on a cruise to mark the 73rd Anniversary of The Zeebrugge Raid of 1918. On 16 August 1991, it was placed in the hands of shipbrokers SC Chambers Limited of Liverpool for an asking price of £100,000. In November 1991, it was sold to a consortium for conversion into a floating nightclub, restaurant and conference centre, based in Liverpool under the name of 'Mr Smith's Nightclub'. It was delivered to the Stanley Dock complex in early 1992 to begin a new life on Merseyside and was subsequently painted Bright Blue with a red band around the top deck windows. Leaving of Liverpool On Saturday, 7 August 1993, the Liverpool Echo carried front page news that Royal Iris had been sold to Hertfordshire-based Parkway Leisure who had the intention of turning it into a floating nightspot in Cardiff, spending £300,000 on refurbishments. On Wednesday 10 August 1993, the Royal Iris was removed from Stanley Dock. In a two-hour operation it broke free from the tow line and smashed into the dock wall twice. Royal Iris finally left the River Mersey for the last time, under tow, on the morning of Thursday 12 August 1993, after being towed to the Pier Head for a final goodbye. On Wednesday 10 August 1994, it was reported that Cardiff Council had rejected a planning proposal for the use of the vessel. No work had been carried out on the vessel in the preceding 12 months and berthing charges had not been paid. A spokesman for the new owners, Parkway Leisure, reported that they were 'open to offers'. In January 1996, it was reported that a business consortium from Liverpool was in talks to bring Royal Iris back to the Mersey and make her seaworthy again. The consortium was considering applying for National Lottery funding and launching a £1-a-head public subscription fundraising campaign. This venture ultimately did not come to fruition. The move to London In 2002 the vessel was towed to a berth on the River Thames near Woolwich, awaiting a possible refit as a floating nightclub. On Saturday, 6 February 2010, it was reported that Police and the RNLI had been called out to the berth on the River Thames, near Woolwich, after a passing vessel noticed it had taken on water up to the passenger deck. At the present time, it is unclear how long it had been in this state. There was