Early in 1961 - The 'St. Patrick' cross channel packet ship owned by British Railways, or rather the British Transport Commission, sitting on the pontoon for her annual scrape and repaint below the waterline at the Penarth Pontoon, Slipway & Shiprepairing Co. Ltd. This must be the last, or one of the last, ships to use the veteran 52 year old pontoon. On the right, (I believe) is the old lady of dredgers, 'Peeress'. [176] 

The 'St. Patrick' ceded to the southern fleet on the Weymouth - Guernsey - Jersey route, she is still wearing her GWR coat of arms on the bow. Originally built in 1948 for the Fishguard & Rosslare Railways & Harbours Company she had a gross weight of 3,482 tons. was 321 feet long x 50 feet beam. Her steam turbines gave her a speed of 20 knots and a passenger capacity of 1,300 people. I sailed her to the Channel Islands on family holidays in the late 1950's and early 60's and spotted her at least twice on the pontoon at Penarth. [177]

British Railways S.S. "St.Patrick" - a postcard found within my collection recently (July 2017) bought in summer 1959 when the family had a camping holiday at a dairy farm on the island of Guernsey. I wrote on the reverse 'went on it to Guernsey'. Ah those warm summer days past! [001] [20170717]