Moved another Dunkirk little ship this week, its never easy, this one was found in a barn half restored on a farm in Dorset.
History.....Rania was built by Rampart Boat Building Works in Southampton, she was built in 1938 for a Mr. McLoughlin who named her Zelia. With her length of 45ft and a l0ft 6in beam, she was a comfortable boat. She has a raked transom and a semi-clipper stern and is now powered by two Diesel engines. Originally, she had two 6 cylinder Morris petrol engines which gave her a speed of 9.5 knots.In 1939 Zelia was collected from Rampart Boat Building Works not by her intended owner, but by the Royal Navy who had need of her on H.M. service and re-named her Rania, she became part of the Royal Navy's motley collection of hastily acquired civilian ships. They served as the 'mosquito navy', which performed a great variety of tasks, as patrol boats, communications vessels and transport for naval personnel who needed to move around on the rivers and estuaries of southern England.Under Naval command, Rania took part in the Evacuation of Dunkirk, but no details are recorded. After the war Rania had four civilian owners in forty years. The 1989 owner, Ian Davidson, spent two years restoring the boat, re-named her Arkian (Ian's ark).
Fast forward to 2010 & Rania is found half restored in a barn in Dorset, new owner lives in Penrith so Sealand boat deliveries to the rescue to transport her up North...