Friends of TS Queen Mary, Office: Unit 16, 6 Harmony Row, Govan, Glasgow (2026)

14/05/2026

14.05.2026 - Spring Progress on board Queen Mary

Over the recent weeks, our dedicated team of volunteers have completed a substantial amount of work on board TS Queen Mary.

Initially the focus was on the ship’s lower deck where the team:

- Installed and commissioned a full replacement set of bilge pumps (one in each of the deck's six compartments)
- Removed the last remaining switchboard support panel
- Dismantled the last gyprock bulkheads, which were installed during Queen Mary’s London days
- Stripped the last redundant electrical cables, conduits, cable trays, pipework and miscellaneous metalwork from the deck-head
- Dismantled the accordion door tracks in compartment 2 (the former kitchen when Queen Mary was moored in London)
- Demolished redundant brickwork in compartment 3 (the former boiler room)
- Successfully tested the lower deck lighting and bilge pump operation via the ship’s onboard generator, which is vital for future tows

This work has all been in preparation for our downstream plans to lift the main deck timbers and replace them with a steel deck. It has also helped to facilitate better access to the bilge spaces, which will be cleaned and coated when Queen Mary is next dry docked.

As the weather improved, work has moved to the upper decks:

- Scotia Handling attended and load tested and re-certified Queen Mary’s bollards
- Thomson Offshore inspected and re-certified the ship’s mooring ropes
- The team has recommenced painting and has been working on finishing the boat deck steel deck, with most of the remaining plates being cleaned, primed and coated.

Other tasks completed include the spot re-caulking of the foredeck, which is the largest area of external timber deck remaining and the installation of new anti-slip walkways on the prom deck, in advance of public tours re-commencing.

Over the next few weeks the team will finish off the boat deck and start attending to the other areas that need to be cleaned and repainted (including touching up the starboard side).

If you have some spare time and would like to join the team (whether on the ship or in the office) please contact Andrew Ferguson by emailing [email protected]. All skill sets, ages and abilities are welcome, and full training provided!

FoTSQM

06/05/2026

06.05.2026 – Remembering the Day TS Queen Mary Got Her Name Back

Fifty years ago today, on 6th May 1976, TS Queen Mary II - acclaimed as “Britain’s Finest Pleasure Steamer” and the so-called “Pin-Up of the Clyde Fleet” - proudly readopted her original name. The Roman numerals were finally dropped, and she became TS Queen Mary once more. Her name had been relinquished in 1935 to make way for the new merchant flagship of the British Empire to be registered, the magnificent Cunard-White Star liner, RMS Queen Mary. The liner was eventually retired to California in 1967.

In 1976, TS Queen Mary’s owners, Caledonian MacBrayne, marked the opening of the sailing season with a special celebration. Having just re-registered the ship and refreshed her name on the bows and stern, they organised an invitation-only commemorative cruise, departing Springfield Quay in Glasgow.

The readoption ceremony was conducted at the quayside by veteran Scottish actor Roddy McMillan, best known for his role in Para Handy. Several of TS Queen Mary’s former skippers attended the cruise, including Alf Purves, John Cameron and Fergie Murdoch, with Captain Davie McCormick on the bridge.

Caledonian MacBrayne’s Managing Director, John Whittle, was on board, accompanied by former Purser Richard Orr and his wife, June. Richard had written the text for the company’s official book on the ship, which was just about to be published.

That afternoon, after disembarking her passengers at Springfield Quay, TS Queen Mary crossed the river to Anderston Quay - her new home berth for the 1976 and 1977 seasons. Sadly, the end of that second season brought her 44 year sailing career to a close - at least for the time being!

FoTSQM

24/04/2026

24.04.2026 – Ship Ahoy! Scotland’s Maritime Heritage Exhibition

Friends of TS Queen Mary is pleased to be participating in the annual Ship Ahoy! Maritime Heritage Exhibition tomorrow at Summerlee Museum in Coatbridge.

This popular event provides an excellent family day out and is free to attend. The exhibition features a wide range of steamer models, displays and maritime memorabilia and will be open from 10:00 to 16:00.

FoTSQM

17/02/2026

17.02.2026 – The Turbine That Jumped Ship

Given the age of TS Queen Mary, it is hardly surprising that she still harbours a few secrets. One mystery involves the curious case of the lost turbine.

