Lincoln Castle future uncertain
[photo : Jon Jolliffe]
Lincoln Castle is one of three paddle steamers that provided a car ferry service between Hull and Barton before the opening of the Humber Bridge in 1981. All three survive: her sisters relocated, Tattershall Castle to London and Wingfield Castle to Hartlepool, while Lincoln Castle was found a home in the Alexandra Dock in Grimsby. For some years she traded as a floating bar/restaurant - as pictured in happier days. Now her future is in considerable doubt.
Lincoln Castle was built in 1940 by A J Inglis of Glasgow. The vessel was originally coal-fired with a scotch boiler supplying steam to an Ailsa triple-expansion engine. Although the boiler has been removed, the engine and most of the ancillaries appear to be intact, in good condition and of historic interest. However, the hull condition gives cause for serious concern. Leaks have been apparent for some time and sections of the hull have been patched with a concrete lining as a temporary expedient. Where she is berthed she settles on the bottom at low tide, causing further abrasion of the hull plating.
The local press (see Grimsby Telegraph) is covering the efforts of a few local parties interested in her preservation. The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society took an active interest and commissioned a detailed survey to establish the realistic prospects for the vessel. However, there are three main problems: finding somewhere to work on reconditioning the hull, raising a large sum of money to cover the capital expenditure and establishing a business plan for ongoing revenue generation to cover recurrent costs. Trapped in her present location by the A180 Westgate bridge, just to remove the hull to open water would require the ship to be substantially dismantled, while getting a pontoon into the dock to float her out will be costly. A Great Britain-like rescue seems implausible.
An alternative plan might be to create a dry berth for her inside the dock complex where she could stay as a static exhibit. The question then remains - is there sufficient support locally to stop her just rusting away?