PS Medway Queen - the biggest Dunkirk Little Ship
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- The Paddle Steamer Medway Queen spent the 1920s and 30s cruising the coast of Kent and Essex, but when WWII broke her role changed dramatically!
**The Medway Queen desperately needs support to get her sailing again in time for her 100th birthday, please visit www.medwayqueen.co.uk to see if you can help! **
Thanks to MQPS Collection and PSPS Collection for all their assistance and access to historic pictures
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You've still got the PS Waverley going strong. In fact she's just come out of a full Refurb. She's the only sea going Paddlesteamer in the world still going.
Paddle steamers can be built with a shallow draught. Made them suitable for estuary work.
they dont get fouled up quite so much with rope, netting etc either
When mum received word that the train was bringing back the lads from Dunkirk, she lined up on the platform, in her Sunday best, with all the other wives. She had not seen Dad for such a long time. The train duly arrived and out fell Dad, yes fell, with a chicken under one arm, one sandshoe on, and a bit on the merry side to say the least. Mum was red faced, immediately about turned, and began the two mile walk back. Dad caught up and dutifully trailed behind, still with the chicken, until they got home.
Dad was 20, mum was 19. I'd come along 21 years later, the last of seven.
Cool story.
brilliant!
So his cheeks lived up to your last name then.
Well Mr Furiousdriving, that's an interesting ..er.. excursion into a different realm. I much enjoyed it and thoroughly approve. As an aside, ships such as this make it quite obvious how a ship's bridge became named so. Cheers.
Yep really is living history. If that makes any sense lol!
Nice to see - I hope she finally gets restored after such an eventful life. Thank you for showing us. :-)
This video deserves more views. Its such a historic ship so its good to see it being worked on and being restored. A nice presentation there and i liked the way you planned the movement around the ship. Good research too and i didn't realise some of the things mentioned. It was a shame it floundered around in the late 70s and 80s but so good to see it now and being restored to its original spec. I would love to see a review when it can drive itself and have a Medway Queen goes for a drive/sail. Great video as always.
Don't know how I missed this when it was originally posted, but it was absolutely brilliant. Love old stuff that defies time and survives for future generations to enjoy. Shame it got so few views. What's wrong with people nowadays.
beautiful video. thank you. I posted a video of a 1911 wheeled steamer. he carries passengers. enjoyable viewing.
Fantastic engineering and a history that should be preserved for future generations. Certainly puts a rusty Rover Cabrio sill into perspective. Great telling of the story Matt.
Brilliant, glad to see the Medway Queen is finally being preserved after so many years.
Fascinating story including its recent restoration still ongoing
Thanks Matt for this brilliant video- we've just been and visited the Medway Queen- such an amazing history- the volunteers do an amazing job, and are so knowledgeable
They love the ship, I was hoping more people would become aware of her and visit if they saw this
I'm patiently waiting for the tea shelf moment. and you climbing out of the boot.
As a child living in Herne Bay in the 1950s I went on the Medway Queen from Herne Bay pier to Southend Pier and back on a day trip. One of the things I remember and love about this ship was watching the engines and the massive pistons working the paddles. And yes there was just the railing no wall! That is what made it so wonderful! Thank you for this video, it has brought back so many happy memories of a wonderful childhood.
Ah, memories! I've stood at the rail watching the pistons and rods sweeping back and forth with at sound that only these engines can make. Lots of polished brass back then. Will she ever move under her own power again, I doubt it, but we can but hope. Certainly, I will be long gone then if she does. Please visit and support her along with any fund raising that see. There are lots of tiny groups that run stalls at classic car shows locally here in Kent. Buy a home made cake or a paperback. Pennies turn into pounds when there are enough of them.
Theres a chance she can go again, theres alot of support but if, as you say, people chip in then she has a good chance
So glad you mentioned this video in your 2020 round up video, I had totally missed this! Very interesting to learn about so much of her history. I had never realised she had also been in Newport on the IOW, so glad the Medway Queen story did not end there - unlike the Ryde Queen. Lets hope the future stays bright for her, would be great to have her back in passenger service again. At the moment the only surviving ocean going paddle steamer - that is still in service, is the Waverley. Would be great to see the pair of them together at sea.
April 23 is our saints day. It’s was my dad’s birthday that’s why it jumped out at me. Great video
As a kid I was sometimes on this beauty We would board at Sun Pier Chatham and off to Southend we would sail. We used to love to go below to the engine room and watch the cranks and the pistons thrust us towards donkey rides and candyfloss.
Not quite the Medway Queen, but my step-dad was a pilot for Medway Ports and I remember many a jaunt to Southend from Sheerness on the PS Kingswear Castle in the 90s, he would volunteer with some friends to assist with it. I even worked behind the bar serving refreshments once!
