 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Portugal | |
| Name | Spirit of Chartwell |
| Owner | Mário Ferreira (Douro Azul) |
| Operator | Douro Azul S.A. |
| Route | Douro |
| Builder | Grave B.V. Grave Netherlands |
| Acquired | 2012 |
| Status | In active service |
   United Kingdom | |
| Name | Spirit of Chartwell |
| Owner | Philip Morrell |
| Operator | Magna Carta Steamship Company |
| Port of registry | London, UK |
| Route | River Thames |
| Acquired | 2010 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sold |
| Notes | Royal barge |
 Netherlands | |
| Name | Vincent van Gogh |
| Namesake | Vincent van Gogh |
| Operator | Kooiman Group |
| Route | Rhine |
| Builder | Grave B.V. Grave Netherlands |
| Maiden voyage | 1997 |
| Fate | Sold |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Luxury Commercial passenger vessel |
| Tonnage | 485 GT[1] |
| Length | 63.87 m (210 ft) |
| Beam | 6.72 m (22 ft) |
| Height | 3.8 m (12 ft) |
| Draught | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power | DAF 2 × 350 hp |
| Propulsion | TwinZF Marine (formally known as HRP) |
| Speed | 11 knots |
| Notes | Twobow thrusters |
MVSpirit of Chartwell is ahotel barge owned and operated by Portuguese holiday company Douro Azul for luxury cruises along theDouro river,Porto, Portugal.
Previously owned and operated by the Magna Carta Steamship Company for luxury cruises along theRiver Thames, she was selected in late 2011 to be theroyal barge as part of QueenElizabeth II'sDiamond Jubilee celebrations, and carried the Queen andPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in a flotilla of more than 1,000 vessels during theThames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June 2012.[2] The ship was sold in June 2012 to Douro Azul to operate luxury cruises in the Douro river.[3]
She was designed in the style of theCôte d'Azur Pullman Express deluxe train and carries artefacts from the original train andocean liners such asRMS Kenya Castle,SS France andRMS Windsor Castle.[4]
The ship was formerly aRhine ship known asVincent van Gogh. She was refitted as a luxury Thames cruise vessel by theDutch Kooiman Group in 2009/2010.[5]
For theThames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012 the vessel was lavishly decorated in red, gold and purple, reminiscent of royal barges of the 17th and 18th centuries. Among the additions were thousands of flowers, an ornate gilded prow sculpture ofOld Father Thames carved and moulded injesmonite, symbols of royalty, and a large red velvet banner with a royalcoat of arms made of more than half a million gold-coloured buttons.[6]
A special warrant was issued by theSecretary of State for Defence to permitSpirit of Chartwell to wear theWhite Ensign whilst serving as the Royal Barge on 3 June 2012.[7] When the Queen was on board, she also flew theRoyal Standard of the United Kingdom from the bow.
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Media related toSpirit of Chartwell (ship, 1997) at Wikimedia Commons