By the early sixties the paddle steamer was no longer pleasing the holiday maker due to competition from the sky; the cheap option of visiting the Costa del Sol. Also the craze for the motor car contributed to the decline in passenger numbers.The Medway Queen outlasted most of the Thames and Medway steamers by some fifteen years until an annual inspection which identified a need for extensive repairs. The ship made her last voyage from Southend back to the Medway on 9th September, 1963 and the company offered her for sale.​

The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society had been aware of the ship’s imminent withdrawal and was taking steps to preserve her. Meetings were held and a trust formed. The PSPS lobbied various interested (or possibly interested) parties including the National Trust and Fortes but a further survey (undertaken by John Graves, her 1st Lieutenant at Dunkirk) confirmed that serious work would be needed to keep her sailing. The National Trusts idea of running trips with her was not viable but Fortes were interested in making her a floating venue on the Thames. Planning restrictions and local objections prevented this scheme coming to fruition and Medway Queen was sold to a Belgian ship breaker.

The Daily Mail was at the forefront of the campaign to save the ship and an Isle of Wight businessman, Alan Ridett thought she would make a suitable clubhouse for his marina development near Newport. The Medway Queen was subsequently purchased by Alan and his associates and towed to the River Medina on the Isle of Wight in 1965 where she became a clubhouse, restaurant and night club.

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place on Tuesday 2nd June 1953 and the Naval Review at Spithead followed on Monday 15th, The Medway Queen was to take part in the event, not just as an excursion vessel (as she had done in 1937) but as part of the official fleet to be reviewed. Presumably she was selected as a representative of the Merchant Navy and, perhaps, for her part in the Dunkirk evacuation some 13 years before. She would anchor in line, just off the Isle of Wight near Ryde, and wait her turn for the Royal Party to make their way past the long lines of vessels all dressed overall with their signal flags. Her train had a capacity of 400 passengers in 10 coaches. the train ran from London Waterloo to Southampton Docks where passengers transferred to Medway Queen.

A minor emergency arose on the trip down Southampton Water when a passenger fell ill. The unfortunate lady was taken ashore by the tug Gladstone which was summoned alongside for that purpose. The rest of the journey was completed without further incident and the ship steamed through the assembled fleet with a naval officer on board to give a commentary on the ships. These included the battleship HMS Vanguard and aircraft carriers HMS Eagle, Illustrious, Implacable, Indefatigable, Indomitable, Perseus, Sydney (Royal Australian Navy) and Theseus.​ Medway Queen’s allotted position was in row “L” just off Ryde Pier. This was not a “front stalls” position by any means but still very much part of the event. The sometimes distant view of proceedings was supplemented by listening to the commentary provided via the BBC “Home Service”.

After the celebrations, which continued into the evening, Medway Queen returned to Southampton at 2.30am to transfer her passengers to their London bound return train. She then turned for home and steamed non-stop back to the Medway to be ready for the start of her regular tourist season.
​
The picture left is worth including, despite its low technical quality. It shows Her Majesty boarding what we think is the Norwegian Royal Yacht and there is no mistaking the paddler lurking in the background.

This page has been adapted from an article published in “The Southern Way No. 15” and in “The Medway Queen” history of our ship.