Next week will be a very rare chance to see one of the two remaining ocean-going Royal Mail Ships on a visit to London.
The Royal Mail Ship St Helena was built in 1989 specifically to supply the island of St Helena, a British Overseas Territory deep in the tropical South Atlantic.
The ship currently serves to carry post and cargo to the remote island, but is to be decommissioned as a postal vessel this year as an airport is being built on the island to replace it.
Like many of the Royal Mail Ships, she is also a passenger carrying vessel, so this is also a final farewell tour for passengers who are taking the chance for a rare visit by the ship to the UK.
She is due to arrive in London, and pass through Tower Bridge on 7th June at 4:45pm, leaving London on the 10th June at 5:45pm.
She will be moored up next to HMS Belfast, although not open to the public to visit, you can see the ship from the riverside.
Incidentally, the other remaining ocean going RMS ship cant visit London, as it’s a bit too big — it’s the RMS Queen Mary 2, a massive cruise liner.
I am excited to learn that RMS St Helena is coming to London next week. I live in London and am going to be a passenger on the ship from Ascension Island to Cape Town. I appreciate that you are not expecting people to visit but wonder if an exception could be made as I am booked on to the last voyage. I would love to be able to see the ship and to show it to my daughter and grandsons but that would have to be on Wednesday or Thursday evenings after school. Would this be possible?
Best regards, Sally
Thanks for publishing this. I saw the vessel yesterday and wondered what is was. A Google search took me here.
I wonder if this really is the last trip though given that just before I came to this page I saw an article on the BBC website that said that the new airport on St Helena that you refer to was too windy too open!
Is she leaving this afternoon as the BBC said she will be leaving the pool on Tuesday
The ship left today.