Scarborough Pleasure Steamers

Regal Lady (Oulton Belle)

Now at an age when most Ladies are becoming a little sensitive about the passing years Regal Lady is proud to have achieved her eighty second year
Over the years she has steamed thousands of miles from Dunkirk to the Clyde in the war years and from Scarborough and Great yarmouth in peace time

Regal Lady was built by Fellows and Co Shipbuilders of Great Yarmouth in 1930 launched on the morning of the 23rd May and named Oulton Belle
the last of her line a double ender with prop and rudder both at her stern and bows enabling greater manoeuvrability on the fast flowing river through Yarmouth Port
Running her holiday excursions for the following nine years until the Second World War being requisitioned by the Admirality in January 1940
On the 14th May 1940 the BBC made the following announcement
requesting all passenger carry craft to move to Dover and Ramsgate to take part in a top secret operation to be called Dynamo
Regal Lady moved to Ramsgate the evacuation of the British and French forces from the beaches of Dunkirk had begun
Between the 28th May and the 4th June 337, 131 troops were evacuated from the beaches enabling Great Briton to turn a defeat into a victory and go on and win the second world war
After the evacuation Regal Lady retuned to Grt Yarmouth for a short period before being posted to the Firth of Clyde as fleet tender where she finished the war years transferring United States Troops from the great Queens Mary and Elizabeth after their hazardous transatlantic voyage during the build up to D Day
Decommissioned in 1946 she retuned to her pre war passenger work out of Great Yarmouth up until 1954 when she was sold to Scarborough Cruises making her first cruise out of the port in late June
Working from the port till 1970 she was again sold back to the Norfolk Coast although this time operating from Norwich
passenger numbers declining she was again put on the for sale market at the end of the 1984 summer season
Laid up for the next three years a very weather be-ton Regal Lady left the Norfolk broads for the last time on a cold January morning in 1987 setting sail North again back to Scarborough
After a major refit and full Maritime and Coastguard inspection she was ready to set sail during the Spring Bank Holiday of 1987
and now some 26years later and many refits later she's still going strong and now preparing for a new 2013 season

Coronia (Yorkshire Lady Brit

By the early 1930s everyone had at least one weeks holiday mostly spending time by the seaside To cope with the ever increasing trade E. W. Longfield of Great Yarmouth commissioned the building of a 90ft Pleasure steamer She was launched by Fellows South Town Shipyard in May 1935 and named Brit
Working from the port sailing from the town hall quay she was the largest and fastest of all the towns Pleasure Steamers
The summer of 1939 was the last time for six years she was to sail as a pleasure steamer being taken over by the Admiralty on the 16th September 1939 for war duties and renamed HMT Watchful
When the call came during May 1940 for boats to rescue our stander troops from the French beaches Watchful sailed for Dover and onto the French coast at Dunkirk
A great many of the little ships taking part did not return being bombed or machine gunned by the enemy most losing all hands
H. M. T Watchful is reported to have sailed to Dunkirk and returned three times where she saved 900 lives after the evacuation she returned to Great Yarmouth to serve out the rest of the war years
On the 12th of December 1945 war duties over she returned to her owners repainted and ready again for the 1946 season
After years of restrictions the public flocked to the coast just to see the sea again and many enjoyed a cruise on the newly painted Brit
Brit was sold in 1951 to Scarborough Cruises and renamed Yorkshire Lady she was repainted white with a yellow funnel modernised making her first cruise from the port in late May begining a tradition which was to last for many years to come
1968 saw Yorkshire Lady renamed taking on the mantle of Coronia after the previous Coronia which had operated from Scarborough since 1935 left the Port
Now with a new name she worked out of Scarborough until 1985 when she left the Yorkshire coast for warmer waters sailing from Gibraltar for the following five years
By the summer of 1990 passenger numbers were declining and it was time for Coronia to make the hazardous journey home again to Scarborough
She sailed from Gibraltar in May 1991 never faltering arriving back in Scarborough on the 5th June
After a rest and a refit she was ready to start cruising again from her home port
And now together with Regal Lady she carries with her a century long tradition of a cruise across Scarborough Bay

