# Η Iστορία της Ελληνικής και Ξένης Ναυτιλίας - Greek and Foreign Maritime History > Ιστορικά και Άλλα - Various Historical >  Ρ/Κ Paladin

## Nicholas Peppas

*Paladin* was a Southampton tugboat with a very special past!  She was built at Murdoch & Murray of Glasgow for the Anchor Line of Glasgow in 1939. She has 326 tons, a length of 42.8 meters and a beam of 9.2 meters. She made 13.5 mph. In 1939 she was sold to the Clyde Shipping Company Ltd. In 1946 she was  bought by Red Funnel of Southampton. She was broken up at Rotterdam in  1960.

A black and white photo can be seen here http://www.plimsoll.org/Resources/SCCLibraries/4174.asp  Simplon has another black and white photo here http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/RedFunnel...l#anchor647628

But what has kept the ship's fame in posterity is the classic 1959 Peter Sellers movie  "The mouse that roared" (Greek translation, ελληνικη μεταφραση, Το ποντικι που βρυχαται) where *Paladin* is the famed boat with which the small army of the Grand Duchy of Fenwick (20 men to be exact) makes a transatlantic trip, invades New York City and wins the war by capturing nuclear physicist Dr. Kokintz, his daughter, a few NYC policemen, and of course the bomb (!) that looks more like an American football...  The hilarious movie is a 1959 vintage (with all its exciting comments about cold war and the competition of Big Powers).

_Paladin_ and *Queen Elizabeth* are stars of the movie as are some exceptional (mostly) British actors. Peter Sellers (1925-1980) plays three roles, the Duchess Gloriana XII, Count Rupert Mountjoy, the Prime Minister, and Tully Bascomb, the constable and military leader of Grand Fenwick. The American actress Jean Seberg (1938-1979) is Helen Kokintz, the scientist's daughter and Tully's love interest. Her statement "_It's the honest thing to do.  It's the wise thing to do.  It's the American thing to do_" is a classic! David Kossoff (1919-2005) is the scientist, somewhat of a caricature of Albert Einstein, while the Australian actor Leo McKern (1920-2002) is the opposition leader in the government of the Grand Duchy of Fenwick.  So many other great actors play secondary roles, among them an idol of the 1960s generation, William Hartnell (1908-1975), who was the (first) _Doctor_ in the famed long running series _Doctor Who_ (see photo here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fi...tor_colour.jpg); here he plays Will Buckley, the Sargent-at-Arms who saves Tully from all problems. Also Stuart Saunders (1915-1988) who plays the captain of *Queen Elizabeth * and Harold Kasket (1926-2002) who plays the captain of *Paladin.*

Here are now some choice stills....

P1.jpgP2.jpgP3.jpgP5.jpg

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## Nicholas Peppas

More photos of *Paladin* and *Queen Elizabeth* II

P4.jpgP5.jpgE1.jpg

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## Nicholas Peppas

More photos of *Paladin* and *Queen Elizabeth* III

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## Nicholas Peppas

More photos of *Paladin* and *Queen Elizabeth* IV

P6.jpgE9.jpgE7.jpgP8.jpg

And yes, the *Paladin* helped *Queen Elizabeth* on many occasions in Southampton.

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## Nicholas Peppas

But *Paladin* was not only active in Southampton...  In her early years she was in Glasgow. The photo below (http://www.glasgowhistory.com/sailin...%E2%80%9D.html) must be from the 1920s or 1930s.

Paladin.jpg




> Having just left her berth at Yorkhill Quay, the beautiful Anchor Line  steamship T.S.S. Caledonia, escorted by the company tender *Paladin*, is  heading downstream and passing Harland & WolffΆs shipyard in Govan.   This fine ship, the fourth Anchor liner to bear the name, was completed  in 1925 by Alexander Stephen & Sons of Linthouse and served on the  Glasgow to Boston and New York route, calling at Irish ports and  carrying many emigrant passengers.  It is interesting to note that the  liner is not making smoke.  The ship is probably going down river with  the flow of the tide and stern tugs may be restraining her.  She will  pick up speed further down river.  As for the passengers, some will have  boarded at the quayside and others will probably travel to Greenock or  Gourock by train and then board the Paladin which would take them out to  the Caledonia anchored offshore.  The passengersΆ luggage and other  cargo would have been loaded at Yorkhill Quay.  
> ( Photograph courtesy of  the Graham Lappin Collection. )


More *Paladin* photos from a recent auction on Ebay.

Paladin bw.jpgPAladin bw2.jpg

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## Appia_1978

Υπέροχη ιστορία  :Smile: 
Καλό Πάσχα!

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## Nicholas Peppas

> Υπέροχη ιστορία 
> Καλό Πάσχα!


Eυχαριστω! Αντευχομαι. Για μας το Πασχα σε 8 ωρες..

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## Nicholas Peppas

Five more stills from the movie _The mouse that roared_. Again we see the *Paladin* as she returns back to Europe. This time she encounters *Ivernia* (http://www.nautilia.gr/forum/showthr...629#post167629 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Ivernia). *Paladin* attacks *Ivernia's* captain again with ... arrows!

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A magnificent still of the *Paladin*.

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As I said  above many well known actors had cameo appearances in this film. Here (left) one sees the uncredited Philip Bruns (1931-2012) who went on to play a main character in the famed US serial of the 1970s _Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman_...  next to him Jean Seberg and ... the bomb.

IMG_5734.jpg

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