Royal Iris Ferry

[jetjockey]

Taken on Thursday 15th September whilst waiting for the QM2


JJ

[RICEY]

JJ can you renmae this to Royal Iris Of the Mersey as the real Royal Iris is sat rotting away in woolwich

[thetexpat]

mtlnorth & co.,

Thanls for your postings of the current 'Royal Iris'.

Being a 'Senior Member' of the Speke fraternity (having had the true pleasure of working for BRITISH EAGLE many years nay decades ago, I read the Nostalgia pages of NWAN everyday (computer idiosyncrasies allowing ;D) and thoroughly enjoy everybody's contribution.

During this time I have observed the increasing interest in 'vintage' diesel locomotives. This is a major change from 'my day' when these 'stink-pots' were looked down upon as unworthy successors to the current steam locomotives!

Ah, how times, and values change!

And so it goes with ships/boats too (trams, buses, lorries, etc)!
The 'original' MV ROYAL IRIS is no exception! In her 'glory days', we old pharts will have remembered her as the "Fish & Chip' boat'! Looking back, she was more than that. She was a floating social centre (something an exPat looks back on with fond remembrances!)!

Sadly, she is not receiving the 'care' deserved' in her dotage and is showing the results(as shown by the following 'Youtube' video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnAAXGrPmLE

It would be wonderful if she could be rescued from her current plight! It would/will take a large amount of brass to accomplish this task! And you have to admit she is somewhat unique, bit like the Beatles I suppose !

Right, orft me soapbox; ramble made !

We all get there eventually!
Enjoy the Journey

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[jetjockey]

Sept 18, 2011 22:46:40 GMT 1 RICEY said:

JJ can you renmae this to Royal Iris Of the Mersey as the real Royal Iris is sat rotting away in woolwich

mtlnorth
The Royal Iris you refer to I remember well having played on her with a group in the 60s however the "real" Royal Iris has long gone having served in the First World War it was from this action she and the Daffodil were bestowed with the title "Royal" and I believe all the Ferries named Royal Iris are "of the Mersey.

JJ

[RICEY]

they have to call them of the mersey as the one in london is still registerd as Royal Iris

[Biggles]

I see some Muppet of an artist has just been given about £500K to tow a chunk of rock around Britain which has been hacked off the ice cap,this is to highlight the meltng ice cap and global warming. Would be far better giving that money if available to save these ex Mersey Ferries from salvage and get them back to their home port.

[jetjockey]

Sept 22, 2011 19:56:26 GMT 1 Biggles said:

I see some Muppet of an artist has just been given about £500K to tow a chunk of rock around Britain which has been hacked off the ice cap,this is to highlight the meltng ice cap and global warming. Would be far better giving that money if available to save these ex Mersey Ferries from salvage and get them back to their home port.

Biggles
Unlike are friends across the pond we don't have the same mindset on preservation, for example the attached photo is the USS Missouri preserved at Pearl Harbour she is 1 of 4 Iowa class Battleships built late on in WW II all of which have been preserved,I just wish we had the same passion.

JJ

[RICEY]

considering the uk built a hell of alot of ships not many places seem to want them to be stored there.
Look at HMS Plymouth which is sat in Vittoria Dock untouched since the Warship Preservation Trust went under. HMS Onyx went to barrow and looks like that may soon be scrapped. HMS Bronnington has people looking after here now and again.
Prime example of the neglect ship owners get is Planet Cafe and Bar. Brought over to Liverpool and placed inside the Albert Dock. Moved as it "blocked the view" and is now on one of the best spots in Canning Half Tide Dock

[jetjockey]

mtlnorth
I agree with your comments re the amount of ships this country has built and the lack of interest in keeping our heritage alive the only big gun ship I know of being cared for is HMS Belfast on the Thames and this is because she is part of the IWM.
When you consider she is an 8" gun Cruiser she is small against the USS Missouri with her 16" guns and as I said in my previous post there are 4 of those ships preserved which again in my view shows the lack of passion in our country to preservation.


JJ

[johnoakes]

How very interesting the forum can be and how it shakes out old memories---please allow me to share two with you;
As a child I spent my summers at Southend on Sea halping my Uncle deliver milkas a treat my Gran took me across to France on a day shopping trip as the boats from London to Calais picked up at Southend pier.The boat was the Royal Iris and had a brass plaque to commemorating its exploits at Dunkerque etc.My first taste of France .

The ship HMS Belfast was the ship that rescued a good friend of mine on retreat from the Norway campaign--he had been posted missing presumed dead--his Mother fainted into his arms when he knocked on the door after docking.
My friend went on to be at El Alemaine,Anzio and upthrough Italy--he still regreted joining the TA in 1939 LOL

Heros so soon forgotten

[Biggles]

The concern to keep museum pieces afloat I totally agree with, but it really should also cover keeping the modern day stuff going as well and not like now where the RN is bordering on becoming non existent. But then again this thought process also covers some of aviation best products, i,e Vulcan, Concorde, TSR2. any number of now scrapped historic jets that have now left service but had been superb and should perhaps have been kept in a similar fashion to those in USA and other places.

[Deleted]

Very interesting thread and thanks to it it has cleared up a misunderstanding that I have held since a child. I was told as a very young lad that the Royal Iris and Royal Daffodil had served at Dunkirk and has been rewarded with the title Royal as a result. As JetJocky rightly points out the award was due to action at Zeebrugge during the First World War. The current Royal Iris is the third to hold the name and is infact the Mountwood which was renamed in 2001. The links below follow the history of the first, second, and third vessels:

The first;

www.merseyside.net/newbrighton/pages/irisdaffodilferry.htm

Second, and most recognisable to us;

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Royal_Iris

Third, and subject of this thread;

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Royal_Iris_of_the_Mersey

Finally, if like me you were unable to access theexpat's link to the youtube video I've added another below;

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnAAXGrPmLE

[jetjockey]

Sept 25, 2011 20:19:30 GMT 1 Biggles said:

The concern to keep museum pieces afloat I totally agree with, but it really should also cover keeping the modern day stuff going as well and not like now where the RN is bordering on becoming non existent. But then again this thought process also covers some of aviation best products, i,e Vulcan, Concorde, TSR2. any number of now scrapped historic jets that have now left service but had been superb and should perhaps have been kept in a similar fashion to those in USA and other places.

Biggles
I agree with your comments however keeping the modern day stuff going with respect to the RN I think is down to the Goverment but if we have to lose ships which looks likely, maybe some one should consider there past history and look to save them from the axeman although some people in Liverpool did try to get a Black Swan type Sloop back from Eygpt but got no joy as to berthing her at the Albert Dock, this was very significant to Liverpool as this was the type that Johnie Walker sailed out of Gladstone Dock to attack the German U Boats his being HMS Starling.
With your point on aviation we do have a lot jets now preserved the area that is missing out are the larger commercial jets

JJ

[johnoakes]

Sorry for the ramble--the ship was the Royal Daffodil not the Iris--a good memory to keep none the less.