Meet Queen Boadicea II, Dunkirk Little Ship
Built in 1936 as a Thames pleasure boat, Queen Boadicea II played her part in the Second World War as one of the Dunkirk Little Ships. She saw action in Dunkirk harbour where she evacuated many stranded soldiers.
After the war she returned to passenger service on the Thames. After working for some time on the River Dart, QBII came to Gloucester where she worked as a pleasure boat, carrying visitors along the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. She is listed on the National Historic Ships Register.
No trips this year
We are sorry to announce that boat trips on the historic Dunkirk Little ship Queen Boadicea II are unable to run this year.
During winter works it was found that the ship’s hull does not meet the standard required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as a commercial passenger carrying vessel and therefore our boat trips are unable to proceed. Queen Boadicea II is a 99-year-old vessel, listed on the National Historic Ships Register and to bring her up to the standard of modern-day vessels would require a significant amount of investment.
As a charity we face many pressures on finances, and the operation of Queen Boadicea II, sits alongside our commitment to care for 2000 miles of waterways across England and Wales, including many 250-year-old structures, which are costly and take many hands to maintain. Therefore, we are not in a position to fund the work currently.
We are looking at all the options to give QBII a future and return boat trips to Gloucester Docks. We continue to care for and preserve QBII, and once our other maintenance of her is complete, she will be opened for Museum visitors to explore and enjoy. As a Dunkirk Little Ship she has a fascinating story to tell and we want to continue to share it with our visitors.
