THE RIVER Thames was treated to a very rare spectacle yesterday afternoon when two Silverseas cruise ships passed each other near Greenwich. Silver Cloud was heading down the river after a two day visit to the Upper Pool when she was passed by her sister ship Silver Wind on her way up the river. Silver Cloud paused in Blackwall Reach …
New operator takes over the Tilbury Ferry service
A NEW operator has taken over the historic Tilbury Ferry service today. The river crossing between Tilbury and Gravesend is now operated by Jetstream Tours using the Thames Swift trimaran vessel. It’s a return to the service after a 15 year absence for Thames Swift, having originally been built in Gravesend by a previous ferry operator – White Horse Ferries …
Gloriana leads Tudor Pull from Hampton Court to the Tower of London
The Queen’s Row Barge Gloriana once again provided a dose of colourful and regal pagentry on the River Thames on Sunday as she led a flotilla of traditional Thames cutters up the river in the “Tudor Pull”. While runners pounded the streets of the capital in the London Marathon, the Royal Watermen took on a St George’s Day marathon challenge …
Beautiful sunrise pictured behind the Thames Barrer
A BEAUTIFUL sunrise appeared behind the iconic piers of the Thames Barrier last weekend. On the last day of Greenwich Mean Time before the clocks went forward for the summer, OnTheThames.net photographed the rising sun as seen from the Thames Path on the Greenwich Peninsula. Intense hues of red and yellow filled the sky as the rising sun appeared to …
Tilbury Power Station crane taken away by heaving lifting ship as Tilbury 2 plans unveiled
A HUGE loading crane at decommissioned Tilbury Power Station has been taken away – the first of two to be removed from the site. Heaving loading ship HHL Tokyo was alongside Tilbury Power Station last week for the difficult of job of moving the crane from the jetty to the ship. Slowly and skilfully the unloading crane was moved on …
FGS Oker sails down the Thames
A GERMAN navy intelligence ship was seen sailing down the Thames this afternoon. FGS Oker (A53) arrived in the capital under the cover of darkness late last week and has spent the weekend moored alongside HMS Belfast. The Type 423 Oste class ship, commissioned in 1988, set off early this afternoon with Tower Bridge lifting for her at 2pm. With …
SS Robin to move to Trinity Buoy Wharf
HISTORIC SS Robin looks set to move from her current home in the Royal Docks to Trinity Buoy Wharf. The SS Robin Trust which maintains the steam ship say the relocation of the Robin will secure her long term future. SS Robin is the last surviving British-built steam coaster and is listed on the National Historic Fleet register. She has had previous spells …
Gosport Queen arrives on the Thames
A FERRY has arrived on the River Thames after spending fifty years operating between Gosport and Portsmouth. The Gosport Queen has been bought by the London Party Boats company, based at Festival Pier, and was handed over at the end of last week. Early on Friday morning the Gosport Queen, built in 1966, set off on its 350km journey – …
Photos: Deserted London on Christmas Day morning
THE NORMALLY bustling streets of the capital turned into a ghost town on Christmas Day morning. Some of the West End’s most famous streets and landmarks which were packed with people 12 hours earlier instead looked completely deserted. Christmas morning offers a rare opportunity to see London so bereft of bodies and is increasingly popular with photographers wanting to capture …
New Thames photo exhibition opens in Greenwich
A COLLECTION of river photographs from onthethames.net has gone on display in a Greenwich restaurant. The series of pictures in the new Thames exhibition celebrates the river and just some of the ways its used, with tall ships, cruise ships, the navy, tugs and a dredger all making an appearance. Curated by Tony Othen from the nearby Greenwich Gallery, the river …