PS MEDWAY QUEEN - VIRTUAL TOUR
There is no charge for the virtual tour today, but the visit will end in the gift shop (guided tours always do)
and there will be an opportunity to make a small donation to show your appreciation.
and there will be an opportunity to make a small donation to show your appreciation.
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The Medway Queen Visitor Centre is our first call where the ship’s story is told on a full length graphics wall, supported by a range of photos and artifacts from all periods of her career. Here we can browse the story to get a foretaste of what is to come.
Medway Queen entered service in 1924. She was an important part of the tourist scene here until war was declared. For the whole of the war HMS Medway Queen worked to keep the seaways clear of mines and in 1940 she made no less than seven return trips during the Dunkirk Evacuation. After the war the ship returned to her excursion route until September 1963. Highlights included taking part in the Spithead Coronation Review (1953) and film sappearances in "Dunkirk" (1958) and "French Dressing" (1963/64).
From 1966 until 1974 she was the “Medway Queen Club” on the Isle of Wight before being returned to the Medway, in derelict condition, for preservation in 1984. The Medway Queen Preservation Society was formed in 1985 and after years of lobbying and fund-raising the ship’s hull was completely rebuilt in Bristol between 2009 and 2013. |
Photos:
Header: Medway Queen - Mick Appleyard. Top: The Medway Queen visitor centre - MQPS Collection. Above: Medway Queen at Gillingham Pier - Richard Halton. |