I remember one of the trips the weather was less than ideal and I'm sure I have picture knocking about of my step-dad's friend bailing out water!
Coastal steamers. I wish it was possible for them to make a comeback. Wouldn't it be fun. Lovely little ship, thanks for the video.
Interesting having you review other forms of transport. Can we expect more videos like this from you in the future?
Id like to, its very much my channel my rules so if I like it Ill do it!
@@furiousdriving Lovely stuff! Not my words, the words of Shakin' Stevens...
Great video Matt! I didn't know these paddle steamers played an important role during Dunkirk, so thanks for sharing their history - they definitely deserve to be remembered. It would be great to see her sailing again someday, or, at the very least, restored to as close to original condition as possible. I love all things involving transportation and history, so more videos like this would be a welcome addition to the car reviews!
This video reminded me of a vacation to New Orleans my family took when I was a kid. We rode on an American paddle steamer, the Natchez, on the Mississippi River and it was so fun! There's nothing quite like being on an authentic steamboat and hearing those steam whistles bellow. The live jazz music and southern food were pretty good too!
Many of the Mississippi River boats were rear paddles not side. They were narrower for clearance at some of the town's.
Very interesting history. Up here where I work there is s small tug that is used at the harbour to break the ice early in the winter before it get's too thick. It was buildt in 1883 and had a 20 ihp steam engine from the start, now it has a 280hp Scania Diesel, but working at the age of 137 years is quiet remarkable. Some ships never die! :)
This was very interesting to me. What a proud history this ship has, especially during the war years and Dunkirk in particular. It was the little ships of all kinds, and from several Nations that saved our troops, including my Dad who spent many hours in the water after being bombed aboard the Lancastria, which was further south from Dunkirk. She sank with many thousands of troops and supporting Government officials, few of whom could swim. Luckily my Dad was a strong swimmer and became one of the few survivors of the "Forgotten Tragedy".
So much was kept quiet at the time for morale but should be more widely known
@@furiousdriving Yes, my Dad could only begin talking about it in the latter years of his life. He joined a Water Colour Society in Western Australia and started painting the sea, coastlines and seabirds. Eventually he painted the Lancastria, peacefully at Dock in the U.K. and was able to tell his story. He lived to 100 years old, and reckoned that Churchill wouldn't be upset with his storytelling after all those years of secrecy.
Brought a tear to my eyes. Great job.
What a fascinating piece of history Matt.
I for one would enjoy more of these..
Thanks for making this. A very interesting history and is a nice complement to the regular motoring content.
I remember going on a trip down the medway in the 1960s on a boat like the Medway Queen, perhaps it was her?
Though I do remember seeing her in the 1980s on the Isle of Wight where she looked abandoned and dilapidated. I later heard that she had been rescued and was being repaired, no doubt the very same people that are rebuilding her here. Also my 20 year old father serving with the Royal Engineers was rescued from Dunkirk on the 29th of May 1940, he was one of the later ones to leave.
Went on the waverley year before last, it was magical!
What a lovely old vessel with a fascinating history.
Judging by the comments here I’m not the only one who enjoyed this video
I hope you can make more videos of alternative forms of transport.
I appreciate that will take time and organisation but if it’s only an occasional video, it will still be nice.
Thanks for sharing.
I kept reading Little Ship as Little Chef. Now I'm craving an Olympic Breakfast. Great video. A nice wee change
Excellent presentation - thank you.
Great video, didn't realise it was there untill tonight's video,
Happy New year
Nice goin, that'd take some research. Hadn't heard that about the victory either. Good job bloke!
Great piece of engineering! What a history behind these vessels. And nice to see it's preserved for future generations.
Great video! Thank you.
I bet you could fit a few furious driving mugs in there!!!!
forget mugs, I could park the cars on board!
Good Shout out on your 2020 review, I missed this on it's first release.
Very, very interesting video, Matt. Thoroughly enjoyed that. It says a lot about these old ships that after decades of neglect they can be saved. Not too far from where I live the old Great Lakes steamer S.S. Keewatin is being restored. She was saved from a river mud bank in Michigan and is being brought back to her full glory. These old ships deserve to be saved and restored. It would be great if you do more videos like this. It would also be wonderful if you could update progress on Her every once in a while.
As a child I lived in Kent, and seem to remember seeing the Medway Queen in Herne Bay. I was maybe five or six at the time.
Pier there has long gone. Think it was second longest in our country.
@@TriflingCircle The pier was wrecked in a storm in 1978 and the remains were taken down in 1980. When I saw the Medway Queen it was in the early 1960s.
