KYLES, photographed passing close to Battery Point in June 1967 on a routine trip down the Severn estuary for waste disposal, is a most intriguing and historic ship which had been converted from steam to diesel in 1953 and given the new profile shown in the photograph.

Built in 1872 at Paisley, Scotland, KYLES had a number of roles during her working life. Originally a tender for the Clyde fishing fleet, from 1881 she was used by a succession of owners for general trading. Converted in 1921 into a sand dredger for operation in the Bristol Channel, KYLES was purchased in 1943 by I.P. Langford, a ship repairer at Sharpness, and much rebuilt for coastal work in the Severn and Bristol Channel, for example with carbide from Port Talbot to Gloucester.

In about 1960 KYLES was converted into a tanker to take gas water from the gas works at Gloucester for dumping off Denny Island in the Channel and then, up to the mid 1970's, used to take out a waste product from a local factory that produced food flavourings.

Sold in about 1980 by Langford to the Bude based ship owner Peter Herbert, KYLES was sold in 1984 to the Scottish Maritime Museum who maintain her in excellent condition as a visitor attraction at Irvine.