A great scene on 4th September 2023 off the Isle of Wight featuring two preserved vessels.

On the left is the lovely 693gt paddle steamer Waverley which was built in 1947 by A. & J. Inglis at Pointhouse on the River Clyde for London & North Eastern Railway. The following year after nationalisation of the railways she came under British Transport Commission control. In 1951 ownership passed to the Caledonian Steam Packet Company. In 1969, with the formation of the Scottish Transport Group, the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. was merged with David MacBrayne Ltd., the company becoming Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd. (CalMac). She was withdrawn from service in 1973 and subsequently sold to Waverley Excursions for the price of £1. She now operates excursions from the Clyde, the Solent and the Thames.

The 1,792gt Shieldhall was built in 1955 by Lobnitz & Co. at Renfrew as an effluents tanker for Glasgow Corporation. She spent her working life as one of the “Clyde sludge boats”, making regular trips from Glasgow, down the Firth of Clyde past the Isle of Arran, to dump treated sewage. In 1977 she was sold to the Southern Water Authority to dump sewage from Southampton to an area off the Isle of Wight. In 1985 she was taken over by the Solent Steam packet Co. and now operates excursions from Southampton.

Photo: Andrew Cooke