The Ryde Queen paddle steamer could be removed from Island Harbour by the end of the year.
After plans to restore the crumbling steamer collapsed, a planning enforcement order is now being put in place to remove the ship.
Ship would now be broken apart
Councillors at yesterday’s (Wednesday) harbour committee were told the ship would now be broken apart and removed, before rust and chemicals seeped into the surrounding environment.
Newport North councillor, Matthew Price, said:
“Island Habour development has been stopped for some time, for lots of reasons.
“But one of the reasons is they have to remove the Ryde Queen.”
Plans to save fell through
The efforts to move the Ryde Queen were temporarily suspended last year, after the wreck caught the eye of a restoration enthusiast who believed it could be saved.
The plan was to break the vessel into eight sections and rebuild it part-by-part. However, the ship deteriorated badly over the winter and could not be removed.
There are plans to salvage as much of the vessel as possible.
Engines going to Scotland
Cllr Price said:
“The engines are going off to somewhere in Scotland where they were originally made, and several bits of the ship are going off for educational purposes.
“While a lot of the vessel is a rusting piece of metal, there are elements of it that are quite good, but it’s not enough to build a whole boat from.”
The parts will be used for educational purposes to look at old and new techniques of ship building.
Image © Roger J Milward
