Charity successfully purchases iconic steam ship
One of the world’s most famous steamships is returning to Glasgow, thanks to a charity which has Robbie Coltrane on board.
The TS Queen Mary, built in 1933, has been purchased by Glasgow-based Friends Of TS Queen Mary and will bring the vessel to a permanent berth on the Clyde.
A £20,000 fee was paid for the ship earlier this year by the Coltrane-backed charity and now the group will embark on a multi-million-pound restoration programme.
Coltrane got involved after being saddened at the plight of the once great ship which has been languishing in a dock in England in an advanced state of disrepair.
Now the charity needs to raise up to £4million for their plans to turn the ship into a floating tourist and educational attraction next to Glasgow’s Riverside Museum.
The plan is now to get her seaworthy - Iain Sim
Friends of TS Queen Mary trustee Iain Sim said: “I am still shell-shocked that our battle to bring the ship home has finally been successful. The plan is now to get her seaworthy.
"We have to try to raise £70,000 before next April to repair her and bring her home.”
Built at the William Denny shipyard at Dumbarton for the Williamson-Buchanan company, the 871 gross tons steamer carried 2,086 passengers making her the largest excursion turbine on the River Clyde back in the day.
In the 1960s, a gradual change in holiday habits and a succession of summers with poor weather led to a decline in Clyde sailings.
While other ships were retired, the Queen Mary II was refitted and put on cruises from Gourock to Inveraray, Brodick and Campbeltown.
Eventually it ended up in London as a floating restaurant before being bought by an antique dealer who never fulfilled a promise to return the ship to former glory.
The plan to save the TS Queen Mary was backed by several MSPs including Jackie Baillie and Sandra White.
White said: “I’m delighted at the news and I can’t wait to see the Queen Mary come back to her natural home. I’ll do everything I can to help.”
Cruise liner giants Cunard have also formally endorsed the project and have pledged to support the charity.
