Condition: Ships and models are in good secondhand condition. Those that I have looked at appear undamaged. A few of the boxes have the ship name hand written on them.
Price: A well known online auction shows them on offer at up to £40 each with P&P although many are cheaper. A reasonable start point is to ask for offers of at least £10 per model plus postage at cost. All proceeds will go to Medway Queen as usual. Models Available: RN: Repulse, Ramilies, Rodney, Barham, Anson, Warspite, Prince of Wales, Hood, Vanguard, Exeter, Duke of York, Ark Royal,King George V. USN: Lexington, Hornet, Massachusetts, Arizona, Missouri. IJN: Kirishima, Yamato. KM: Tirpitz, Graf Spee, Scharnhorst, Lutzow, Admiral Scheer, Prinz Eugen, Bismark, Gneisenau. RM: Roma Details: Email [email protected] for more information. All sales on a "first come, first served" basis as we only have one of each model available. Inspection and collection from us in the Wootton Bassett/Swindon area is possible, they can be left at Gillingham Pier for collection on a Saturday or we'll make other arrangements where convenient.
Despite a relatively short notice return to near normal service and with little advance publicity visitor numbers were encouraging, although not so high as to strain the necessary restrictive measures in place. The newly restored aft saloon is, naturally, a highlight of any visit at this time.
So, what now? We will remain open on Saturdays for the remainder of the 2020 season – with the usual caveats about “circumstances beyond our control”. The board are looking at future restoration projects and their funding needs and the workshop volunteers are putting the final touches to a reconstructed Purser’s Cabin. In addition to all this the deck over-plating is complete and hull painting above the waterline by EAP Ltd. of Chatham is about to start. Despite the lockdown it has been a very busy year and 2021 promises to be equally so. As always more help is needed and anyone interested should come along on a Saturday and talk to the team.
The society has always gone to great pains to raise funds through sales and donations and that, of course, continues. Preserving and spreading the ship's story is one of our aims and that has been combined with fund-raising over the years by commissioning of souvenirs and publication of books about the ship. The current selection is available from the Medway Queen Visitor Centre and through this website.
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January 2025
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