The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for the South West of England. Established in 1993, SWFTA's core collection comprises of the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and TSW (Television South West). The archive also cares for a significant number of donated film collections, both amateur and professional, dating back to the early 1900s.
This film is part of Free
Scillonian Sister Ship
Work on the sister ship to the Scillonian is progressing in Bristol shipyard.
From the collection of:
Overview
The keel of the Queen of the Isles passenger ferry is being measured checked and assembled at the Albion dockyard by Charles Hill and Son in Bristol. Built over two years for the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company to aid the load of cargo and passengers of the MV Scillonian Ferry between Penzance and Scilly Isles, the Queen was launched on 16 November 1964 by the Duchess of Gloucester.
Islander was the ship's intended name but as it was already registered and so Queen of the Isles was chosen. The Queen's maiden voyage was in April 1965 under the command of Captain J.N Thomas. Reported to be an embarrassment to the company she was sold to Tonga becoming Olovaha from 1970 to 1982, several name changes and employments later she was finally named the Western Queen in 1994. This Queen ran aground at Ranadi beach in the Solomon Islands in 2001.