PS Wingfield Castle facts for kids
The PSS Wingfield Castle located Hartlepool's Maritime Experience in Hartlepool
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | PSS Wingfield Castle |
| Namesake | Wingfield Castle |
| Owner |
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| Route | Humber Ferry crossing |
| Ordered | 1934 |
| Builder | William Gray & Company, Hartlepool, England |
| Laid down | 27 June 1934 |
| Commissioned | 24 September 1934 |
| Decommissioned | 1974 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5392018 |
| Status | Museum ship at Hartlepool's Maritime Experience |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Paddlesteamer |
| Tonnage | 556 GRT |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Propulsion | Triple expansion, diagonal stroke, reciprocating steam engine |
| Speed | 12.0 knots (22.2 km/h; 13.8 mph) |
The PS Wingfield Castle is a special kind of boat called a paddlesteamer. It used to be a ferry that carried people and cars across the Humber Estuary in England. Today, it's a museum ship in Hartlepool, where you can visit it and learn about its history!
Contents
Building the Wingfield Castle
The Wingfield Castle was built in 1934 by a company called William Gray & Company in Hartlepool, England. It was built alongside a "sister ship" named the Tattershall Castle. A sister ship means they were built at the same time and looked very similar.
Another ship like them, the Lincoln Castle, was built a few years later in 1940. These ships were all designed to be ferries, helping people travel across the water.
Life as a Ferry
For many years, the Wingfield Castle worked hard as a ferry. It helped people and goods cross the wide Humber Estuary. Imagine how many journeys it made, carrying passengers and their vehicles safely from one side to the other! It was an important part of transport in the area.
From Ferry to Museum
The Wingfield Castle stopped being a working ferry in 1974. In the early 1980s, there was a plan to turn it into a floating restaurant in Swansea Marina. However, the ship was too wide to fit through the entrance gates to the marina. So, that plan didn't work out.
Luckily, the Wingfield Castle found a new home! It is now a preserved ship at the Museum of Hartlepool. You can find it floating at Jackson Dock, where it's part of the exciting Hartlepool's Maritime Experience visitor attraction. This attraction also includes another famous ship, HMS Trincomalee, which is a very old warship.
Visiting the Wingfield Castle is a great way to step back in time and see what life was like on a paddlesteamer ferry!
Images for kids
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The Wingfield Castle in September 1973 on the Humber estuary
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The Wingfield Castle funnel in September 1973
See also