@@timelwell7002 Thanks for this. I do now recall that entry to the pier became free towards the end. We made summer day visits to town when we lived in Bexleyheath.
This was fascinating to watch - I am a huge fan of boats believe it or not, as well as cars! Love the steam engine in this and the history is fascinating too! If you like maritime history- the museum at Albert Dock in Liverpool is absolutely amazing! Lot of Titanic history there being the home of White Star line. Great video Matt
If you want to see some running steam engine I can recommend claymills Victorian pumping station. I’m abit bias as I’ve volunteered there since 2012. Great video I hope the volunteers get it going
Well done... loved this
What a fantastic piece of British Maritime history! Had no idea about this ship thank for bringing it to us. Where can we donate to help it’s restoration?
Superb video Matt,extremely interesting and informative. Great to see this lovely piece of history being preserved for us to enjoy.
Nice informative video of a historically important big little ship.Great work Matt.
Excellent! Really enjoyed it :)
Puts a car restoration into perspective. Excellent vid Matt, you must of been in your element with so many tea shelves😁.
On a more serious note much respect to the crews during the Dunquirk? evacuations.
iT IS AMAZING TO WATCH. Take a trip on the Waverley in Glasgow
Really interesting. So glad you covered this
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fascinating, thank you!
Excellent
A new series: Furious Transport Documentaries!
that will likely become an irregular thing!
Yep. Shallow draught. There had to be a better reason than the one you came up with.
(FROM NZ)very interesting and a nice change from Rovers
Great video thanks, you said it sunk a few times, made me wonder if Uncle Albert served on her?
Great content which in turn generated some fascinating comments.
Different but an enjoyable video. Youd think the government would chip in and save it for the nation bearing in mind its Dunkirk history.
Absolutely Al I thought exactly the same. Their too busy paying for vanity projects these days like HS2😒
Great video, hopefully she'll be able to sail again sooner rather than later. If you get the chance the paddle steamer Waverley will tour the south coast in late August, the last sea going surviving paddle steamer in service. And you can view below deck, the magnificent steam engine. The current Waverley was built as a replacement for the earlier paddle steamer Waverley which was sunk at Dunkirk during WW2.
Several boats used to service Swansea for day trips. This was one of them and my uncle Brython was onboard when this happened! www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/day-400-passengers-were-rescued-15545125
Sorry to say the number of ads is really off putting and spoils a good video. For a working example of a much larger paddle steamer with a very much larger engine, see PS Waverley. Most years Waverley offers trips from Harwich to Tower bridge at some point during the summer. If you were to take one of these trips you could experience for yourself what makes paddle steamers so enjoyable.
Still very interesting! I guess I prefer road vehicles! Is still very good, though!
I don`t want to dimish the achievments of the friends of Medway Queen. But some questions must be allowed: It seems, that years ago no further work has done, the deck planks looks decayed, superstructure, railings and some other parts are rusty and again worth for overhaul. What`s about the great goal some years ago to set the ship in service again? What`s about the boiler and the very urgend work of maintaining and completion of the ship? The guy who moderates the film, seems very hectic and giddybrained - from my impression it would be better to moderate in a more smooth and serious manner. Unfortunately I must conclude: The development of Medway Queen in the last years : It`s disappointing.
Still got the sound issues at the end
WHAT!!! for crying out loud...
Get a life instead of staring at a screen you boob.
I just discovered your videos, and they're very good. If you want to see a similar ship that still sails, check out the PS Waverly, based up in Glasgow.
Id love visit that and take a ride
I didnt know ur in this area
Must commend the enthusiasm, you should check out some other unknown ships like the SS Shieldhall
Good one!
Great video, such an amazing history,14:20 boiler room! Do you have a problem with the edit program you use.
Great video; not quite a Rover V8. Quibble: P.S. Waverley is quie a bit larger, and went to Dunkirk. It has even more passenger-accessible engines, seen runninng here th-cam.com/video/Gii9AGKJeNE/w-d-xo.html in a test upload.
Off Subject, Have you seen my email regarding the Roof Rubber, for The Cabriolet project? I sent it yesterday, to the address on this page. Don't worry if you don't want it.
Yes, you should have had a reply saying thanks with an address!
sent at 4.49pm yesterday in case its in spam
@@furiousdriving I've had no email, in Junk, etc???? I'll email again.
I've replied to your email, there is an underscore in my email address (in the middle of my name)
@@dazzlerbob1870 odd, I just hit reply before, have replied to both addresses now
Er , car channel,?😁👍
transpire channel!
@@furiousdriving unsubscribed
Way way way to fast. Calm down, take a breath and speak at a normal speed. Such a shame as I'm sire what you have to say is interesting.
Try replaying at 0.75 speed. 🙂