Lytham Shipbuilding & Engineering Co.

UK Est. 1891

The small Lancashire yard that built what would become the most famous movie boat in history. The African Queen (originally named SL/LL Livingstone) was one of many small steam launches built for service in British East Africa. The yard built workboats, not legends — the fame came later.

Heritage

Lytham built practical vessels for the British Empire's remote outposts. Steam launches like the African Queen were the pickup trucks of colonial Africa — small, reliable, and capable of operating far from any support infrastructure.

Vessels (1)

African Queen

African Queen

The African Queen is a 30-foot steam launch built in 1912 by a British shipyard for the British East Africa Company. She spent decades hauling cargo and passengers on Lake Albert and the Victoria Nile in Uganda. Then John Huston needed a boat for his 1951 film. The African Queen became one of the most recognizable vessels in cinema — Humphrey Bogart won his only Academy Award pulling leeches off his legs on its deck. Katherine Hepburn poured his gin overboard. The boat survived the film, decades of neglect, and multiple restorations. She's currently in Key Largo, Florida, operating as a tourist excursion boat. You can ride on the same vessel that Bogart steered through the papyrus.

1912-present · workboat