PS ''Whippingham'' was a passenger

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses we ...

built for the Southern Railway in 1930 for the ferry route to the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

. After distinguished war service, she returned to ferry work until she was scrapped in 1963.

History

The ship was built by Fairfield, Govan and launched on 1 May 1930. She was one of two ships placed by the railway company, the other being . She was deployed on the Portsmouth to Ryde ferry service, but as one of the largest vessels commissioned for the company, also operated excursions from Portsmouth. In 1933 there was a near collision with the King's racing yacht Britannia when the ''Whippingham'', with a number of passengers on board, was caught by the tide and drifted towards the yacht, which was anchored some distance away. The ''Whippingham'' dropped anchor, and was stopped within 50 yards of the Royal yacht. Although retained on the Isle of Wight ferry route at the outbreak 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 opposi ...

, at the end of May 1940 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and took part in the Dunkirk evacuation; although she only made one trip she brought back 2,700 men. After resuming ferry services, she was requisitioned again in 1941 as a

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

and converted to an anti-aircraft ship in the following year. She provided cover for convoys assembling in

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

Bay on the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

and later supported the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

in 1944. She returned to railway use in 1946. On 31 July 1947 she collided with the 28-ton

yawl A yawl is a type of boat. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan), to the hull type or to the use which the vessel is put. As a rig, a yawl is a two masted, fore and aft rigged sailing vessel with the mizzen mast p ...

''Ariette'', which was preparing to take part in the

Royal Thames Yacht Club The Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC) is the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the world, and the oldest yacht club in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located at 60 Knightsbridge, London, England, overlooking Hyde Park. The club ...

regatta off the pier head at Ryde. The yacht was lifted out of the sea and the crew was thrown about the deck, but no one was seriously injured, although damage to the yacht was estimated at £3,000. She was acquired by British Railways in 1948. In November 1954 there was a fire on board whilst maintenance work was being carried out, but the damage was minimal. She was scrapped in 1963. A promotional scale model commissioned by the Southern Railway and contained in a glass cabinet still exists and is now part of the Bluebell Railway's museum collection and is currently on display at Horsted Keynes Station.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whippingham 1930 ships Steamships of the United Kingdom Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Clyde Ships of the Southern Railway (UK) Ships of British Rail