Lady May

Owner: John King

Area: UK-South West

Hull

Construction: Double skin, close seamed Western Red Cedar planki.
Hull model: Yacht Tender designed by C E Nicholson
Built by Camper and Nicholson Ltd at Gosport, Hampshire
LOA: 25' 9", LWL: 25' 7", Beam: 6' 0", Draft: 2' 0",

Boiler

2 Drum WT Built 1968 by Morgan Giles at Teignmouth
Fuel: Coal, Pressure: 200 psi, Heating area: 44 sqft,
2 drum watertube, “Lune Valley” style with athwartships steam and mud drums. Built Morgan Giles, Teignmouth, 1968. 8” OD steam drum, 6” OD mud drum, ½” OD copper generating tubes. Economiser, superheater. Coal fired. 200 psi working pressure. Evaporative heating surface, approx 44 sq ft, stainless steel radiant superheater 5 sq ft Economiser.

Engine

Propeller

3 blades, 18" X 20"

History

The launch was built for Sir Arthur Goodson as a tender for his large twin screw motor yacht “Lady May” which was built by Philip and Son Ltd, Dartmouth, at the same time. Sir Arthur Goodson died before completion of his yacht and the launch was owned briefly by members of the Philip family of Dartmouth with the name “Dunsley”, before being sold to Professor F Summers of Dartmouth in 1933. She passed to his daughter Marigold on his death, and after 67 years in the same family was bought by the present owner in 2000. Although originally fitted with a petrol engine, “Lady May” is typical of Edwardian launches of the type, either steam or motor. The Savery compound now installed was the final refinement of steam launch engine design, at the very end of it’s development. It can be fairly described as the Rolls Royce of steam engines.

(John King) SBA Stand, Bath & West Showground, 2009