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This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation
 
 
 
City Cruises
City Cruises Page 2: Other Vessels
 
This Simplon Postcards page is one of a series devoted to River Thames excursion boats - it is not connected with the boat operator. The Millennium Riverliners in the City Cruises fleet are shown on City Cruises Page 1. This page shows photographs of the other vessels in the City Cruises fleet of Thames excursion vessels. There is a list of individual boat pages. For details of cruises or charters contact: www.citycruises.com
 
City Cruises plc is the leading operator of passenger services on the River Thames between Greenwich, the Tower of London and Westminster, carrying some 750,000 people annually on its extensive sightseeing, ferry, entertainment and charter services. The company was formed in the early 1990s when it acquired the interests of many of the operators between Westminster and the Tower, which were then brought together under the City Cruises umbrella. Until this time, every boat was owned independently. The amalgamation into a single large concern has allowed for the generation of investment funds for the development and building of the new Riverliners of the Millennium Class. The first of these, Millennium of London, was the first purpose-built sightseeing vessel on the River Thames for 25 years, and to mark the occasion she was named by The Queen at Tower Pier in 1996. She was followed by four further vessels of the slightly modified M2 design, which form the backbone of the primary services between Westminster, The Tower of London and Greenwich. However, an interesting fleet of smaller vessels is available to provide additional services between the Tower of London and Westminster, and smaller charters. The company also markets the moored restaurant ship Hispaniola, originally the Caledonian Steam Packet Company's Maid of Ashton.
 
The core of the initial City Cruises fleet in 1989 came from Thames Tripping (Westminster) who supplied Eltham, Westminster and Witheycombe. Mayflower Garden came from River Functions (Thames). The various "Rose" boats of Thompson Launches joined City Cruises from 1993. The Thompson Brothers had acquired their first boat, St Patrick, in 1929, and put her on the Westminster to Tower service. Thompson Launches Ltd was incorporated in 1935. The Beta III joined their fleet in 1959 from Jackson Bros. By 1963, the fleet also included Princess Beatrice, The King and Petersham, from Thames Launches, all of which broke adrift in a storm in 1963. Princess Beatrice was wrecked beyond repair. Thompson Launches' first "Rose", the Alpha Rose was built in 1963, followed by Delta Rose (1964), Bertram Rose (1964), Eleanor Rose (1964) and Princess Rose (1964), all of which passed to City Cruises in the early 1990s apart from Alpha Rose. Thompson Launches also acquired the Salters-built Viscount in 1971, previously of Joseph Mears and Thames Launches. Viscount joined Campion Launches rather than entering the City Cruises fleet. Ex-Portsmoth-Gosport ferries Vita and Ferry Queen joined City Cruises from Woods Cruises and Thames Pleasurecraft in c.1999 and c.1995 respectively. These were the last two traditional ferries built for the Portsmouth-Gosport ferry. Their layout dated back over eighty years, and their lives at Portsmouth were short. Unlike their predecessors, they were diesel powered, along with the 1956 Vesta, also still running on the Thames as Duchess M of the Tilbury-Gravesend ferry.
 
Contact: www.citycruises.com
 
Ships on This Page:-
Bertram Rose - built 1966 - sold 2005
Delta Rose - built 1964 - sold 2005
Eleanor Rose - built 1971
Eltham - built 1978
Ferry Queen - built 1959
Hispaniola - moored restaurant ship
Mayflower Garden - built 1978
Princess Rose - built 1978
Vita - built 1959
Westminster - built 1971
Witheycombe - built 1970
 
Ships on Page 1:-
Hydrospace Alpha - (2007- ) ex-Catamaran Cruisers
Hydrospace Delta - (2007- ) ex-Catamaran Cruisers
Hydrospace Gamma - (2007- ) ex-Catamaran Cruisers
Millennium City - Millennium Class M2 Riverliner
Millennium Dawn - Millennium Class M2 Riverliner
Millennium of London - Millennium Class M1 Riverliner
Millennium of Peace - Millennium Class M2 Riverliner
Millennium Time - Millennium Class M2 Riverliner
 
City Cruises Pages:-
City Cruises Page 1 - Millennium Riverliners
City Cruises Page 2 - Other vessels - this page!
City Cruises Page 3 - Greenwich-Tower Pier Cruise
City Cruises Page 4 - Tower Pier-Westminster Cruise
www.citycruises.com - City Cruises official website
 
Other Thames Passenger Boat Pages:-
Thames Boats - Header Page
Catamaran Cruisers
Crown River Cruises
Thames Clippers
 
Thames Passenger Boat Cruise Pages:-
River Thames - Harwich-Southend-Tilbury-Tower Pier - on Waverley
River Thames - Gravesend-Chelsea - on Princess Pocahontas
River Thames - Greenwich-Tower Pier - with Catamaran Cruisers
River Thames - Greenwich-Tower Pier - with City Cruises
River Thames - Tower Pier-Westminster - with City Cruises
 
