A&P’s refit prolongs life of classic steamship

A&P shipyard at Falmouth sees a great variety of vessels in for maintenance, survey or refit, ranging from regular visits by ‘grey ships’ of the RFA to cross channel ferries, ro-ros, PCTCs, research vessels and general cargo ships. The recent refit of the preserved steamship SS Shieldhall (1955/1,753gt), however, was a bit out of the ordinary.

A&P Falmouth won the contract against stiff competition to undertake major hull repair and modification work in dry dock, extending the life of the vessel for another 25 years. Work started in April 2014 and was funded by a £1.4m Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

Shieldhall, the largest surviving steam vessel of her type, was built as a Glasgow ‘sludge boat’ with two triple expansion steam engines. She also carried passengers on day trips down the Clyde to the dumping ground off Aran. Bought in 1977 by Southern Water she was withdrawn from commercial service in 1985 – but saved and purchased for £20,000 in 1988 by Solent Steam Packet, the charity that still operates her on passenger cruises out of Southampton.

Graham Mackenzie, Marketing Director of Solent Steam Packet, said: “It was a highly competitive contract because we had to comply with HLF’s procurement guidelines and get a minimum of three quotes. We chose A&P Falmouth because it not only represented the best value for money, but because it put together a very detailed response and it enabled us to go back to the yard we have worked with for the past 10 years.”

By Graeme Ewens