Originally, the ship was powered by three Parsons direct drive steam turbines: two large low-pressure units and a smaller high-pressure unit, each connected to its own propeller. Prior to the ship’s conversion to a floating venue on the Thames in 1988, her engines and boiler on the lower deck were removed.

One of the large turbines was donated to the Science Museum Group and remains in storage in Wiltshire. The other large turbine found its way to the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine, where it is currently undergoing restoration. The third (smaller) turbine was taken from the engine room and relocated in the former boiler space. Here, with one of the ship’s propellers attached at one end, it became a heritage display feature in the new cocktail bar, adjacent to the private dining room (previously the location of the Queen’s Restaurant).

Images of the third turbine in the cocktail bar are remarkably scarce. The charity has located only one small photograph of it, appearing in David Griffiths' 1989 booklet 'TS Queen Mary', issued for the ship's first commercial season under the ownership of Bass Charrington.

After a £2.5 million refit in 1997, the cocktail bar had been converted into a walk-in freezer, and the private dining room into a trade kitchen. The turbine was gone, leaving only the propeller stowed on board. The fate of the turbine remains unknown, further complicated by the dispersal of the Bass Charrington archives, after the company was dissolved in 2000.

If you have any insights regarding the lost turbine which could help us solve the mystery, we would love to hear from you. Equally, if you have any photographs of the cocktail bar showing the turbine in situ, we would love to see them!

FoTSQM

11/02/2026

11.02.2026 - Envirosan Supports TS Queen Mary

We are delighted to announce a generous partnership with Envirosan Ltd and its CEO Bill Logan.

Envirosan have very kindly agreed to donate the use of a shoreside facility, and will service it absolutely free of charge, saving the charity several thousand pounds annually.

This partnership exemplifies how local business support strengthens our heritage mission. Every donation - regardless of size - creates meaningful impact by freeing up funds to invest directly in the restoration of the ship.

Michael McLaughlin, Vice Chairman, said: "This partnership demonstrates the power of local collaboration. When businesses like Envirosan invest in our mission, they enable us to focus resources where they matter most: preserving the heritage of TS Queen Mary”.

Bill Logan, CEO of Envirosan Ltd, commented: "I've always believed that businesses have a responsibility to support their local community and the charities that make it stronger. We're pleased to help Friends of TS Queen Mary in whatever way we can."

The donation will directly support our twice-weekly volunteer work parties, which are essential to our restoration programme. This is a perfect example of how community and business partnerships create the foundation for sustainable heritage preservation.

We are grateful to Bill and the whole team at Envirosan Ltd for their commitment to our project.

FoTSQM

10/02/2026

10.02.2026 - Strengthening Resilience

We are pleased to announce the addition of two highly experienced professionals to support the next stage of our restoration project.

Colin Seaton joins as our project management and procurement lead. He brings over 43 years of experience as a chartered civil engineer. His extensive background spans consultancy, contracting, and central government roles, with a particular focus on project and programme management, cost control and contract administration.

As Head of Discipline for a team of 18 nuclear infrastructure safety specialists at Amentum, Colin drove safety and quality assurance, and oversaw the delivery of complex government contracts. His skills in scheduling, progress monitoring, and detailed contract management will be instrumental as we progress the project.

Robert Millar joins as our engineering lead, with 35 years of professional experience across the UK, USA and Canada. His expertise encompasses the design, management and delivery of marine engineering projects for the US Navy, Canadian Coast Guard, as well as commercial operators.

He has held senior roles in leading shipyards and consultancies, contributing to major defence and commercial vessel programmes. In addition to his technical credentials, Robert has a strong record in adult education and volunteer leadership, further strengthening the charity’s capacity for knowledge transfer and community engagement.

The combined expertise of these individuals enhances the resilience and capability of the board as we move into the next phase of our project.

FoTSQM

06/02/2026

06.02.2026 - TS Queen Mary's Minecraft Adventure!

Exciting news! Clever content creators and ship enthusiasts have recreated TS Queen Mary in Minecraft, and players worldwide can now explore and interact with our historic ship in the game. Eagle eyed gamers will spot Waverley Excursions' PS Waverley making an appearance too!

