The Tuxedo Royale (ex-TSS Dover) is a former turbine steamship, built in 1965 by the British Railway to serve as a car ferry. Her overall length measures to 112.5 metres (369ft) overall, with a capacity of 820 DWT (deadweight tonnage), and she was capable of travelling at 19.5kts. During the course of her service she was renamed twice; first in 1977 to Earl Siward, and again in 1982 to the Sol Express when she was transformed into a Mediterranean passenger ship. In September 1983, however, the Sol Express was involved in a rescue operation, amid armed conflict between Lebanese Christian soldiers and Muslim Militia. The fighting across one particular port near Beirut became so intense that the port itself was closed and the staff from the local American Embassy required evacuation. By some means, after receiving an emergency call, the ship managed to sail into the port and rescue the American workforce. All the same, by 1993, her name changed once more, to the Tuxedo Royale, as she was converted into a floating nightclub; the second of two.
For much of her life the Tuxedo Royale was moored in Middlesbrough, on the River Tees, although she briefly served in Newcastle upon Tyne whilst the sister ship – The Tuxedo Princess – was temporarily moved to Glasgow. A local Tyneside businessman and owner of the popular Tuxedo Junction nightclub in Newcastle, named Michael Quadrini, developed the idea and successfully put the initiative into operation. By 2005, though, it was rumoured that Middlesbrough council had ambitious plans to develop the immediate area around the Tuxedo Royale, and so the vessel was forced to move. Although Quadrini claimed that there were plans to re-launch the nightclub elsewhere, nothing materialised and for a time the Tuxedo Royale was left to rot in the old asbestos contaminated ‘ghost ship’ graveyard in Hartlepool. For some reason or another, some years later she was moved back to the crumbling remains of ABLE Port in Middlesbrough and has since begun to sink in the River Tees, on account of metal thieves.
The Tuxedo Royale has been on the list of potential explores for a long time - we had planned to investigate the sinking remains some time ago, however, after hearing about its removal from Middlesbrough’s dockland area we gradually forgot all about it. Last month, though, we heard a rumour that it was in fact still moored in Middlesbrough, so we quickly set out to make the most of it! Getting to the sinking vessel wasn’t a problem, but getting onboard looked to be a challenge. Nevertheless, after some careful consideration and planning, we managed to board the rusting mass and set about exploring every inch; as was viably possible, considering some of the lower decks are entirely underwater. Regardless of the disorientating angle of the ship, every minute of the venture was excellent, especially in the old engine rooms and below decks where our gloomy shadows bounced erratically as they were reflected by the surrounding waters. There is mud absolutely everywhere, revealing where the water levels have levelled when the tide is in and, much by my own imagination, it felt like we were extras in the film ‘Titanic’. On the whole, despite the vandalism and obvious metal theft, the Tuxedo Royale is still a good explore and there remains plenty to see.
NOTE: Apologies for the ‘pic-heavy’ report – there were hundreds of photographs to sift through, and I was only able to narrow it down to these displayed in this report.
1: The Tuxedo Royale from The Tees Transporter Bridge
2: The Tuxedo Royale
3: On Board the Sinking Vessel
4: En-route to the Helm of the Ship
5: Ship's Alarm System
6: The Helm
7: Tuxedo Royale Leaflets
8: Upper Deck - Staircase to Dance Floors Below
9: Upstairs Dance Floor/Club Room
10: Upstairs Dance Floor and Bar
11: Vessel Beginning to Break Apart
12: Second Upstairs Dance Floor and Bar
13: Glassware Storage Cupboard
14: Old Display TV
15: The Sunset Bar
16: Incredibly Muddy Lower Section of the Ship - Floods When the Tide is In
17: A Scene from the Titanic?
18: Lower Deck Dance Floor
19: Kitchens
20: Enjoying an Iconic View from a Lifeboat
21: Rear End of the Vessel
22: Front End of the Vessel
23: Dials and Gauges in the Engine Room
24: Inside the Main Funnel
25: Rusted Valve
26: The Tuxedo Royale Display Sign
27: Inside the Hull - At the Front of the Vessel
28: The Remains of the Tuxedo Royale
For much of her life the Tuxedo Royale was moored in Middlesbrough, on the River Tees, although she briefly served in Newcastle upon Tyne whilst the sister ship – The Tuxedo Princess – was temporarily moved to Glasgow. A local Tyneside businessman and owner of the popular Tuxedo Junction nightclub in Newcastle, named Michael Quadrini, developed the idea and successfully put the initiative into operation. By 2005, though, it was rumoured that Middlesbrough council had ambitious plans to develop the immediate area around the Tuxedo Royale, and so the vessel was forced to move. Although Quadrini claimed that there were plans to re-launch the nightclub elsewhere, nothing materialised and for a time the Tuxedo Royale was left to rot in the old asbestos contaminated ‘ghost ship’ graveyard in Hartlepool. For some reason or another, some years later she was moved back to the crumbling remains of ABLE Port in Middlesbrough and has since begun to sink in the River Tees, on account of metal thieves.
The Tuxedo Royale has been on the list of potential explores for a long time - we had planned to investigate the sinking remains some time ago, however, after hearing about its removal from Middlesbrough’s dockland area we gradually forgot all about it. Last month, though, we heard a rumour that it was in fact still moored in Middlesbrough, so we quickly set out to make the most of it! Getting to the sinking vessel wasn’t a problem, but getting onboard looked to be a challenge. Nevertheless, after some careful consideration and planning, we managed to board the rusting mass and set about exploring every inch; as was viably possible, considering some of the lower decks are entirely underwater. Regardless of the disorientating angle of the ship, every minute of the venture was excellent, especially in the old engine rooms and below decks where our gloomy shadows bounced erratically as they were reflected by the surrounding waters. There is mud absolutely everywhere, revealing where the water levels have levelled when the tide is in and, much by my own imagination, it felt like we were extras in the film ‘Titanic’. On the whole, despite the vandalism and obvious metal theft, the Tuxedo Royale is still a good explore and there remains plenty to see.
NOTE: Apologies for the ‘pic-heavy’ report – there were hundreds of photographs to sift through, and I was only able to narrow it down to these displayed in this report.
1: The Tuxedo Royale from The Tees Transporter Bridge
2: The Tuxedo Royale
3: On Board the Sinking Vessel
4: En-route to the Helm of the Ship
5: Ship's Alarm System
6: The Helm
7: Tuxedo Royale Leaflets
8: Upper Deck - Staircase to Dance Floors Below
9: Upstairs Dance Floor/Club Room
10: Upstairs Dance Floor and Bar
11: Vessel Beginning to Break Apart
12: Second Upstairs Dance Floor and Bar
13: Glassware Storage Cupboard
14: Old Display TV
15: The Sunset Bar
16: Incredibly Muddy Lower Section of the Ship - Floods When the Tide is In
17: A Scene from the Titanic?
18: Lower Deck Dance Floor
19: Kitchens
20: Enjoying an Iconic View from a Lifeboat
21: Rear End of the Vessel
22: Front End of the Vessel
23: Dials and Gauges in the Engine Room
24: Inside the Main Funnel
25: Rusted Valve
26: The Tuxedo Royale Display Sign
27: Inside the Hull - At the Front of the Vessel
28: The Remains of the Tuxedo Royale
