SS Cobholm

Re steamer QUEEN OF THE BROADS.  At the end 1976 after a very successful summer season she was taken in late September under her own steam for overhaul at Oulton Broad, locked through into LakeLothing and put up on as slipway.  Once her outer hull plates near the stern were removed for replacement it was discovered that the main frames in this area required urgent renewal.  The owners were not prepared to finance this work because the cost would be much higher then they were prepared to pay.  However, the slipway owner required the vessel to be removed as there were other vessels booked to be overhauled.  The only way that the vessel could be re-floated was to undertake the repair work.  Pleasure Steamers Ltd tried to find a buyer for the vessel and several organisations were approached.  Although there was interest in acquiring the vessel no potential purchasers were in a position to immediately authorise the repair work needed to enable the vessel to be put back into the water within a few days as the ship yard needed to be done.  Therefore to clear the slipway the vessel had to be broken up in situ.  Ironically had the vessel owners realised her stern area was so back she would not have been slipped and would have been sold and would probably been with us today.

The  Queen of the  Broads was replaced in 1960s  The plates underneath the boiler and fwd saloon were inspected after removing the concrete ballast  they were paper thin and the surveyor wanted the boiler and engine removed. Putting a large sum (of) money in a vessel over 80 years old was not a viable option and she was scrapped.