The oldest steamer in town: The Waverley at 75
The Waverley berthed in Glasgow. Picture: Donald Erskine
As the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world, The Waverley is a dominant moving landmark across the globe. Berthing predominantly in Glasgow, she is engrained in the identity of every Glaswegian. The sound of her paddles beating and the sight of her on the water draws a crowd and imbues pride on every drop of water she crosses - both on the Clyde and further afield.
Paul Semple, General Manager (GM) for Waverley Excursions Ltd, has a connection to The Waverley which stems back more than 25 years: First working on her in the mid-90s as a catering steward while studying at university, then becoming a teacher before returning to the ship in 2019 as GM. Paul also holds the role of Director within the charity that owns the ship, Waverley Steam Navigation Co. Ltd.
Paul is fanatical about Paddle Steamers, someone who embodies the phrase ‘do what you love’. Speaking on the history of the ship (which he knows inside out), he said: “This Waverley was built to replace a previous ship of the same name, The Waverley of 1899. That ship went to war in 1940 and was sunk by enemy action at Dunkirk in May 1940 while trying to clear the beaches as a mine sweeper.
“Construction of this Waverley started in 1945, after the war had finished. Then she was launched in October 1946, before being towed downriver to Greenock to have her engine and boiler fitted at The Eagle Foundry. Her maiden voyage was on 16th June 1947.”
The engine that moves all 693 tonnes of The Waverley at a top speed of 17 knots - most of the parts are original and bear the Eagle Foundry stamp. Picture: Jacqui Dennett for City Live
The Waverley, now a phoenix risen from the ashes of war, operated commercially until 1974 before being famously gifted to the charity for £1. Since then, she has been in operational conservation and remains one of the country’s most loved attractions. Now venturing beyond the Clyde in search of a longer, sustainable working season she has carried more than six million passengers from more than 60 ports around the UK.
Life has been far from plain sailing for The Waverley, having undergone her fair share of rebuilds over the years - the most recent being from 2019 until late 2020. £2.3 million was raised in a public appeal for this work, a testament to the place the ship holds in people’s hearts.
Paul explained: “It’s clear that there is public support for the ship, people want The Waverley to be there and to see it. As one woman wrote into the appeal with a cheque: ‘I just want to hear the thump of Waverley passing my window’ people have that kind of devotion to her.”
Paul includes himself in that statement, it’s clear how much The Waverley means to him as he said: “There’s lots of nostalgia for the Waverley and going ‘doon the water’, she’s the last link to what ‘Clyde Built’ meant: Waverley matters because she’s not in a museum, she’s still doing what she was built to do.”
On the 16th of June, The Waverley recreated her maiden voyage as closely as she could within modern restrictions. Following a busy summer season on the Clyde and South Coast waters, she is currently in London on the Thames for the first time post-rebuild. She will return to the Clyde for her two final sailings of the year on October 15th and 16th before berthing again for the winter.
Being the last of your kind can be a lonely title, but not when you have as many friends as the Waverley does. Whether you belong to generations past and remember her heyday or are yet to sail on her for the first time, one thing is for certain – once you fall for her, a love for the Waverley is one that lasts a lifetime.