Restoring the TS Queen Mary

Friends of TS Queen Mary

TS Queen Mary is a British icon.

She was built in 1933 by the world famous shipyard William Denny and Brothers, for Williamson Buchanan Steamers. The 252 ft “pocket liner” is the original “Queen Mary”, giving up her name in 1934 in deference to Cunard’s new liner (becoming TS Queen Mary II) before reclaiming it in 1976.

She is the largest and most luxurious steamship ever built to serve Glasgow and the west of Scotland, and in that role she carried 13,000 passengers each week. During WW2 she maintained lifeline services on the Clyde. She carried Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), Her Majesty The Queen (then the Princess Elizabeth), the Princess Margaret and Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt.

After her retirement she was relocated to London and served the community there from 1987 until 2009.
She is now the last of her kind in the world and is listed in the Core 40 fleet of the UK’s National Historic Ship register, as a ship of national pre-eminence.

Since taking ownership in 2015, the Charity has raised and invested almost £3M GBP of a £6M GBP target. Our vision is to restore TS Queen Mary and re-open her at Glasgow Science Centre, as a heritage destination and education/training centre, where an estimated 150,000 people each year will visit her.

Donate now

We invite you to be a part of our exciting restoration campaign – the most significant redevelopment of TS Queen Mary in her history. With your help we will have a Queen fit for the 21st century. Her iconic status and heritage will be preserved, but she will be repurposed for contemporary roles that will ensure she is part of Britain’s cultural and economic fabric for years to come. Your gifts will enable and inspire: innovation, apprenticeships, economic growth, education, heritage preservation and tourism. Your engagement and commitment as donors will be pivotal.

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Friends of TS Queen Mary

2 weeks ago

16.01.22 - TS Queen Mary Spring CleanOur Head of Marine, Captain Mark Yeomans, was on board TS Queen Mary this weekend, along with our dedicated volunteers, to start jet washing the ship's decks. As you know, the plan is to lift the timber on the boat deck (the underside of which you can see in today's photos) and weld in a steel plates to the ship's transverse beams. A new deck then will be laid atop the steel and - finally - TS Queen Mary will no longer suffer from rainwater ingress.Until then, Captain Mark and our volunteers will be washing and scrubbing!FOTSQM ... See MoreSee Less

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Friends of TS Queen Mary

2 weeks ago

13.01.22 – Shield Marine’s £20k Support for TS Queen MaryWe are delighted to announce that one of the UK’s leading marine outfitters is supporting the restoration of TS Queen Mary.Shield Marine Services has committed to providing the detailed design required for TS Queen Mary’s interiors, taking forward the beautiful concepts produced by WDC Creative.In addition, Shield Marine Services will create the insulation plan for TS Queen Mary.The detailed design work both for the interiors and insulation will involve:- Completing a vessel survey to refine the concept design- Undertaking a full 3D laser scan of the internal spaces - Producing all necessary 2D and 3D CAD drawings- Providing project and procurement planning support.Derek Lewry, Managing Director, Shield Marine Services, says:“We are honoured and excited to be participating in the restoration of TS Queen Mary. This project is an opportunity to utilise all of our core competencies and deliver a quality project to the Charity. We look forward to seeing this historic vessel restored for future generations to enjoy”.Iain Sim, Chairman of Friends of TS Queen Mary, says: “I am delighted that Shield Marine has committed this exceptionally generous corporate gift. With a value of £20,000, it represents a fantastic start to 2022 for TS Queen Mary. Shield Marine has a tremendous reputation for the highest quality of workmanship within the marine sector, with high-end clients including Carnival UK.I am confident that Shield Marine will be able to turn WDC Creative’s vision for TS Queen Mary into a stunning reality”.Robbie Coltrane, Patron of Friends of TS Queen Mary, says:“I am pleased that Shield Marine are supporting TS Queen Mary. It’s great that businesses from every corner of the UK are coming together to help my beautiful girl. What a wonderful way to start 2022”. Shield Marine’s generous contribution brings the total cash and in-kind corporate support for TS Queen Mary to £3.82M. You can out more about Shield Marine here: www.linkedin.com/showcase/shield-marine-services FOTSQM ... See MoreSee Less

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Friends of TS Queen Mary

3 weeks ago

07.01.22 - O for the wings...of a hawk! As Glasgow dresses up in snow this morning, we are grateful to HawkAye for allowing us to share their wonderful aerial photo, showing TS Queen Mary and PS Waverley resting serenely at Glasgow Science Centre. Have a good Friday!FOTSQM#waverleyexcursions #glasgowsciencecentre ... See MoreSee Less

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Friends of TS Queen Mary updated their cover photo.

3 weeks ago

Friends of TS Queen Mary's cover photo ... See MoreSee Less

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Friends of TS Queen Mary

4 weeks ago

31.12.21 - Here’s to 2022!Friends of TS Queen Mary would like to wish you and your loved ones a very happy New Year, filled with hope, good health….and indeed joy!Some very exciting campaign updates coming in early 2022!FOTSQM ... See MoreSee Less

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