MV Royal Iris - Decline, Withdrawal and A New Beginning in Liverpool

Decline, Withdrawal and A New Beginning in Liverpool

During the early 1990s, funding was found to allow Mountwood, Woodchurch and Overchurch an extensive refurbishment, which included provision for cruising duties. The ageing Royal Iris, the last ex-Wallasey vessel, was considered surplus to requirements due to the fact she had a major survey due and the great cost of bringing her up to modern standards. Over the passing years she had become noticeably slower and a lot more expensive to maintain.

The Royal Iris ran a farewell evening cruise on the 12 January 1991, prior to being taken out of service and laid up awaiting confirmation of her fate. On 21 April 1991, she was granted a one day licence from the Department of Transport to carry 600 people on a cruise to mark the 73rd Anniversary of The Zeebrugge Raid of 1918. On the 16 August 1991, she was placed in the hands of shipbrokers SC Chambers Limited of Liverpool for an asking price of £100,000.

In November 1991, she was sold to a consortium for conversion into a floating nightclub, restaurant and conference centre, based in Liverpool under the name of 'Mr Smith's Nightclub'. She was delivered to the Stanley Dock complex in early 1992 to begin her new life on Merseyside and was subsequently painted Bright Blue with a red band around the top deck windows.