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Lincoln Castle : Original operating Area - Humber Estuary, UK
In British rail colours in the late 1960s Photo made available by kind courtesy of degakh under Creative Commons Licence : Creative Commons 2.0 |
These views were taken on Saturday 9th October 2010 |
More from Susan on the "Scrapping" page : Click here or on the link below the photo of the (former) engines below to see these and more of the demoliton |
The
magnificent Ailsa-built engines, which were kept in close to working order. |
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For more photos of the demolition of Lincoln Castle - Click here
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Lincoln Castle aground at low tide on the slag
tipped into the dock on 31st January 2007. Museum trawler Ross Tiger
(built 1957) and fishing smack Esther (1888) are also in the dock
as part of the National Fishing Heritage Centre run by NE Lincolnshire
Council. |
Prior to the scrapping, the engine room was in immaculate condition
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THE TRAGIC EVENTS LEADING TO THE
UNNECESSARY LOSS OF LINCOLN CASTLE
The ship was put up for sale by owner Colin
Johnson, in the summer of 2009 through a ship broker. She had been serving as
a bar/restaurant at Alexandra Dock, Grimsby but had been closed in 2006
and repairs to the hull below the waterline were attempted after the
ship was "beached" on slag tipped into a corner of the dock. These
attempts failed and concrete has been used internally to seal pinhole leaks
in the hull. A number of private purchasers came forward with the GBP 20,000
asking price but were put off by the requirement of the local council for a
GBP 60,000 bond as surety that the ship would be repaired and not abandoned
to decay. This plus the unexpectedly high costs of hull restoration left the
owner having difficulty finding a buyer. The ship was then offered free to the UK's Paddle Steamer
Preservation Society (PSPS, which already operates PS Waverley, PS Kingswear
Castle and MV Balmoral). Whilst there was a general will within the society
to take ownership, the demands of its charitable status and the need not to
abstract from funds for existing projects left the Council of Management of
the PSPS with no mandate to pursue the matter further, but there was some comfort
in that a bid by a local businessman was still on the table at that time and
the ship did look like it would be secure. A Grimsby-based group
the Lincoln Castle Trust had been established to try and save the ship but raising
the finance proved difficult. Over in Hull, the Lincoln Castle Preservation
Society (LCPS) was established by its Chariman Stephen Sharpe with a view to
taking her across the Humber and eventually restoring her to service. The LCPS
was formed at short notice when it became clear that all other potential purchasers
had pulled out and the owner had apparently decided that the vessel should
be scrapped. Stephen Sharpe mounted a high profile campaign in the local media
to raise awareness - and funds. The Society was remarkably successful in raising
money in a short period of time, but the owner consistently rebuffed any attempt
to negotiate a sale of the ship to the LCPS. The Society's last offer was five
times the original asking price yet it was still rejected. However, they key
sticking point would have been the cost of moving her to a place where work
on her hull could have taken place. With no permit from the MCA (Maritime &
Coatguard Agency) for a tow, a pontoon was estimated by the PSPS to have cost
in the region of GBP 700,000 - an amount they were unable to commit and unwilling
to attempt to raise.
FPSW
Comment : The saga shows that ships need regular inspection
and maintenance. Under such conditions their lives can be extended for as long
as owners are prepared to pay for the necessary repairs and refurbishments.
Virtually enclosed in Alexandra Dock, Lincoln Castle did not receive this essential
care during her stay in Grimsby and this led to the tragic and unnecessary loss
of what was otherwise a perfectly good ship.
When considering ship renovation
bear in mind that Tattershall Castle's last renovation at George Prior's (now
closed) yard at Great Yarmouth cost GBP 4.75 million ........... |
Had Lincoln Castle been in a fit state to receive
a licence from the MCA for her to be towed to a commercial yard or suitable
dry dock, the ship could easily have been saved. The failure of the owner to give the ship's hull regular
maintentance (almost inevitably once she was all but enclosed in Alexandra Dock)
meant that according to a surveyor's
report, she was going to cost far too
much even just to move her to a place at which to get any restoration project
started.
