History: Medway Queen hull rebuild at Bristol

[chrisg46]

Join film-maker Geoff Hale for a visit to the paddle steamer Medway Queen, originally built in Troon, Scotland, in 1924. She was filmed at David Abels' shipbuilding yard in Bristol on the 14th October 2013, after her hull was completely rebuilt to the original speicification:

http://www.shippingtv.co.uk/?p=1071

[Propslip]

This is great to see. I remember going on Medway Queen as a child. Then watched here decline into virtual hulk status. To see her all shiny & new again is wonderful.
                            Propslip

[chrisg46]

Glad you like it - and Geoff Hale who made the film, will be delighted,too.

There'll be a second part of this feature online later today (Sunday 15th December)

[Rexroth]

Surely this is a replica vessel, not a rebuild. It seems to have a bleak future with 12 of the 14 people working on it now losing their jobs and only 2 admin staff being retained. A further

[chrisg46]

Interesting point about the MCA classification - future passenger-carrying ability would doubtless be essential to give her an income into the future, so I'll see what I can discover.

[Malim Sahib]

I suppose it depends how you define a replica. By and large the only major original piece of PS Waverley is her engine and a few sections of hull, everything else has been replaced over the years or at her major rebuild in 2000-2003.
Similarly with Medway Queen, her machinery is original but almost all of the rest of her is new save for a few bits and pieces.
Regarding rivetted ships, much of Waverleys hull is rivetted but the plates have also been welded so as to keep the regulatory bodies happy, this preserves the 'look' of the hull. I don't see why the same couldn't be done on Medway Queen, the nature of her reconstruction (perhaps a better word to use than replica) was dictated by those providing the funds, e.g. the Heritage Lottery Fund.

[davidships]

I think that's right, James.  The HLF are purist when it suits them - and then not.

As I understand it the MQPS wanted to have the new hull welded below the waterline and riveted above, so that the right look would be preserved and there would be a basis for getting a passenger certificate.  But HLF were having none of it: all-riveted or nothing.
But then instead of the flush rivets that (as I understand it) the old hull of MQ had, the HLF insisted that they could not be used as "people need to see the rivets" (even, it seems, below the waterline)
See final paras on http://www.mqwebmaster.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/trialsite1/history.htm
(linked from http://www.medwayqueen.com/ )

The official MQ website has been relaunched with a lot of the previous material removed.
http://www.medwayqueen.co.uk/

Yes, I think "reconstruction" would be a reasonable description, using a "replica" hull.  There will of course be a new boiler but, the original engine is to be rebuilt plus restored paddle boxes, deck house etc.