MV Royal Daffodil (1939)
Royal Daffodil in the Upper Pool, London
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | MV Royal Daffodil |
Owner | General Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. |
Operator | General Steam Navigation Co. Ltd |
Port of registry | London |
Builder | William Denny and Sons, Dumbarton. |
Yard number | 1330[2] |
Launched | 24 January 1939[2] |
Completed | May 1939[1] |
In service | 1939 |
Identification | |
Fate | Scrapped 1967 |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 2,060 GRT |
Length | 299 ft 7 in (91.31 m)[1] |
Beam | 50 ft 1 in (15.27 m)[1] |
Depth | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)[1] |
Propulsion | 2 x SCSA diesel engines (Wm Denny & Bros Ltd, Dumbarton) 841 hp (627 kW), Twin screws[1] |
Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h) |
Capacity | 2,073 passengers |
MV Royal Daffodil was built in 1939 and scrapped in 1967. In the late 1950s and early to mid 1960s she was used for "no passport" trips to France, which enabled people to drink outside normal licensing hours as these did not apply at sea.
History
Royal Daffodil was launched in 1939, the third ship to carry that name. The first was a Mersey ferry built in 1906 as
The ship, built for continental trips from Tower Pier, commenced her service on 28 April 1939 with a sailing to Calais.[4] On the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 she was quickly requisitioned by the Sea Transport Department of the Board of Trade.
World War II service
Initially she was used for the evacuation of some 4000 women and children from London and Thames Estuary to East Anglia.[4][5] From 15 September 1939, Royal Daffodil was used to carry troops of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from Southampton to Cherbourg, continuing on this duty until October that year.[6]
On 21 May 1940 Royal Daffodil was placed on standby to take part in evacuating the BEF if it became necessary.
For the remainder of the war, Royal Daffodil ran between
Post-war
After the war, Royal Daffodil was refitted by her builders,
Paul Lincoln, who managed The 2i's Coffee Bar, used the Daffodil between 1957 and 1963 for live Rock and Skiffle musical entertainment, with performers such as Gene Vincent in 1962, and Jerry Lee Lewis in 1963. In the summer of 1960, the licensed grocers, W H Cullen, hired the ship to take its staff downriver to Margate as an anniversary celebration. Unfortunately, the musical excursions proved unprofitable and in 1966 Royal Daffodil made her last crossing.
She was sold for scrapping in Ghent in 1967, making her last journey to the breakers along the
Official number and code letters
Royal Daffodil had the UK
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f Lloyd's Register of Ships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1942. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Single Ship Report for "1167210"". Miramar (subscription required). Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Royal Daffodil (1936-1938)". Ian Boyle. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ ISBN 1-871814-46-4.
- ^ "An Evacuee to Wymondham". BBC. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
- ^ Winser 1999, p. 60.
- ^ Winser 1999, p. 11.
- ^ Winser 1999, p. 12.
- ^ Kindell, Don. "Naval Events, May 1940 (Part 4 of 4): Wednesday 22nd – Friday 31st". British and Other Navies in World War II Day-by-Day. Naval-history.net. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ "M V Royal Daffodil". Tom Lee. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
- ^ "GREENWICH INDUSTRIAL HISTORY Volume 10, Issue 1, April 2006". GREENWICH INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SOCIETY. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
- ^ "Docklands at War - The Blitz". Museum in Docklands. Archived from the original on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
References
- Winser, John de S. (1999). B.E.F. Ships before, at and after Dunkirk. Gravesend, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-91-6.