Regal Lady (Oulton Belle)

Now at an age when most Ladies are becoming a little sensitive about the passing years Regal Lady is proud to have achieved her eighty second year
Over the years she has steamed thousands of miles from Dunkirk to the Clyde in the war years and from Scarborough and Great yarmouth in peace time

Regal Lady was built by Fellows and Co Shipbuilders of Great Yarmouth in 1930 launched on the morning of the 23rd May and named Oulton Belle
the last of her line a double ender with prop and rudder both at her stern and bows enabling greater manoeuvrability on the fast flowing river through Yarmouth Port
Running her holiday excursions for the following nine years until the Second World War being requisitioned by the Admirality in January 1940
On the 14th May 1940 the BBC made the following announcement
requesting all passenger carry craft to move to Dover and Ramsgate to take part in a top secret operation to be called Dynamo
Regal Lady moved to Ramsgate the evacuation of the British and French forces from the beaches of Dunkirk had begun
Between the 28th May and the 4th June 337, 131 troops were evacuated from the beaches enabling Great Briton to turn a defeat into a victory and go on and win the second world war
After the evacuation Regal Lady retuned to Grt Yarmouth for a short period before being posted to the Firth of Clyde as fleet tender where she finished the war years transferring United States Troops from the great Queens Mary and Elizabeth after their hazardous transatlantic voyage during the build up to D Day
Decommissioned in 1946 she retuned to her pre war passenger work out of Great Yarmouth up until 1954 when she was sold to Scarborough Cruises making her first cruise out of the port in late June
Working from the port till 1970 she was again sold back to the Norfolk Coast although this time operating from Norwich
passenger numbers declining she was again put on the for sale market at the end of the 1984 summer season
Laid up for the next three years a very weather be-ton Regal Lady left the Norfolk broads for the last time on a cold January morning in 1987 setting sail North again back to Scarborough
After a major refit and full Maritime and Coastguard inspection she was ready to set sail during the Spring Bank Holiday of 1987
and now some 26years later and many refits later she's still going strong and now preparing for a new 2013 season

Coronia (Yorkshire Lady Brit

By the early 1930s everyone had at least one weeks holiday mostly spending time by the seaside To cope with the ever increasing trade E. W. Longfield of Great Yarmouth commissioned the building of a 90ft Pleasure steamer She was launched by Fellows South Town Shipyard in May 1935 and named Brit
Working from the port sailing from the town hall quay she was the largest and fastest of all the towns Pleasure Steamers
The summer of 1939 was the last time for six years she was to sail as a pleasure steamer being taken over by the Admiralty on the 16th September 1939 for war duties and renamed HMT Watchful
When the call came during May 1940 for boats to rescue our stander troops from the French beaches Watchful sailed for Dover and onto the French coast at Dunkirk
A great many of the little ships taking part did not return being bombed or machine gunned by the enemy most losing all hands
H. M. T Watchful is reported to have sailed to Dunkirk and returned three times where she saved 900 lives after the evacuation she returned to Great Yarmouth to serve out the rest of the war years
On the 12th of December 1945 war duties over she returned to her owners repainted and ready again for the 1946 season
After years of restrictions the public flocked to the coast just to see the sea again and many enjoyed a cruise on the newly painted Brit
Brit was sold in 1951 to Scarborough Cruises and renamed Yorkshire Lady she was repainted white with a yellow funnel modernised making her first cruise from the port in late May begining a tradition which was to last for many years to come
1968 saw Yorkshire Lady renamed taking on the mantle of Coronia after the previous Coronia which had operated from Scarborough since 1935 left the Port
Now with a new name she worked out of Scarborough until 1985 when she left the Yorkshire coast for warmer waters sailing from Gibraltar for the following five years
By the summer of 1990 passenger numbers were declining and it was time for Coronia to make the hazardous journey home again to Scarborough
She sailed from Gibraltar in May 1991 never faltering arriving back in Scarborough on the 5th June
After a rest and a refit she was ready to start cruising again from her home port
And now together with Regal Lady she carries with her a century long tradition of a cruise across Scarborough Bay