comments:
This picture comes from the Cyril Perrier collection and is published here for the first time. It was taken at Southampton on 20 September 1951 and I am grateful to Cyril for allowing me to share it with you.
PS Princess Elizabeth has had a long and eventful career. Most of her pre war sailings were from Southampton and Southsea to the Isle of Wight where she operated as a ferry. In 1939, however, she was used on the Bournemouth to Swanage run, replacing Corfe Castle. During the Second World War she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and was converted for use as a minesweeper. She made four trips to Dunkirk in May 1940 rescuing many British troops. In 1942 she became an anti-aircraft vessel. After returning to her owners, she was converted from coal to oil burning and returned to service as a Ryde excursion steamer. From 1953 she became a standby steamer as she was considered too small and able to carry only a few cars on her foredeck, rather than the new car ferry Carisbrooke Castle, which entered service in 1959. Princess Elizabeth was sold in 1959 to Torbay Steamers Ltd. The Evening News for 4 May 1960 reported her arrival under the headline "New Look for Old Paddle Steamer." For a look at the press cutting click here. In 1962 she ran from Bournemouth again and was transferred to Weymouth for the final few years of her operational career. In 1966 she was sold for use as a casino (did not materialise) and in 1967 was sold again for scrap. Her engines and equipment were removed in 1967. After two or three more abortive sales she was moved to the London Embankment for use as a restaurant. She was later moored at Paris and she is now moored at Dunkirk and in use as a restaurant.