Historic Schooner Fit with New Engine

The last operational British-built wooden hull three-mast top sail schooner, Kathleen & May, as supplied with a new Volvo Penta engine from Liverpool, U.K.-based engine specialist James Troop & Co.

James Troop was tasked with supplying a Volvo Penta engine for the historic Kathleen & May, working in collaboration with fellow maritime firm Cammell Laird to fit the D13 450 brake horsepower engine, along with a new generator, on the vessel at its mooring at Liverpool’s Albert Dock.

“As a Liverpool maritime business we were immensely proud to support the Kathleen & May Heritage Trust,” said James Troop’s operations director Robert Pollock. “The Kathleen and May has become synonymous with Liverpool and the Albert Dock in recent years so it was a special assignment for us. The engine we supplied is massively more powerful, more efficient and more eco-friendly than the original one which was no longer fit for purpose. As James Troop is a Merseyside business and has a strong local supply chain, we were also able to complete the project at a reduced price. Working alongside Cammell Laird made the project even more special. It shows the depth of maritime knowledge and expertise we have in the Liverpool region.”

Jeff Grice, who manages the Kathleen & May with his wife Cindy, said, “Both James Troop and Cammell Laird were ultra-professional throughout. Nothing was too much trouble. James Troop’s engineers visited us to talk us through our options, supplied the engine and then advised and supported Cammell Laird throughout the installation. They have already been back to carry out the first service too. There’s no comparison between the new engine and the old one. The previous one was extremely noisy and not very economical. The new one works perfectly. We were so confident following the first sea trials that we simply dropped the engineers off on the Mersey and headed straight off on a voyage to Gloucester and Bideford.”

Built at Connah’s Quay in North Wales in 1900, the Kathleen & May is one of the few remaining operational sailing vessels in the National Historic Ships Fleet. The sole survivor of shipbuilders Ferguson & Baird, she was recently officially classified as a national treasure by the Arts Council and took part in the 2012 river pageant to mark HM The Queen’s diamond jubilee.