The MV Plymouth Belle is a single screw

Propeller

A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...

 passenger vessel, operating from Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

, Devon on Dockyard

Devonport Naval Base

Devonport Naval Base is the home of the Royal New Zealand Navy, located at Devonport, New Zealand on Auckland's North Shore. It is currently the only base of the navy that operates ships, and was a navy base from as far back as 1841...

 and Warships cruises from the new town pier, adjacent to Mayflower Steps.

History

Built in 1961 by Mashfords of Cremyll

Cremyll

Cremyll is a coastal village in south-east Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately one mile west of Plymouth.Cremyll is on the Rame Peninsula facing Plymouth Sound. The Cremyll Ferry carries foot passengers and cyclists from Cremyll to Plymouth...

 in Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 for Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Co Ltd

Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Co Ltd

The Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company was a ferry operator on the River Tamar in South Devon. It was started in 1894, and initially operated a fery route from Millbrook in Cornwall to Plymouth. It expanded, and eventually became the largest river boat operator in the Plymouth area, until its...

. Originally used on the Plymouth - Cawsand

Cawsand

Cawsand and Kingsand are twin villages in southeast Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated on the Rame Peninsula and is in the parish of Maker-with-Rame....

 ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 service. Originally she only had a single deck, with a covered cabin, but her capacity was later increased by the addition of a top deck. In 1985 The Millbrook company, by this point owned by Dart Pleasure Craft Ltd of Dartmouth

Dartmouth, Devon

Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...

, abandoned its services in Plymouth, mainly due to competition with Plymouth Boat Cruises

Plymouth Boat Cruises

The Plymouth Boat Cruises was an excursion boat operator on the River Tamar in South Devon. It was started in 1981, in competition with Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Co Ltd. In 1985 the Millbrook company withdrew from the Tamar, and several of its vessels were transferred to Plymouth Boat Cruises...

, and the MV Plymouth Belle was transferred to the River Dart

River Dart

The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty.-Watercourse:...

. She operated on all of the 'River Link' services of Dart Pleasure craft, including Dartmouth-Totnes

Totnes

Totnes is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

, the Dartmouth-Kingswear Ferry

Dartmouth Ferry

The Dartmouth Ferry, sometimes called the Kingswear Ferry, may refer to one of three ferries that link Dartmouth and Kingswear, on opposite sides of the River Dart in the English county of Devon. From north to south, these ferries are:...

 and circular cruises from Dartmouth.

In 2000 Dart Pleasure Craft took over G.H. Riddalls and Sons

G.H. Riddalls and Sons

G.H. Riddalls and Sons was a passenger boat operator on the River Dart, in South Devon, UK. They operated on the route from Dartmouth to Totnes, on circular cruises from Dartmouth and also ran the ferry service from Dartmouth to Dittisham...

, their main competitor on River Dart services. With the increase in size of the fleet, the MV Plymouth Belle was surplus to requirements and laid up. In 2002 she was sold to Plymouth Boat Cruises, in exchange for the larger MV Plymouth Venturer

MV Plymouth Venturer

The MV Dart Venturer is a twin screw passenger vessel, operating on the River Dart in South Devon, UK, on the cruise / ferry route between Dartmouth and Totnes, and on circular coastal and river cruises from Dartmouth, for Dart Pleasure Craft Ltd....

. She began operating on Dockyard and Warship cruises from Phoenix Wharf in Plymouth. In 2005, Plymouth Boat Cruises was taken over by Sound Cruising, in a near repeat of the demise of the Millbrook company twenty years earlier. MV Plymouth Belle continued on her cruises.
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