Waverley paddle steamer marks 80th anniversary since launch

The world's last sea-going paddle steamer has marked 80 years since it was first launched on Glasgow's River Kelvin.

The Waverley passed through London's Tower Bridge earlier, as part of an anniversary voyage on the Thames.

Now based on the River Clyde, the ship has been restored to its original 1940s style. It makes nostalgic trips around UK ports and is one of the most recognisable historic vessels in the world.

More than 150,000 passengers have travelled on the steamer every summer for the past three years.

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The oil-fired steamship replaced an earlier PS Waverley that was lost during the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940.

It was intended for cruises up Loch Long and Loch Goil and became a familiar sight for generations of Glaswegians going "doon the watter" for their holidays.

Entering service with the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Clyde paddle steamer fleet on 16 June 1947, it eventually ended up being owned by Caledonian MacBrayne.

In 1974, after being withdrawn from active service, it was gifted it to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society for £1.

Since then it has operated on a not-for-profit basis and has carried six million passengers on routes around the UK.

Waverley was launched at the Pointhouse Yard of A&J Inglis in Glasgow on 2 October 1946 by Lady Matthews, the wife of the LNER chairman.

It was the last steamer built for the company, which also operated the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive.

She noted the "splendour of the Clyde coast scenery should be viewed from steamers like this".

Passengers on the anniversary voyage down the Thames included David Horne, LNER managing director, who was there to honour the railway's role in the vessel's history.

Paul Semple, general manager of Waverley Excursions, said it was a "remarkable achievement" for the paddle steamer to have reached 80.

"She was built to serve the Clyde coast and, 80 years later, she continues to give tens of thousands of people the opportunity to experience the joy of travelling by steam," he said.

"From her early beginnings with LNER to her survival as a working paddle steamer after being gifted for £1 to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, Waverley has become much more than a ship.

"She is a living piece of maritime history and a much-loved part of our national heritage."

The Waverley will continue sailing on the River Thames until 11 October, before returning to Scotland for the final weekend of her 2026 anniversary season.

It will return to Glasgow and the Clyde coast for two final sailings on 17 and 18 October, bringing her 80th anniversary season to a close on home waters.