On Friday 24th July 1964 the Clyde turbine steamer Queen Mary II was taken out of service with boiler trouble so her sailing “Down the River”, or as it was more commonly called “Doon the Watter”, from Glasgow to Dunoon, Rothesay and the Kyles of Bute was taken instead by the paddle steamer Jeanie Deans.

It was one of those days when if something goes wrong then everything goes wrong as Jeanie Deans was herself in trouble on the return leg with a rope becoming wrapped around one of the paddle wheels disabling the ship and necessitating the calling of two tugs to tow her in alongside the King George V dock at Govan where the passengers were disembarked. The rope was removed and Jeanie Deans returned to service the following day.

[signature name=”John Megoran”]