Editing Mersey Ferry (section)

===''Royal Iris'' (1951)===
{{Main|MV Royal Iris}}
Perhaps the most famous Royal is the {{MV|Royal Iris||2}} of 1951, built by [[William Denny and Brothers]] in [[Dumbarton]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Collard |first=Ian |title=Ships of the Mersey: A Photographic History |publisher=Amberley Publishing |year=2008 |isbn=9781445624037}}</ref> She was the first diesel-powered vessel of the Wallasey fleet, with four diesel generators connected to two [[Metropolitan-Vickers|Metrovick]] marine propulsion units.<ref name=shippingtimes>{{citation|url=http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829081105/http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=13 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=29 August 2016 |title=Royal Iris|publisher=Shipping Times|author1=Stuart Cameron|author2=Bruce Biddulph|access-date=8 February 2009}}</ref> The vessel differed to all the other ferries as she had super smooth lines and a dummy funnel in place. She was the best loved of all the Mersey ferries and played host to hundreds of party cruises, with bands such as [[Gerry & The Pacemakers]], [[The Searchers (band)|The Searchers]], [[The Beatles]] and [[Elvis Costello]] performing on her. The ''Royal Iris'' received a major refit in the 1970s and her popular fish and chip cafe - which earned her the name "the fish and chip boat" - was removed and replaced with a steak bar. The Royal Iris was also the setting for the 1979 ITV children's program [[The Mersey Pirate]] where she was fitted with a temporary geodesic glass dome on her upper deck.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}  The ''Royal Iris'' remained in service for nearly 40 years before being sold in 1994 - three years after withdrawal - for use as a floating nightclub. She was then berthed in a deteriorating condition at [[Woolwich]], London.  Around 2010 her hull breached, causing her to sink onto the bed of the Thames - which has only served to accelerate the decline in her condition. Attempts to bring her back to Merseyside have come to nothing due to the prohibitive cost of making her fit for a 1,000 mile journey coastwise.  In April 2025 it was reported that a fire had broken out on board, gutting most of her remaining interior <ref>{{Cite web |last=Horsburgh |first=Lynette |date=2025-04-08 |title=Former Mersey Royal Iris ferry gutted by fire |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg41k7e94dno.amp |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=BBC News |language=en-gb}}</ref>