Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

Clyde ferry ASHTON carries passengers to view and visit the Home Fleet of the Royal Navy at Greenock

   In mid-July 1947 the Home Fleet of the Royal Navy

assembled at the Tail-of-the-Bank anchorage in the

Firth of Clyde off Greenock to be reviewed by the King

and Queen, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret and

Lieutenant Mountbatten.

   The Review coincided with the annual summer

holiday fortnight in Glasgow (known as the Glasgow

Fair Holidays) and the public were allowed to visit the

Battleships DUKE OF YORK and HOWE and also the

Aircraft Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS.

   Clyde Steamers operated many special excursions

from Clyde ports to view the Fleet and one of the

small passenger vessels, ASHTON, carried passengers

from Princes Pier, Greenock around the warships and

also to visit the three large vessels.

18th   ASHTON arrives at Princes Pier, Greenock and

embarks passengers

18th   ASHTON leaves Princes Pier for a cruise around

the Fleet anchored at Tail-of-the-Bank

18th   ASHTON arrives back at Princes Pier and lands

her passengers after their cruise

18th   ASHTON leaves Princes Pier for Gourock Pier

19th   A busy day for ASHTON.   She made 7 runs from

Princes Pier carrying passengers to Battleship

H.M.S. DUKE OF YORK at Tail-of-the-Bank and

3 runs from Princes Pier carrying passengers on

a cruise around the Fleet

20th   ASHTON came from Gourock Pier to Princes

Pier for rehearsal purposes

20th   ASHTON left Princes Pier and returned to Gourock

20th   ASHTON returned to Princes Pier from Gourock.   She

then had another busy day to Tail-of-the-Bank making

6 runs with passengers to Aircraft Carrier H.M.S. ILLUSTRIOUS

and 4 runs cruising around the Fleet.

21st   ASHTON made 6 runs from Princes Pier

with passengers to Battleship H.M.S. HOWE and 3

runs cruising around the Fleet

25th   From Princes Pier ASHTON made 7 runs cruising

around the Fleet and 4 runs with passengers to Aircraft

Carrier H.M.S. ILLUSTRIOUS

26th   From Princes Pier ASHTON made 7 runs with

passengers to Battleship H.M.S. DUKE OF YORK and

3 runs with passengers to Aircraft Carrier H.M.S. ILLUSTRIOUS

27th   ASHTON took passengers from Princes Pier on 6

cruises around the Fleet and, at the end of her day and

having landed her passengers at Princes Pier, she shifted

to the nearby Albert Harbour in Greenock for shelter.

28^th   ASHTON left Albert Harbour for Gourock Pier.   This

completed her cruising duties for the Fleet Review.