MONARCH

Type:  Passenger Launch
Length:  40 ft
Beam:  13 ft 6 ins
Draft:  3 ft
Displacement:  13 tons
Engine:  2 x Standard Diesel
Construction:  Pitch pine on oak
Builder:  Haywoods, Southend
Year:  Not known

Monarch was built in Southend as a shallow draught beach boat and licenced to carry 73 passengers under sail. She was equipped with a 12ft long drop keel and Gaff rig.

During the 1930's two petrol/paraffin engines were fitted to enable her to work on the calmest of days. She would have been in this condition in May 1940.

After the War she remained in commercial passenger service until 1972. During that time her engines were changed to Standard light Diesels, vintage 1958. This coincided with a profitable year harvesting 'white weed' in the Thames Estuary, which no doubt paid for the conversion. In 1972 she was sold to an owner on the River Orwell on the East Coast of England for rod fishing parties, but this was not successful, and she was advertised for sale again.

Her present owner who needed a sound hull on which to build a living boat then bought her as a semi-derelict. The hull was ferro-creted and the cabins added. It was not until this work had been completed that it was found that 'Monarch' had been part of 'Operation Dynamo'.

Over the years Monarch has enjoyed a mixture of inland and coastal cruising, having travelled from her base in the Midlands, North to York and Grimsby, Yorkshire, East to Boston, Lincs and the Wash and has visited many ports between Grimsby and Dover. Her 'second home' on the river Thames gives 'Monarch' access upstream to Oxford in the West and downstream to the Estuary and the sea.

Regrettably Monarch has now been lost. She broke up on the hard at Lowestoft. A sad end to a fine vessel.

Updated Nov 2014.