PS Ryde

Overview

PS Ryde

country	United Kingdom
flag	Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
owner	Southern Railway (1937–39) Royal Navy (1939–45) Southern Railway (1945–47) British Railways (1948–70) *Island Marina Holdings (−2010)
operator	Southern Railway (1937–47) British Railways (1948–70)
builder	William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton
original cost	£46,800
launched	23 April 1937
registry	🇬🇧 Portsmouth (1937–39) 🇬🇧 Portsmouth (1939–45) *🇬🇧 Portsmouth (1945–70)
identification	Code Letters MMKG (1937–39, 1945–79) *United Kingdom Official Number 166061 (1937–70)‡R1R‡
in service	1937
out of service	1970–2010
status	Abandoned hulk at Island Harbour Marina

PS Ryde was a paddle steamer that was commissioned and run by Southern Railway as a passenger ferry between mainland England and the Isle of Wight from 1937 to 1969, with an interlude during the Second World War where she served as a minesweeper and then an anti-aircraft ship, seeing action at D-Day. After many years abandoned on moorings at Island Harbour Marina on the River Medina, she was purchased by the PS Ryde Trust in late 2018, with the intention of raising money for her restoration.[2][3][4] That project was abandoned in January 2019.[5]

Operational history

PS Ryde 1937 – 1939

Preservation

Early attempts

In September 2009, it was announced that enthusiasts were attempting to raise funds to buy the steamer, held by receivers after her former owner, Island Harbour Holdings LTD, went into administration. A non-profit company, PS Ryde Trust, wished to restore the vessel to once again be in the condition to sail tourists across the Solent. It was estimated that £7 million would be needed for the restoration, with fundraising needs of £1,000 a month for mooring fees and £600,000 for the move to a dry dock, with the remainder of the funding coming from the National Lottery.[18] In early 2010, work began to dismantle the vessel, beginning with asbestos removal.[19] In 2012, the ship's bridge collapsed. The PS Ryde Trust failed to negotiate a deal to save the vessel and the PS Ryde was left to continue to deteriorate.

An application was made to the Isle of Wight Council Planning Department on 11 June 2014 by the new owners of Island Harbour Marina for permission to retain the PS Ryde on site for a further three years. This is to allow time to evaluate and find the funding necessary to try and save her. The application was approved by the Council on 5 August 2014, guaranteeing her continued existence for at least another three years [20] The planning permission granted for the redevelopment of the marina states that Ryde must be removed within three years of work commencing.[7]

PS Ryde Trust

In June 2018, it was reported that Ryde had been sold and that there were plans to restore the vessel. A charitable trust was to be set up with this aim. An assessment of the vessel was to be undertaken with the assistance of the National Ships Register. It may have been necessary to cut the ship into sections to move her, with restoration estimated at £7–10 million.[21] In November 2018 the P.S. Ryde Trust announced that funds had been raised to purchase Ryde and funding applications for the restoration would be made.[4] After securing for the winter period and pumping out, it was intended that restoration work would start in April 2019 and last for two years, should the necessary funds be available, after which PS Ryde would be fully restored.[22]

An inspection in December 2018 revealed that the remains of the bridge and much of the decking had collapsed. Attempts to remove the vessel would be environmentally hazardous, and it was decided to abandon the restoration project and dismantle the vessel later in 2019. Money raised from an on-line appeal would, instead, be used to fund work on the PS Medway Queen.[5] However, as of January 2025, the dismantling work still had not commenced.

PS Ryde

Operational history

PS Ryde 1937 – 1939

HMS Ryde 1939 – 1945

PS Ryde 1945 – 1970

Hotel and nightclub

Preservation

Early attempts

PS Ryde Trust

In popular culture

See also

References