River Humber Ferries
 

River Humber Ferries

 

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Web Site For P.S.Lincoln Castle

YardNo : 1024
Record : 2020

Updated : 11/05/02
ShipName : LINCOLN CASTLE
ShipType : Paddle Steamer
ShipBuilt : 1940
ShipBuilder : A & J Inglis Pointhouse Glasgow
ShipTonnage : 598grt/ 129dwt
ShipsStatus : Static
CurrentName : LINCOLN CASTLE
Remarks : On the River Humber
Role : Commerical Static Enterprise
RegisteredPort : Grimsby
Owner : London & North Eastern Railway Company
Length : 209ft
Draft : 4ft
Breadth : 56ft
Passengers : 914
Propulsion : Steam triple exp
ServiceSpeed : 10kn

Built in 1940 by A&J Inglis, Pointhouse, Glasgow, Scotland
Engines : Compund Diagonal
Dimensions : 208'9" long
598 Gross Registered Tonnes

Operated on London & North East Railway's Hull-New Holland ferry service on the Humber Estuary in England
Similar to her quasi-sisters Tattershall and Wingfield Castle except for the boiler being forward
With her funnel forward of the paddle wheels her looks were more conventional than her sisters
Withdrawn in 1978 with a defective boiler
Opened as a pub at Hessle close to the Humber Bridge which had, since 1981, rendered the ferries obsolete
Resold and moved to Immingham for refurbishment in 1987
Opened as a bar and restaurant at the Heritage Centre at Alexandra Dock, Grimsby in 1989

The PS Lincoln Castle was built in 1940 and served to ferry people and vehicles across the River Humber to Hull Victoria Pier. It was the last coal burning paddle steamer operating a timetabled service in Britain and as such it attracted a lot of interest from shipping enthusiasts. The PS Lincoln Castle could carry up to twenty cars and 1200 passengers. A special train service carried passengers from Grimsby to the four hundred metre long pier at New Holland. The crossing from New Holland to Hull took about twenty minutes providing that the weather was good. However the boat was sometimes marooned for hours at a time on sand banks or because of unfavourable tides. The PS Lincoln Castle was also used for special trips to Spurn Point. After the opening of the Humber Bridge in June 1981 the ferry was decommissioned. New Holland Pier was taken over by New Holland Bulk Services whilst Hull Pier lost its pontoon and today is used only by promenaders. The PS Lincoln Castle eventually moved to Alexandra Dock, near to the National Fishing Heritage Centre. It now serves as a popular bar and restaurant. The vessel still contains some relics of its steam days. P.S.Wingfield Castle

Launched on September 24th 1934 by Wm. Gray at Hartlepool, England
Engines : Triple Expansion Diagonal, 18, 28.5 and 46 in x 51 in
Dimensions : 209.7 ft (overall) x 33 ft (excluding sponsons)
550 Gross Registered Tonnes

Built for LNER Railway (later British Railways) Hull - New Holland ferry service
On of three paddlers maintaining a year-round service for passengers, cars, cattle and cargo
Withdrawn in 1974 as the new Humber Suspension Bridge took away most of the traffic
Sold various times and lying derelict in Swansea when purchased by Hartlepool Borough Council
Returned to Hartlepool in June 1986 for restoration
Moored at the site of the former Wm Gray shipyard as an exhibit of Hartlepool Museum

 

P.S.Tattershall Castle

Launched on September 24th, 1934 by Wm. Gray at Hartlepool, England
Engines : Triple Expansion Diagoanl, 18, 28.5 and 46 in x 51 in
Dimensions : 209,7 ft (overall) x 33 ft (excluding sponsons)
556 Gross Registered Tonnes

Built for LNER Railway (later British Railways) Hull - New Holland ferry service
One of three paddlers maintaining a year-round service for passengers, cars, cattle and cargo
Withdrawn in 1972 as the Humber Suspension Bridge was being built to replace the ferries
Moved to the Embankment, London, originally as an art gallery
Now a thriving pub, with altered wheelhouse and enclosed main deck aft

 

P.S.Wingfield Castle

Launched on September 24th 1934 by Wm. Gray at Hartlepool, England
Engines : Triple Expansion Diagonal, 18, 28.5 and 46 in x 51 in
Dimensions : 209.7 ft (overall) x 33 ft (excluding sponsons)
550 Gross Registered Tonnes

Built for LNER Railway (later British Railways) Hull - New Holland ferry service
On of three paddlers maintaining a year-round service for passengers, cars, cattle and cargo
Withdrawn in 1974 as the new Humber Suspension Bridge took away most of the traffic
Sold various times and lying derelict in Swansea when purchased by Hartlepool Borough Council
Returned to Hartlepool in June 1986 for restoration
Moored at the site of the former Wm Gray shipyard as an exhibit of Hartlepool Museum

D.E.P.V. Farringford

Built in 1947.
It was transferred from the Isle of Wight in 1974 for British Railways. It could carry 40 cars and 796 passengers.
It was withdrawn in 1981 when the Humber Bridge was opened

 

 

 

P.S. Frodingham (ex -Dandie Dinmont 1895)

Built in 1895 by A and J Inglis at Pointhouse, Glasgow
Engines : Simple diagonal, 48 x 66 in
Dimensions : 195.2 ft x 22.1 ft (lengthened to 209.6 ft)
218 Gross Registered Tonnes (later 343)

Ordered for the North British SP Craigendoran - Dunoon / Holy Loch routes
Lengthened and reboilered in 1912, receiving a taller funnel
Reboilered in 1918, receiving another new, broader, funnel
Remained on station during World War I
Spent the 1926 and 1927 seasons laid up
In 1928 she went to the London and North Eastern Railway Hull - New Holland ferry
Renamed PS Frodingham
Sold in January 1936 to breakers at Gent, Belgium

 

P.S.Humber

Builders: J T Eltringham &Co, South Shields 1895

Propulsion type: Paddle, single cylinder engine by Hepple & Co South Shields.

