MV ''Seymour Castle'' is a river boat sailing for Thames River Cruises of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, England as the MV ''Devon Belle''. She is registered by

National Historic Ships National Historic Ships UK is a government-funded independent organisation that advises UK governments and others on matters relating to historic ships.

on the National Register of Historic Vessels, certificate number 1955,National Register of Historic Vessels. http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/ships_register.php?action=ship&id=1955, Referred 2009 and is one of the surviving "

Little ships of Dunkirk The Little Ships of Dunkirk were about 850 private boats that sailed from Ramsgate in England to Dunkirk in northern France between 26 May and 4 June 1940 as part of Operation Dynamo, helping to rescue more than 336,000 British, French, and oth ...

" from the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

in 1940.

Design

MV ''Seymour Castle'' was built to a typical river boat design, with a lower deck, fully enclosed saloon with bar and an open deck above, fitted with a canopy. The large forward open deck, and small open deck at the stern are around half way between the two levels. The wheelhouse is located on the upper deck. She was built with large windows for the full length of her lower saloon. These were replaced with rather small portholes during her time as the MV ''Scomber'', but were restored during her time as ''Dartmothian''.

History

The ship was built for 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 ...

by Ferris and Blank of Creekside Boatyard near

Dartmouth, Devon Dartmouth () is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the western bank of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes. It lies within the ...

. She was the largest vessel ever built by this yard, which specialised in the construction of motor yachts and rowing boats, and was built of local oak frames, with pitch pine planking. She only had one year in service before the declaration of

World War II 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 ...

. In May 1940, she travelled to the Dover Straits to assist in the Dunkirk Evacuation, and remained in Admiralty service in the Folkestone area until the end of the war, when she returned to the Dart. In 1972, with reducing traffic on the Dart, she was sold to the naturalist and writer Tony Soper, who gave her a major refit, with a new wheelhouse, portholes replacing her cabin windows and a saloon equipped for lectures. She was also equipped with beam trawl, plankton nets, charts, books and microscopes for passenger use. She was used on wildlife spotting cruises from

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

and Dartmouth, including a number of six-day cruises under charter to the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

, with passengers spending nights ashore in hotels. In 1977, she returned to conventional cruises, based out of Plymouth, for KT Bridge, under the name MV ''Southern Comfort of Plymstock''. In 1982, she returned to the Dart, under the ownership of G.H. Riddalls and Sons, was renamed MV ''Dartmothian'', and resumed her Dartmouth to

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-so ...

sailings and circular cruises from Dartmouth. Following the introduction of the MV ''Dartmouth Princess'' in 1994 and the ''

MV Dittisham Princess The ''MV Dittisham Princess'' is a twin screw passenger vessel, operating on the River Dart in South Devon, England. She is mainly used for the Western Lady Ferry in Torbay, as well as charters, winter services and as a relief vessel, on the cru ...

'' in 1995, she saw little use, and was sold to KJ Bridge, and renamed the MV ''Devon Belle'', resuming the "

dockyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

and warships" cruises from

Plymouth Hoe Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south-facing open public space in the English coastal city of Plymouth. The Hoe is adjacent to and above the low limestone cliffs that form the seafront and it commands views of Plymouth ...

.Boyle, I, http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Riddells.html, Referred 2009 In 1999, MV ''Devon Belle'' was sold to Thames River Cruises of

Caversham, Berkshire Caversham is a suburb of Reading, England. Originally a village founded in the Middle Ages, it lies on the north bank of the River Thames, opposite the rest of Reading. Caversham Bridge, Reading Bridge, Christchurch Bridge, and Caversham Lock pr ...

, near Reading on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

. She underwent a major restoration, during which she returned to Dunkirk as part of the 2000 Dunkirk reunion. She now operates trips to

Mapledurham House Mapledurham House is an Elizabethan stately home located in the civil parish of Mapledurham in the English county of Oxfordshire. It is a Grade I listed building, first listed on 24 October 1951. History and architecture The manor of Mapledurham ...

and circular cruises.

References

External links

Thames River Cruises
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour Castle 1938 ships Ferries of South West England Little Ships of Dunkirk Ships and vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels River Dart passenger vessels