The Difficult 90's

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The career of the Manxman at Preston ended in 1990 as her berth was required as part of the new quayside development at Preston and Lancaster was supposed to be her new home but local opposition to the project scuppered that idea and instead she returned to more familiar waters;  Liverpool. She arrived at the Trafalgar Dock on the 6^th. of November and opened as a nightclub in 1991 under the marketing name of Manxman Princess. The venture was not a success and she closed for business at the end of 1993. By this time she had been painted in the blue and white livery that she retained up to the time of writing. Heritage vandals they may have been but Midnite Entertainments were still trying to make a go of their investment and decided to tow the ship to Hull were she was berthed in the disused Ruscador dry dock

In August 1997 a fire broke out in what had become the after shelter deck bar. It originally had been the 3^rd. class ladies lounge and had retained the original wood panelling which was destroyed in the fire along  with, it was alleged, several important financial and legal documents concerning debts and ownership. The ship had also been left open to the more normal vandalism caused by the dimmer members of the nation’s youth and many windows and interior fittings were smashed.

On the 12^th of September 1997 the Manxman arrived in Sunderland, towed by the tug T.H.Dev; Subsequent enquiries have established that the ship was at sea without ballast. As she was proceeding up the River Wear  her foremast struck the Wearmouth Bridge and was bent back at an angle of about 45 degrees. She thus had to return to the Corporation Quay where she had been berthed and her masts were shortened. It was in November of 1997 that she was berthed at the quay of the Pallion Engineering Company Ltd where she remains today.

From that date the Sunderland firm have looked after the ship as best they can and have actively tried to find a new role for the ship rather than send her to the breakers. However a severe setback occurred on the 12th July 1999 when the ship began to take on water and started to list to starboard. By mid afternoon the list was about 45 degrees and the water was up to shelter deck level. The harbour master however was quoted as saying she would not sink as the water was not deep enough but he could give no reassurances that she would not simply just roll over! She had been holed in the engine room and by the time it was discovered over 5,000 gallons of water had entered the ship. At one stage during the rescue operation the fire crews on the vessel were ordered off as the ship was in danger of going over. However the pumps and high  pressure air forced into the hull did the trick and the ship gradually righted herself and the water was expelled even though a bulkhead door was letting in more water. This was also repaired.

At first it was thought that vandals had been responsible but later it was thought more likely that the ship had been holed by an object on the river bed which had been carried along by the tides. Whatever the cause the incident did not help the old ships’ cause at all. However no irreparable damage was done although the lower decks were now in dire need of  an industrial cleaner.