HMS PRESIDENT – Thames Blog (Two)
Continuing my trip down London’s River Thames on board the HURRICANE CLIPPER, (Thames Clippers operates a fleet of twelve luxury high speed catamarans) the next ship that caught my eye, a short distance astern the WELLINGTON, and right before Blackfrairs Bridge is a dark hulled ship, clearly an older vessel with a tall silver funnel and a banner with the website www.hmspresident.com. Like the WELLINGTON, this ship has also spent a very long time moored on the Thames.
HMS PRESIDENT, listed on the www.hmspresident.com website as a floating jewel in the heart of the capital, and perfect for any style of event or conference. HMS PRESIDENT is available for hire, to host all kinds of events. The ship was built at the shipyard of Lobnitz & Company, Renfrew, Scotland and launched January 29, 1918 as HMS SAXIFRAGE. An Anchusa-class Royal Navy sloop HMS SAXIFRAGE was a Q-Ship, (also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels), a ship that would appear to be an easy target for a submarine, but in fact was a heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry. The class of ships were designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks where upon the Q-ship would open fire.
HMS SAXIFRAGE appears to be the sole WWI Q-ship surviving. Possibly, due to her commissioning so close to the end of WWI. HMS SAXIFRAGE measured 1250 tons with an overall length of 265 feet. I searched for more information as to her activities during that period but cannot yet locate any. In 1921 HMS SAXIFRAGE became HMS PRESIDENT, a R.N.V.R. drillship, the headquarters ship for the Royal Navy Reserves arriving on the Thames in June 1922. In 1988 HMS PRESIDENT and her sister HMS CHRYSANTHEMUM, also moored at an adjacent berth on the Embankment, were both sold. HMS CHRYSANTHEMUM was scrapped in 1995 while HMS PRESIDENT remained on the Thames and in 2006 was bought by the serviced office company, MLS Group Plc.
In October 2010 HMS PRESIDENT underwent a refit and today is active as a event space: www.hmspresident.com
HMS PRESIDENT and is listed on the National Register of Historic Vessels.
As I traveled down the river and under Blackfriars Bridge I looked back at the two older ships moored on Victoria Embankment, WELLINGTON visible ahead of HMS PRESIDENT, in the distance Waterloo Bridge.
Previous entry:
WELLINGTON – Thames Blog (One)
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Another great ship I never knew existed–I’d love to go up and down the Thames like this 🙂
Your enthusiasm much appreciated Justin!
I have been trying to find out what happened to HMS Chrysanthemum & President for ages. My father was Cheif Petty Officer and president of the mess on the President in the 1950 and onwards. I used to attend Christmas parties on board with my two brothers. What a great time we had. My younger brother was baptised on board the Chrysanthemum using the ships bell as a font.Commadore Noble was his godparent. It would be wonderful to find out what happened to that bell as I understand the names of children baptised on board were engraved inside the ships bell. The President played a big part in my growing up as dad was always down “the ship”.I have happy memories of this ship and photos of my father on board including some taken with Lord Mountbattern
HMS President is about to be scrapped as the Heritage Lottery Fund twice a grant of 330K to save her. Please write to Philip Hammond at the Treasury who have a fund for charities asking him to intervene as this is now the ships last option.
BRING HER TO JACKSONVILLE SHAD KHAN OWNER OF THE JAGUARS BUILDING A MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT ON THE MIGHTY ST. JOHNS RIVER WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN ICONIC SHIP WE DONT HAVE TO RED TAPE OVER W new york or california AS NOT TO OVER DO THEM, WE WILL PUT HER TO WORK HERE ! OUR SHIPYARD DEVELOPMENT WOULD LUV THIS CROWN JEWEL !! WELCOME TO AMERICA’S FIRST COAST ! jst an fyi
Hi my children were christened on HMS President in 1970 and 1974 and have been told that their names should be in the ships bell. My ex-husband was a Chief Petty Officer in the RNR so I am wondering what will happen to the bell if the ship is scrapped it would be love to have a photograph of the bell