The SB Kathleen was a spritsail Thames barge built by Glover at Gravesend, Kent, in England in 1901, and registered in Rochester. Her official number was 113,708. She was built to carry grain- for capacity rather than speed. she was long and had a beam of . Light, she drew of water, and laden .
Kathleen's rig was changed with commercial needs. She took on an auxiliary motor, and then became a motor barge and in the 1960 was registered and worked as a timber lighter. She was sunk in 1923 by a Cunarder then refloated. In the 1953 East Coast storms she was washed up the shore at Whitstable and demolished several buildings. She was rerigged by an enthusiast in 1966 and raced again, before meeting her end in Spaarndam in 1986, with spars and fittings being passed on to the Wyvenhoe.
History
Working barge
She was launched in 1901 and worked for Daniels Brothers of Whitstable principally as a grain barge. In the first world war she carried other dry cargoes such as coal, timber and iron pipes. Modifications were made to her hold for easier loading, though this was later reversed. She continued to do cross channel work until 1920: as a barge she could safely sail over the Goodwin Sands if the leeboards were raised. After the 1914–1918 conflict, minefields remained and passage through the swept channel was only permitted in daylight. In the 1920s regular work was in grain and animal foodstuffs all within the confines of the estuary and the river.
On 6 March 1923, she and two other Whitstable barges were taking on cargo in Greenwich when the Cunard steamer, (1918–1944) lost control and smashed into them, sinking two of them. Why Not was built at Faversham in 1866 (38 Reg Tons) and W H Randall was constructed at Sittingbourne in 1876 (44 Reg Tons). Kathleen was a little larger at 53 tons. The Virgilia was steel built, registered at 5,697 tons. All three barges re-entered service. The Why Not, had previously survived an incident in 1917 when she has been hit by a 2-seater aircraft from the Royal Flying Corps No.63 Squadron from the airfield at Joyce Green Isolation Hospital, the Kathleen rendered assistance.
She was converted to an auxiliary in 1945, launched again as a sailing barge in 1953 then turned into a full motor barge in 1954.
In 1944, the Kathleen was in Whitstable for a refit and was spotted by Edgar March, the naval historian. He used the opportunity to make a full survey of the Kathleen, making notes and producing five sides of engineering drawings of her, and commenting on the sails and the rigging. This was published in 1948, making her one of the most thoroughly recorded barges. In 1946 the auxiliary engine was fitted, and the cabin detailed by March was changed.
On the night of the Great Storm of 1953- the night the tide came in and didn't go out, Kathleen was on the slipway at Anderson, Rigden and Perkins yard, Island Wall, Whitstable. She was washed up and demolished the slipway and many buildings in the shipyard, ending up at right angles to the slip, A special temporary slip had to be built in order to launch her again.
By 1954 the Kathleen was relying increasingly in her engine, and her sprit and mainmast were removed. The top mast was lowered into the mastcase. The rigging had become a hindrance when loading cargo, so in September she had a leg of mutton, trysail bent to the topmast. The Kathleen was a Whitstable barge sailing for Daniels: the port was in decline and on the death of the owner, the remaining barges were sold to the London and Rochester Trading Company Ltd. Though there were forty-two freights in 1958 they were mainly part loads. Fred Wraight Jnr left the boat in 1960- she took her last cargo in October 1961, her engine was removed, and she was laid up and decommissioned at Strood on 23 November 1961.
Barge yacht
She was re-rigged as a barge yacht at Heybridge in 1965. Parts for the work, came from all over the region. The topsail and a foresail came from Lower Halstow, the mast case came from Pin Mill from the hulk of the Charles Hutton. Many blocks came from Reuben Wests barge yard. The mizzen spars and leeboard winches of the Dorothy, came from Cubitt's Yard the main horse was the fore horse from the Orinoco. The main mast and the standing rigging came from Erith, from the Lady Mary, built in 1900 as an F.T. Everard's coaster. A leeboard was made from a wood called keruing, another was borrowed, and in 1966 the mainsail was lent by the Nellie Parker, In 1967, Kathleen raced using a mainsail lent by the Venta.
She had a new owner, Pat Murphy who invested in a new mainsail and a pair of Kelvin 44 hp diesels.