Associated Pages:-
UK Excursion Ships
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards - Recent Updates
Simplon Postcards - Home Page
 
References:-
Royal River Highway: Written by Frank L. Dix - published David & Charles 1984
Trip Out Guides - Written and published by G.P.Hamer - various editions from 1977 to 2005 consulted
Trip Out Guides are available from Geoffrey Hamer, PO Box 485, Southall, UB1 9BH
 
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Table of Boat Histories

Name

Other names

 Built
 Eleanor Rose  

 1971
 Eltham  

 1978
 Ferry Queen  

 1959
 Mayflower Garden  

 1978
 Princess Rose  

 1978
 Vita  

 1959
 Westminster  

 1971
 Witheycombe  

 1970
 
 
 
 
 
Smaller City Cruises Vessels
 
 
 
Bertram Rose
(Built: 1966 - Sold: 2005)
 
Bertram Rose was sold to Keith French of Great River Journeys in 2005, and was based in Wallingford. Great River Journeys are no longer trading.
 
 
Bertram Rose, with Mayflower Garden behind.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
 
 
 
 
 
Delta Rose
(Built: 1964 - Sold: 2005)
 
Delta Rose was sold to Keith French of Great River Journeys in 2005, and was based in Wallingford. Great River Journeys are no longer trading.
 
 
Photographs: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
 
 
 
 
 
Eleanor Rose
(Built: 1971)
 
More images of Eleanor Rose
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 9th October 2004.
 
 
Eleanor Rose acting as a tender for HMS Ark Royal at Greenwich.
Photo: © Ken Simson, 26th February 2004.
 
 
Eleanor Rose acting as a tender for HMS Ark Royal at Greenwich.
Photo: © Ken Simson, 26th February 2004.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 7th April 2005.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 7th April 2005.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 7th April 2005.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st March 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 16th May 2006.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 16th May 2006.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 22nd September 2007
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Eltham
(Built: 1978)
 
More images of Eltham
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 9th October 2004.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
 
 
 
 
 
Ferry Queen
(Built: 1959)
 
Ferry Queen was originally in service on the Portsmouth-Gosport ferry. She was sold to Thames Pleasure Craft, where she ran with the other ex-Gosport ferries Ferry Prince and Ferry Princess. Ferry Queen passed to City Cruises c.1995, and remained in service with them in 2005. She was offered for sale in 2006 and remained at the boatyard in Isleworth. Vita saw additional use because of this. However, both Vita and Ferry Queen saw extensive use on Tower-Westminster circulars in 2007. She was sold for use as a houseboat in 2009 after City Cruises acquired the Hydrospace boats from Catamaran Cruisers.
 
More images of Ferry Queen
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 20th January 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 20th January 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 20th January 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 20th January 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 20th January 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
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Mayflower Garden
(Built: 1978)
 
Mayflower Garden of 1978 joined the City Cruises fleet from River Functions (Thames).
 
More images of Mayflower Garden
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st March 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 20th January 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 20th January 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st December 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st December 2007
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Princess Rose
(Built: 1978)
 
More images of Princess Rose
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 9th October 2004.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 9th October 2004.
 
 
 
 
 
Vita
(Built: 1959)
 
Vita was originally in service on the Portsmouth-Gostport ferry. She was the last of the traditional ferries delivered, albeit diesel-powered from the start. She was kept as a spare boat on for seasonal harbour cruises until 1974 after the arrival of the modern Portsmouth Queen and Gosport Queen in 1966. She was bought by Woods Cruises for use on the Thames, passing to City Cruises c.1999. She was sold for conversion to a houseboat in 2009.
 
More images of Vita
 
 
Simplon Postcards issue sp1284 (released November 2006) of Vita
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th June 2006.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th June 2006.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th June 2006.
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Westminster
(Built: 1971)
 
More images of Westminster
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th May 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th May 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th May 2003.
 
 
 
 
 
Witheycombe
(Built: 1970)
 
Witheycombe was built for George Wheeler Launches in 1970. She passed to Thames Tripping c.1988 and joined the initial City Cruises fleet along with the other Thames Tripping boats Eltham and Westminster.
 
More images of Witheycombe
 
 
Witheycombe leaving Tower Pier.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 7th April 2005.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 7th April 2005.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 7th April 2005.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 16th May 2006.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 20th January 2007
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, 20th January 2007
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Hispaniola
(moored restaurant ship)
 
The Hispaniola was built in 1953 as the Maid of Ashton for Caledonian SP Co services on the Clyde. She was the first of four sister ships, and was the first to be sold in 1973, becoming the Hispaniola II (the number was later dropped) for the Yardarm Club on the River Thames. The promenade deck was plated to the bow, the upper deck was enclosed and she lost her funnel. By 1978 she had a new dummy funnel, which has also since been removed.
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th May 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th May 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th May 2003.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 7th April 2005.
 
 
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 7th April 2005.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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