A boat that rescued hundreds of soldiers during the famous Dunkirk evacuation in World War II is still operating on the Firth of Forth.
The Forth Princess was one of nearly 900 ‘little ships’ that crossed the channel to help the Royal Navy evacuate 338,000 troops during ‘Operation Dynamo’.
Although the brave efforts of these small boats in rescuing allied troops from Dunkirk in May and June 1940 are remembered as a proud moment for the nation, the memory is also bittersweet because many comrades were left behind.
The vessel was just one of a flotilla of 861 vessels – 243 of these were sunk sadly.
In the present day, the Forth Princess operates on Forth Boat Tours’ popular Blackness Castle Cruise. Not only does it visit the historic medieval stronghold which features in ‘Outlander’ but passengers can also view the trio of Forth Bridges and enjoy a delicious afternoon tea with your fellow passengers. It can carry up to 103 passengers with the indoor seating providing seating for up to 60 passengers with weather-proof seating provided on the outside decks.
The Forth Princess is 24 metres in length (76 feet) and was built in 1921 in Southend as a pleasure cruiser for the Southend Motor Navigation Company. Its top speed is 12 knots and its cruising speed is 10 knots.
The family owned business Forth Boat Tours are Edinburgh’s Premier Boating Attraction. Not only do they operate the historic Forth Princess, mentioned here, but they also operate the Forth Belle and the Queensferry Belle.
Cruises are all year round from the Hawes Pier base in South Queensferry. Why not enjoy one of the tours, named Best Activity Day Out in the 2019 Days Out with the Kids Awards and also the Best Hidden Gem in the Tiqets Global Awards in 2020!
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