She had been
floated on to a specially deposited slag pile in the corner of Alexandra Dock
after her closure as a pub in 2006 to try and effect the increasingly necessary
hull repairs (she had earlier sprung a leak and been repaired with concrete). These proved to be too complicated to undertake properly in situ.
It is unclear whether she could have been floated out of the dock for commercial
repair at that time. The cost of that work probably was estimated at more than
available to owner Colin Johnson's business at the time, but it would seem that
that was the last chance she had for a long term future.
The Paddle Steamer
Preservation Society reported in its journal "Paddle Wheels" Winter
2007 edition that it was "trying to assist the owner of PS Lincoln Castle
with a plan to renovate the ship". Had the offer of donating the ship been
made at this time, or earlier if the necessary regular maintanance of the ship
had been regarded as unaffordable by Mr Johnson, the outcome could have been
much different. Only in May 2010 did it become apparent to the general public
(and most paddle steamer enthusiasts) that Lincoln Castle was at real risk and
only then could they swing into action, as was done remarkably successfully
by the LCPS.
Exactly why
owner Colin Johnson did not sell the ship to the LCPS in 2010 is unclear. They had cash and additional pledges which far exceeded the owner's
original asking price
yet it has been said that the owner would sell everything but the "bottom
plates" effectively rendering it impossible. However it is clear that the
owner never entered into any serious negotiations, especially with LCPS who
had developed a plan for her removal, storage and restoration. Had the various interested parties,
including North East Lincolnshire Council who appear to have played a significant
role, sat down together and hammered
out a sensible solution, Lincoln Castle might have been saved, even if it had
to be a "constructive dismantling" with a view to a future rebuild
which LCPS had contingency plans for. At least the most irreplaceable part of
the ship, the engines, could and should have been saved. If in fact Colin Johnson
was doing the LCPS a favour, to the extent that there was no possibility of
getting her out of Alexanda Dock then this should have been discussed and agreed
between two cooperating parties rather than through the press. In fact, it should
have been made crystal clear three years ago when the problem presumably became
apparent.
It does seem incredible, however, that some way for making
her suitably watertight could not have been found to allow her to be towed to
a place of refuge for attention.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ...............Update from Switzerland
Concurrently with the scrapping in situ of Lincoln Castle, plans for the renovation of the Swiss restaurant paddler Neuchatel, now owned by an enthusiasts' group (Trivapor), have got into full swing. In October 2010, just as the last remains of Lincoln Castle disappeared, she was lifted out of the water on to the river bank for a two year long restoration. Had Lincoln Castle been able to have been floated out of Alexandra Dock or had space alongside the dock been made available for the renovation work to take place, it is possible that the Humber paddler would have been with us today and would be looking forward to a bright future. Click here to read more about the Swiss project and follow the links see extensive photography of her being lifted out of the water and just in, new photos of the renovation work as at February 4th, 2011. She has been stripped right down and over 50 percent of her hull plates are going to be replaced. So, even after Copes had stripped the fittings from Lincoln Castle she could still have been saved had she been taken out of the water or found safe refuge.
THE FIGHT TO SAVE (AND NOW REBUILD) LINCOLN CASTLE : INFORMATION SOURCES
LINCOLN CASTLE PRESERVATION
SOCIETY
Website
: http://lincolncastle.org/
e-mail
- lincolncastlepreservationsociety (at)
hotmail (dot) co (dot) uk :
Despite
not being able to persuade the owner to sell the ship ro them intact, the
Lincoln Castle Preservation Society have purchased some items of interest
from the ship and have publicly declared their intention to build
a new Lincoln Castle with the old plans appropriately modified to incorporate
all modern design legislation. The ultimate objective is to have the new ship
offering excursion cruises on the Humber estuary. The Society is engaged in
fundraising whilst working behind the scenes on the plans for the new vessel.
In early 2011 space was made available by Hull Museum for a temporary exhibition
about the ship, featuring items from the Society's collection of rescued artefacts
plus items from members' collections.