Owners: J Turner

Service dates: 1895-?

Tonnage: 131

Comments:

Built as a tug for use on the River Tyne, Humber is shown here circa 1905 on a summer excursion from Grimsby. She was converted for pleasure work after her tug career and was iron built, 100ft long, with a breadth of 19ft and a draught of 9ft. Humber made trips from Grimsby to Spurn, where she would land passengers by local rowing boats.

 

P.S.Grimsby

Builders: Earle's Shipbuilding & Engineering Co., Ltd Hull 1888

Propulsion type: Paddle Compound Diagonal

Owners: Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway Company, Great Central Railway Co

Service dates: 1888 - 1922

Tonnage: Gross 351

Comments:

PS Grimsby was the second ship to carry this name and was the first steel built ship for the M, S & L Railway, their previous vessels being built of iron. She was employed on the Hull to New Holland ferry service. After the introduction of Brocklesby and Killingholme in 1912 she was relegated to the status of standby steamer, being used only when one of the other ferries was out of service. She was withdrawn in 1922 and sold for breaking up in March 1923 to H Lawrence of Grimsby.

 

 

 

P.S.Cleethorpes

P.S. Cleethorpes Used from 1903 to 1934, then it was sold to Redcliffe Shipping Co

 

 

P.S.Killingholme

Builders: Earle's Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd 1912

Propulsion type: Paddle

Owners: Great Central Railway Co, London North Eastern Railway Co

Service dates: 1912 - 19??

Tonnage: Net 217 Gross 508

Comments:

Killingholme was a double ended paddle steamer built for the Hull to New Holland service on the Humber. Almost immediately after delivery she was used for the official opening of the King George V Dock at Immingham by the King and Queen Mary. In addition to Humber ferry duties she did excursion work, particulary after the introduction in 1934 of Wingfield Castle and Tattershall Castle. Her cruises took her from Grimsby to the Royal Dock Basin, Spurn Head and Hull. She also did some tender work, when not otherwise engaged. In 1935 she carried 44,000 passengers on excursions from Hull to Grimsby,

 

P.S.Brocklesby

Builders: Earle's Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd

Propulsion type: Paddle, two cylinder compound diagonal

Owners: Great Central Railway Co, London & North Eastern Railway Co, Redcliffe Shipping Co Ltd

Service dates: 1912 - 1936

Tonnage: 508

Comments:

Brocklesby was one of a pair of double ended steamers which operated the Hull to New Holland service. These were not pretty boats, sporting rather over tall funnels. Nevertheless, they were functional and operated quite satisfactorily for 23 years until replaced by Tattershall Castle and Wingfield Castle. At that time Brocklesby was sold for use on the Firth of Forth, where she was renamed Highland Queen and her funnel was replaced, which gave her a much improved appearance. She ran from Leith although only until 1936 as she proved rather difficult to manouevre and after only two seasons she was withdrawn and sold in December for scrapping in Germany.

Hull-New Holland / Humber Estaury

Steam navigation on the Humber dates back to 1814.

John Robertson, engineer of the pioneering PS Comet of 1812 in the

Clyde had built PS Caledonia and PS Humber built at Dundee in 1814 to house his engines.

The ships were operated on his own account for eigtheen months between Hull on the Humber estuary and Selby

on the River Ouse and Gainsborough on the River Trent, the two rivers forming the Humber. Later, a healthy trade developed on the Trent, reaching out on to the east coast of England.

The direct ferry crossing from Yorkshire to Lincolnshire was inaugurated in 1820 from Hull to New Holland by PS Magna Carta. Railway ownership of the ferry dates from 1845, and after Britain's railways were amalgamated nto major regional groupings in 1923, the service came under the control of the London & North Eastern Railway LNER).

The sisters Wingfield Castle and Tattershall Castle, built in 1934, proved to be successful steamers, with a large open main deck aft which was used for cars, cargo and cattle.

Their success prompted the building of the similarly-shaped Lincoln Castle and deferred discussion about the construction of a bridge across the estuary.

The bridge was finally opened in 1981, spelling the death knell for the paddlers, although a reduced service was

maintained until 1981 with the diesel-electric paddler Farringford which had been transferred from the Isle of Wight

(Excursions were also scheduled, but restricted to Sunday afternoons from Hull in 1964 and withdrawn totally after the 1967 season.

P.S Grimsby (1888-)
P.S Cleethorpes (1903-
1934)
P.S Brocklesby (1912-1934)
P.S Killingholme (1912-1940)
P.S Frodingham (1928-1936

Magna Carta Started the New Holland to Hull ferry service in 1820  
Manchester Running in 1848 and replaced in 1855 with an ex-Clyde steamer given the same name.  
Sheffield Running in 1848 and replaced in 1855 with an ex-Clyde steamer given the same name.

 

 

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