Vintage Views with Aled Jones: the long tradition of pleasure cruisers

She started working here in 1948 and is proudly featured in this week’s vintage postcard, seen moored at the rear of the picture.

Dated to 1960 this postcard also shows the passenger boats Britannia, Bridlington Queen and Thornwick berthed here and the older generation will remember the T.S.S. Yorkshireman which appeared for many summer seasons until she was withdrawn in 1954.

The open vessel Britannia shown filling up with passengers in the foreground of the image was one of the first purpose-built motor boats at Bridlington. She was introduced in 1923 and her departure from the harbour summer scene in 1979 was a great loss.

The advertisement sign to the left of the boat says: ‘Britannia – Wednesday evening at 6pm. A special cruise round Flamborough Head to Silex Bay, home of seabirds and Thornwick Bay. 2/6 child 1/6.’

Further to the left is the Bridlington Queen. One of Bridlington’s best loved cruisers, she was built at East Molesley, Surrey, in 1947, and started sailing from here that year. She had a wooden appearance and could carry 146 passengers.

The vessel once hit a submerged rock on the canch and was refloated by skin divers who closed the hole in the ship’s bottom, enabling her to be towed back into harbour!

The iconic cruiser Thornwick is moored behind Bridlington Queen in the image. She arrived at the resort in 1948, the same year as Yorkshire Belle, having been built at Scarrs Yard in Howdendyke.

The vessel carried 300 passengers, was over 30 metres long and her top speed was 11 knots. She currently survives as a private houseboat on the River Medway.

The card was posted in June 1960 by a holidaymaker staying in a promenade flat, who wrote, “Having a lovely time, weather good so far. We have the first floor flat this time, which has a view of the sea from all rooms and even a fridge.” Taken on quite a bright day, the image is a real photograph.