ENTHUSIASTS' FORUM : A "Remember
the Lincoln Castle" forum has been established as part of the National
Steam Ship Preservation Forum on http://www.steamships.org.uk/preservation/
FACEBOOK : Photos, comments and
discussion from supporters can be found on the unofficial LC Facebook page
where
there is extensive photography of the scrapping of Lincoln Castle plus mrembers'
own photos of her from the past. These pages are now not used and most discussion
about Lincoln Castle takes place on the forum above yet they form a good historical
record of the final months of the ship :
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=108039482589705&v=wall
Earlier
page : http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=138534972832520&v=info
LOCAL PRESS :
The local newspapers Grimsby Telegraph
and Hull Daily Mail reported regularly on the Lincoln Castle saga since
May 2010 until the ship finally disappeared. Click on the links to the newspapers' on-line sites then enter "Lincoln
Castle" in the search box to retrieve the articles for reference :
Hully
Daily Mail : http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/
Grimsby
Telegraph : http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/
With Wingfield Castle seemingly trapped in Hartlepool Marina due to her being too large to fit the rebuilt lock and Tattershall Castle, much rebuilt from her original form being a luctrative pub business in central London, it could be that there is now only one chance for a paddle steamer to be reactivated in the UK - PS Maid of the Loch. However, she will be confined to her Scottish loch.
One last chance of another operational UK paddler
? |
LINCOLN CASTLE IS NOT A SISTER-SHIP OF FORMER FLEET-MATES
TATTERSHALL CASTLE AND WINGFIELD
CASTLE. SHE DIFFERED SUBSTANTIALLY FROM THE OLDER TWINS ALTHOUGH THERE REMAINS
A DISTINCT "FAMILY LOOK".
Follow the vessel links below for
specifications, historical details and photographs of these two fleet-mates.
Click
here to go to or return to the
Hull - New Holland Ferry
service
information page in this database
Tattershall
Castle has become a thriving pub on the Thames in central London - a prime
site and perhaps the only one in the UK where such an operation could be successful.
Unfortunately her latest refit designed to appeal to the leisure market has
taken her some distance away from her historical roots. In this action, her
paddles were removed to allow extra storage and lounge space.
Wingfield Castle was
restored by trainees who earlier restored Portsmouth's HMS Warrior and she is
now moored alongside Hartlepool's municipal museum only yards from the slip
where she was built in 1934. Access is free as part of the town's excellent museum
and she acts as the museum's cafeteria. There are some interpretative displays
and audio aboard, but a recent renovation to allow the lower saloons to be used
to hire out to local organisations and the required disabled access, including
two lifts, have ruined
her authenticity. She is also far less "comfortable" than Tattershall
and as Lincoln Castle was before her fittings were stripped out, so there is
little incentive to spend much time aboard. However, with the museum alongside
the Historic Quayside attraction (which is like a theme park recreating an English
port around 1800, but is not free to get into), Hartlepool has at least made
a decent attempt to develop its old harbour and Gray's shipyard. The Jackson's
Landing Outlet Mall closed, but there are a few shops remaining, plus a pub,
fast food restaurants and a hotel. The shipyard basin is now a popular marina
with numerous dinghies and yachts moored. Wingfield
Castle will be confined to Hartlepool Marina for the rest of her life it would
seem. The lock (rebuilt in 1991 after she arrived) is now too small for her
to pass through. Getting her out would be extremely expensive or require a
complete dismantling.
MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF LINCOLN CASTLE
Lincoln Castle at Hull in 1959. Photos by courtesy of Ian Stenton |
In preservation : By
David Ornsby : Click on the links for more
2004 - Lincoln Castle in Alexandra
Dock
2004 - Aboard and Engines
2006
- Freshly repainted
2008 - 4th
January
2008 - 21st October
INTERNET LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
Detailed
photography, particularly internal views, taken in 2009 on this internet link
: Photos by Mark Young (of PS Ryde Trust)
Wikipedia page : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_Lincoln_Castle
From
David Enefer's railpics website :
Photos of Lincoln Castle in Service :
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.enefer/newholland/newhollandferries.htm
Lincoln
Castle in 1976 including photos in the boiler and engine room : http://www.davesrailpics.bravehost.com/humberferry/humberferry.htm
Youtube
video of LC in operation : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WatPPKbSgXU
Aerial
photo of LC moored at Hessle in 1986 : http://www.flickr.com/photos/53761336@N00/1476727664/
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