For those unfamiliar with Minecraft: it's a sandbox game that allows users to build, explore, and create virtually anything using simple coloured blocks - think digital Lego for all ages.

With over 200 million monthly Minecraft users, this is a fantastic shout-out to both ships and a great opportunity to introduce TS Queen Mary to a global audience of gaming enthusiasts.

Watch the feature here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rsjk1yL1Z_o&t=1258s

Whether you're a maritime heritage fan, a Minecraft player, or both, this is a new way to experience TS Queen Mary's iconic design and historic significance.

FoTSQM

03/02/2026

03.02.2026 - Some Period Styling Revisited

Photographs of TS Queen Mary’s original interiors are rare, despite her forty-four years of sailing on the River Clyde. Most passengers chose to photograph the passing scenery or capture the ship’s profile from the waterside instead.

So today, we turn the spotlight on an often overlooked design feature within the ship: her distinctive internal staircases from 1933, which were notable for their elegant metal balustrades. These balustrades featured a signature Art Deco design, typical of fine hotels and public buildings of that era.

The ship’s main staircases were constructed to provide access to the four passenger decks, ensuring the efficient movement of up to 2,086 passengers on board. These original staircases were removed in London in 1988 and replaced by a large stairwell situated on the ship’s port side. It is the Charity’s intention to reinstate the staircases in their original locations and to recreate the sleek, geometric balustrade design features.

The attached photographs—again rare—show a few sections of these staircases as they appeared in 1984, together with views of how these spaces look now. In 1984, it had been seven years since the ship was retired from active service and ultimately relocated to King George V Dock in London. It would be another four years before she was fully refurbished and opened as a floating restaurant, bar and venue at Victoria Embankment on the Thames

If you have any personal photographs of the ship’s interiors from her sailing days which you would like to share with us, please do send us a message!

FoTSQM

31/01/2026

30.01.2026 - A Star of the Silver Screen

In her time TS Queen Mary has been something of a star of the silver screen. Not only was she filmed extensively carrying some very famous people (including Queen Elizabeth II and Eleanor Roosevelt), she has appeared in several films and TV shows.

She hosted Sir Michael Caine and Daniel Radcliffe (star of the Harry Potter series) during the filming of Now You See Me 2 – imagine the magic tricks performed on her decks. Dame Judi Dench and the late Geoffrey Palmer filmed their much loved comedy As Time Goes By in the Queen’s Restaurant, and if you're a Bond fan, keep your eyes peeled during the famous boat chase past the Houses of Parliament – Pierce Brosnan and Maria Grazia Cucinotta pass right by her in 1999’s The World is Not Enough (in which of course, our much loved patron Robbie Coltrane also starred)

The “one that got away” came in 2016, when the producers of Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk approached us about using her as a hospital ship for their 2017 film. It was a tantalising prospect, but her scheduled tow from Tilbury to Glasgow coincided with their filming window, and her load line exemption had already been issued for that journey. Sadly, the timing simply didn't work out.

Since relocating to Glasgow, two independent short films have been filmed on board, and we continue to regularly receive enquiries from production companies keen to use her as a location.

Once Queen Mary’s refit is complete, she will be ready to step back into the spotlight!

FoTSQM

27/01/2026

27.01.2026 - Clow Group's Generous Partnership

We are delighted to recognise the outstanding support of Clow Group Ltd, a much valued local partner who has generously maintained and certified the TS Queen Mary's gangways free of charge for several years.

Most recently, Cameron Clow very kindly supplied engineers to carry out the annual inspection of the gangways and the gangway hoist. This year, the gangways are due their 5-yearly load test certification, and Clow Group have once again agreed to undertake this critical work, along with all necessary repairs, entirely free of charge.

This partnership saves the charity hundreds of pounds each year and demonstrates the power of local business supporting heritage and community. We are grateful for their continued commitment to the TS Queen Mary.

As Iain Sim, Chairman, says: "Clow Group's support is invaluable. Their expertise and generosity enable us to maintain the highest safety standards whilst preserving our resources for restoration and youth training. This is exactly the kind of partnership that makes our mission possible."

Corporate partnerships like this are essential to our success. If your business would like to explore how you can support the TS Queen Mary, please get in touch.

FoTSQM

Friends of TS Queen Mary

14/05/2026

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