MV ''Dartmouth Castle'' is a passenger ship operating on the
River Dart
The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for to the sea at Dartmouth.
Name
Most hydronyms in England derive from the Brythonic language (from which the river's subsequent names ultimately derive fr ...
for the
Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Ships
Design
Original design
MV ''Dartmouth Castle'' was built to a classic motor passenger vessel design, with open decks forward and aft of a lower deck saloon, and an open promenade deck above, with the wheelhouse at its forward end. This wheelhouse was considerably older than the ship, having been originally fitted to the previous ''Dartmouth Castle'' - a 1907 vintage paddle steamer. The promenade deck also featured a number of very tall ventilators, a canopy above, and a rather ugly landing deck - a raised deck allowing passengers to board from a high quayside at low tide.
Millbrook conversion
MV ''Dartmouth Castle's'' appearance was completely changed in the late 1970s when, in common with many similar vessels, her promenade deck was covered over. While many of these conversions resulted in rather ungainly looking vessels, MV ''Dartmouth Castle'' was, if anything improved.
[Kittrage, A. ''South Devon Steamers & Ferries'', Tempus Publishing, 2003] The new deckhouse covers around two-thirds of the former promenade deck, is open at its aft end, and has an open passenger deck, along with a new wheelhouse above. She has also gained a small funnel behind the wheelhouse. The new arrangement emphasises the terraced arrangement of the aft decks. The bar and toilets remain in the lower saloon.
History
River Dart Steamboat Company Service
The MV ''Dartmouth Castle'' was originally ordered by the
River Dart Steamboat Co Ltd
The River Dart Steamboat Co Ltd (RDSC) and its predecessors, the Dartmouth Steam Packet Company and the Dartmouth and Torbay Steam Packet Company, were the major ferry and excursion boat operators on the River Dart in South Devon for 120 years, u ...
to replace a former paddle steamer of the same name, which had been laid up for the whole of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and was deemed to be beyond economic repair. She was built for service on the River Dart, running on services between Dartmouth and Totnes, as well as on circular cruises from Dartmouth. She was the first of four post-war steel-hulled motor vessels, that eventually replaced the company's paddle steamers. The pleasure boat operations declined during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and after the 1974 season the fleet was laid up for sale, with the MV ''Dartmouth Castle'' having a book value of just £685.
Millbrook and Dart Pleasure Craft Service
The
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Co Ltd purchased MV ''Dartmouth Castle'' in 1975, and transferred her to their Plymouth-based fleet, where she was by far the largest vessel, but just two seasons later, she was replaced by the larger ''
MV Cardiff Castle
The MV ''Cardiff Castle'' is a twin screw passenger vessel, operating on the River Dart in South Devon, UK, mainly on the cruise / ferry route between Dartmouth and Totnes, but also on circular cruises from Dartmouth, for Dart Pleasure Craft L ...
'', also purchased from the River Dart Steamboat Company, and was sold to Dart Pleasure Craft Ltd, returning to her old services on the River Dart, under the 'River Link' Brand. In 1980, the owners of Dart Pleasure Craft purchased the Millbrook company, and for the next few years there were numerous transfers of vessels between the two operators, until the Millbrook operation was closed in 1985. MV ''Dartmouth Castle'' remained in service on the Dart, principally on the Dartmouth-Totnes run, but also operating most of the coastal cruises from Dartmouth. In 2002, she was replaced by the
MV ''Plymouth Venturer'', a very similar sized and similar looking vessel, acquired from
Plymouth Boat Cruises
The Plymouth Boat Cruises was an excursion boat operator on the River Tamar in South Devon. It was started in 1981, in competition with Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Co Ltd. In 1985 the Millbrook company withdrew from the Tamar, and several of i ...
, and renamed MV ''Dart Venturer'', and was laid up.
Recent Service
She was sold to Devon Princess Cruises, and received a thorough refit, but was little used.
In 2010, Dart Pleaure Craft was merged with the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, under the name Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company. The company began operating a new boat service from Torquay to Dartmouth, as part of a circular "Sea Train" service in connection with its trains, and earmarked the MV ''Dart Venturer'' to operate this trip. The MV ''Dartmouth Castle'' therefore returned to the Dart, and once again took up operations on the Dartmouth-Totnes route.
[Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company. ''Boat Trips Brochure'', 2010]
References
External links
Official website Simplon Postcards Passenger Ship History website- several photos and postcards of the vessel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dartmouth Castle, MV
River Dart passenger vessels
1948 ships