grebeman
Old Codgers Group
- Name
- Barrie
In 1924 a steel hulled, 108 feet long paddle steamer, yard number 667, was launched from the shipyard of Philip and Son, Dartmouth. She was called Kingswear Castle and actually used secondhand engines from the previous Kingswear Castle built by Cox and Co of Falmouth in Cornwall in 1904. She served on the Dart until the mid 1960's, at one time in 1943-44 she actually worked for the American forces on harbour duties. After being laid up for a few years she was bought by a preservation trust and taken away from the Dart. Last winter she returned and now she has started work again on the river that gave her birth.
Departing the pontoon and sounding her steam whistle to alert other craft she is underway
Proudly displaying her builders plate
Our captain for the day giving us a safety talk as we set sail. Beneath the wheelhouse you can see some skylights, they offer a vision into the world of a paddle steamers engine room
Looking down that skylight reveals a sight from a bygone era, a paddle steamers engine. Technically a diagonal compound steam engine. The main crank with the big end for the high pressure (HP) cylinder in full view and partially hidden the big end of the low pressure (LP) cylinder. Between the cranks are sheaves and eccentrics which drive the reversing link of the Stephensons valve gear which enable the engine, and hence the ship to reverse the direction of travel
Looking down on the lifting link from the other side of the hatch, the eccentric rods on the lower left driving the lifting link for the LP cylinder, the HP crank rod just above centre with the little end connecting to the piston rod
From the other side the LP little end with a drive taken off it to a rocking lever to drive a pump, probably the air pump for the condenser
Behind the crank are the boilers, I just missed the engineer firing the boiler, here he's just replacing the shovel on it's hangers
The trip took us to the mouth of the estuary, here is Dartmouth Castle dating from the 1400's together with St Petrox church
On the other side of the estuary mouth is Kingswear Castle, after which our vessel is named
Having turned to head back upriver we get a view of Dartmouth (on the left) and Kingswear (on the right)
Further up stream and Britannia Royal Naval College comes into view
All that remains of the Noss yard of Philip and Son who built the Kingswear Castle
Many famous mystery and crime novels were written in this house, this is Greenway, the former home of the late Dame Agatha Christie
In 1943/44 American officers were billeted in Greenway and Agatha Christie lived in this thatched cottage down on Greenway Quay
The village of Dittisham (pronounced Ditsum by us south Devon locals) marks the upper limit of the cruise
The typical and distinctive wake of a paddle steamer
The Kingswear Castle approaches Dartmouth from up stream at the end of the vovage
Barrie
Departing the pontoon and sounding her steam whistle to alert other craft she is underway
Proudly displaying her builders plate
Our captain for the day giving us a safety talk as we set sail. Beneath the wheelhouse you can see some skylights, they offer a vision into the world of a paddle steamers engine room
Looking down that skylight reveals a sight from a bygone era, a paddle steamers engine. Technically a diagonal compound steam engine. The main crank with the big end for the high pressure (HP) cylinder in full view and partially hidden the big end of the low pressure (LP) cylinder. Between the cranks are sheaves and eccentrics which drive the reversing link of the Stephensons valve gear which enable the engine, and hence the ship to reverse the direction of travel
Looking down on the lifting link from the other side of the hatch, the eccentric rods on the lower left driving the lifting link for the LP cylinder, the HP crank rod just above centre with the little end connecting to the piston rod
From the other side the LP little end with a drive taken off it to a rocking lever to drive a pump, probably the air pump for the condenser
Behind the crank are the boilers, I just missed the engineer firing the boiler, here he's just replacing the shovel on it's hangers
The trip took us to the mouth of the estuary, here is Dartmouth Castle dating from the 1400's together with St Petrox church
On the other side of the estuary mouth is Kingswear Castle, after which our vessel is named
Having turned to head back upriver we get a view of Dartmouth (on the left) and Kingswear (on the right)
Further up stream and Britannia Royal Naval College comes into view
All that remains of the Noss yard of Philip and Son who built the Kingswear Castle
Many famous mystery and crime novels were written in this house, this is Greenway, the former home of the late Dame Agatha Christie
In 1943/44 American officers were billeted in Greenway and Agatha Christie lived in this thatched cottage down on Greenway Quay
The village of Dittisham (pronounced Ditsum by us south Devon locals) marks the upper limit of the cruise
The typical and distinctive wake of a paddle steamer
The Kingswear Castle approaches Dartmouth from up stream at the end of the vovage
Barrie