Abstract
In March 2015, the Surrey and Sussex Section enjoyed an interesting talk by Andy Owler on the SS Robin with a title ‘SS Robin and Instrumentation in Victorian Steamships’. The SS Robin is the oldest complete example of a steam coaster in existence.
The SS Robin was built in London and fitted out in Scotland in 1890. After initial use around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the SS Robin was sold to Spanish owners in 1900 and renamed Maria. After a long working life, the SS Robin was brought back to England in 1974 for initial restoration. The SS Robin was then placed in trust in 2002 with further restoration work starting in 2008 in Lowestoft. In 2011, the SS Robin moved to the Royal Victoria Dock and was placed on a pontoon due to the fragile structure of the outer hull.
We were kindly invited by Clare Wincza of the SS Robin Trust to visit the SS Robin at the Royal Victoria Dock in London, and arrangements were made for a group to visit on 14 May 2015.
We met at the offices of the Trust next to the dock and were given an introduction to the history of the SS Robin and the work of the Trust by Matthew Friday. A ‘hard hat’ tour of the ship was made with an informative commentary by Matthew and taking in a look at the steam engine, the galley, hold and living quarters. Seeing the ship out of the water gave an excellent view of the shape of the hull. Although the SS Robin was a working ship, it has a charm of its own. The wet and windy weather that prevailed on the day of the visit gave us a taste of conditions on the high seas.
Left to right: Dave Sells, Matthew Friday, Richard Brown, Peter Young, David Woolford, Simon Duffus.
The SS Robin at the Royal Victoria Dock.
The visit made clear the challenges that the Trust has in carrying out the restoration, but is so worthwhile for this historic ship being the oldest complete example of a steam ship in the world. For further information, go to the SS Robin web site: http://www.ssrobin.org/