Lovely Old Ships
Issue: 7 Dated: 20th August 2023
Photographs from the private archives of Gerald Ransley Clarke, with additional contributions from Margaret Faulkner, Dave Conveney and Jerry Pitcher
Page 1 of 4
It was in 1929 that Gerald Ransley Clarke & his brother Ronald Osmer Clarke set up 'Clarkes' in King Street, Maidstone, Kent
Known as the 'complete house furnishers' they sold everything from lino to carpets, & carpet sweepers (we understand that was the first thing they ever sold!) to furniture
Gerald had a great interest in ships & sailing, many of the pictures are taken from his beloved two berth motor cruisers the Margaret Ann 1 & 2
In this feature we travel geographically from his home town of Maidstone, along the North Kent coast into the English Channel & across to the Channel Islands
Gerald's 'Margaret Ann 2' in the home waters of Abingdon 12 August 1961
21st October 2012 - I was really excited when I came across the photo of the little boat Margaret Ann 2 as I've been trying to find one of these boats for ages I own her sister Margaret Anne 5. Do you know anything about the boat as I would really appreciate any information you may have as I don' believe any survive Thanks - Mandy Faulkner
Mr Clarke who was grandfather to a family friend as stated owned both Margaret 1 & 2 but from the photographs have been unable to unearth where they were built or what happened to them. Unfortunately, as you know a good many of these fine vessels ended up on rivers and neglect claimed them, you can still find similar hulks on the Thames and Medway, a great shame - Ed
'Margaret Ann 2'
Above shows perspex covered windows photograph supplied by previous owner shows raised back roof resulting in the loss of her pretty lines
More Pictures of the Margeret Anne 5 and the Thornycroft Boat Yard in 2012 in Old Ships - Page 4
We throw in a few Flying Boats on the River Medway, travel to Southampton with pictures of the last truely great ship the 'Queen Mary' and include a selection of shots of Naval Ships of the mid 1930's
On the Shorts River Medway Slipway 24th September 1930
Mid-river on a mooring 24th September 1930
But 1st it's the River Medway & the Shorts Company makers of Flying Boats, above a Calcutta, Amphibian and Moth pictured above on 24th September 1930
HMS 'Valiant' on the River Medway on 2nd August 1933
The 31,100 ton ship was 640' in length with a beam of 104'
Laid down in 1915, with a war crew of 1187 she was fitted with 8 x 15" guns & 7500 HP engine capable of 25 knots
20th June 2013 - I eventually got into the loft and remembered the photographs that I promised to send along
Regards, Dave Coveney
Newspaper Photograph of my Dave's father Bill Coveney, in uniform inspecting tickets at Strood pier in the early 1960's
The Peking later TS (Training Ship) 'Arethusa' on her arrival in the Medway, laying off Gas House Wharf, Rochester
The TS 'Arethusa'formerly the 'Pekin' by Upnor Woods on the River Medway on 2nd August 1933
MS (Motor Steamer) 'Queen of the Channel' on 16th June 1935
21/01/10 - My grandfather, Greaser, William Marshall, was in the engineroom of the first MS Queen of the Channel when she was sunk during the Dunkirk evacuation. I am the owner of his discharge papers from that occassion, which state reason for leaving ship, sunk by enemy action. The papers along with his photo are on long loan to the Maritime Museum at Ramsgate Harbour and can be viewed there. He along with his son in law, Sid Scanlon, went on to serve in the new Queen right up to the end of trading. If she were still around today she would never get into Ramsgate, the berth is all silted up and nobody seems to care - Malcolm Milham
MS 'Queen of the Channel' on 16th June 1935
14/09/09 - I'm a wreckdiver. & was searching for pictures of the ship MV Queen of the Channel, I came upon you're site and found these very nice pictures. In October we plan a channel dive trip starting in France, the Queen of the Channel and the Moldavia are on our target list. We normally make articles of the wrecks we dive,with underwater pictures, added with historical pictures.We'd like to add a picture when we publish in the Duiken Magazine Diver, Wreckdive Magazine Thank you very much stefan Panis from Belgium
Bill Coveney Chef & his brother Joe in the late 1930's photograph by Medway Studios, 43 High Street, Chatham
The 2250 ton SY (Steam Yacht) 'Alacrity' off Upnor on the River Medway being used as the yacht club vessel on 7th June 1933
23rd January 2009 - My Great-great-granfather Captain Skinner was Master of the Alacrity (pdf) in the 1920's when she was a charter vessel to Montague Graham White's fleet of ships, I'm writing a family history & so pleased to see the picture of his vessel - Malcolm Pearce
5th October 2012 - I stumbled upon a whole box of photos and details concerning the steam yacht Alacricty. She was built for an American millionaire, sold to a Russian princess who outfitted the yacht with treasures from one of her palaces, and then sold to an Englishman who was married to an American heiress. The yacht went round the world three times, and was chartered to two wealthy American women for a while who took 9 month trips across the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Then in the late 1930's the yacht became a 'club' with paying members who took trips to the med' in the autumn and the fjords in spring followed by short trips based from Poole Harbour, where I now live, I'll let you have the pictures for your article - Best Regards Dick Morris
Undated 'Kitty' passes under the old Kings Ferry Bridge linking the Isle-of-Sheppey to North Kent
The German Auxillary 'Magdalene Vivven' at Queenborough on the 25th September 1932 built in 1921 she was 3476 tons
