For the War Veterans amongst us

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wu56Shoozz

wu56Shoozz

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I think what Scott was pointing out was that D-Day was in 1944...
 
....and nowhere near Dunkirk.
 
Good on you Shoozz.

I’ll take a look when I’m back home at the weekend. Pretty sure I was on the boat as a lad. The paddle steamers were a regular sight off of Portsmouth in the 60s.
 
That's surely too far gone to save now. The cost of such a project would be in the tens of millions.

I was reading yesterday about this steam tug - the restoration of that cost over £3.8 million with a lot of free labour, and that was basically sound to start with:

The Danny, a steamship experience with a unique story
 
This looks slightly dodgy, £5k would barely cover one assessor to visit the site to check give the wreckage a once over?!?

iward & Co Limited is registered in England and Wales under Company Number 11047349. - NOT a charity and this 'company' is registered to someones house rather than a business unit/building.

:dk:
 
If you feel that way, you're more than welcome to close this thread, I was conscious that it may cause issues with the forum.. but from an engineering point of view and the interest in WWII on here I thought it would be appreciated..

She, (The Director) estimates it will take 7-8 million for a full restoration to take place. Its back is not broken according to engineers survey. Her plan is to section her and move the hulk to an undisclosed location for further work...

There are people like me Bill, who have the contacts that may be persuaded to "assist" for free.. or a mention.

I once approached "The Waverley" to service and repair all the valves in the boat for free (at my directors permission) only to be told that my assistance from a large engineering company for free wasn't welcome..go figure..
 
Im all for preserving our history and heritage, but its registered as a company and not a charity!?! + why only £5k goal on the fundraising.

Im happy to be proven wrong, just seems a little fishy to me that's all.
 
As the forum holder, if your that worried then:

1/ Make contact with the director direct, I'm only a supporter and have no real affiliation to it..

2/ The 5k goal is to remove "The Hulk" and make safe for further repairs, its only the first stage of many..

3/ I'll say it again, if it causes a problem with the forum, then lock the thread. I didn't meant to offend, but thought it may have been a good cause for WWII supporters and engineers alike on here..
 
Could you really move a 65 metre vessel in that condition for anywhere near £5k?

According to Wikipedia (yes, I know!)
In June 2018, it was reported that Ryde had been sold and that there were plans to restore the vessel. A charitable trust was to be set up with this aim. As assessment of the vessel is to be undertaken with the assistance of the National Ships Register. It may be necessary to cut the ship into sections to move her, with restoration estimated at £10 million.
Click to expand...
 
Your post was well intended Shoozz. That’s the main thing. Although you do have to be aware of projects like this which I experienced first hand in 2010. Looking for something to do I signed up to manage the restoration and conversion of the Chauncy Maples, on Lake Malawi. We raised millions to convert it to a hospital ship which would provide triage services in conjunction with tele linked London hospitals. I’d signed up for 2 years, unpaid, but pulled out at the last minute when it became clear that the project was saddled with unrealistic targets. The whole thing was cancelled halfway through with remaining monies distributed to other charities.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There seems to be a bit of confusion about this vessel's history. From what I can see she wasn't used at Dunkirk at all - she was originally used as a minesweeper, then converted to an anti-aircraft ship in which capacity she was used on D-Day. I would still love to see her rescued and restored but I think this is unlikely to happen due to the astronomical costs involved. As an aside there do appear to be some inconsistencies between the fundraiser page and the trust's own website (where the collapse of the ship's bridge is mentioned as happening in 2012, and asbestos removal is said to have been carried out in 2010). Per that website they estimated the restoration cost at £7 million back in 2009, so the mentioned £7-8 million now seems a bit optimistic.

It's interesting to compare with the restoration of the similar (but slightly smaller) PS Medway Queen, which did rescue an estimated 7,000 men at Dunkirk (shooting shot down 3 German aircraft as well). This was in somewhat better condition (still afloat ... just), but the estimate to restore her was still £6 million back in 2003 and rebuilding the hull has cost over £2 million so far. The fundraiser page for the Ryde does say at the bottom "Any money which does not get used by the trust will be donated to the Medway Queen charity". A full restoration of both seems pretty unlikely, IMHO.
 
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