One of the largest paddle steamers afloat in Britain is the H.M.S. Royal Eagle, former peacetime excursion boat which carried passengers on pleasure jaunts from Tower Bridge to Southend, Ramscate and Margate. Commissioned two years ago as a warship of the Royal Navy, the craft has been in action 52 times against enemy aircraft. The Eagle took part in the evacuation from Dunkirk where she was dive-bombed 48 times and brought home nearly 3,000 British troops. Members of the crew cleaning the paddle boxes of H.M.S. Royal Eagle in London on January 18, 1943. (Photo by AP Photo)

Italy's Giada Greggi, Elena Linari and teammates celebrate after qualifying for the Women's Euro 2025, in Bolzano, Italy on July 16, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters)

Revelers enter the cold water during the annual Polar Bear Plunge on New Year's Day, Wednesday, January 1, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andres Kudacki/AP Photo)

Axelle Mollaret of France competes in the Women's Individual race at the ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Championships, in Morgins, Switzerland, 07 March 2025. (Photo by Maxime Schmid/EPA)

Vanessa Low of the ACT competes in the Women's PA Senior Long Jump Final during the 2025 Australian Open and Under 20 Athletics Championships at WA Athletics Stadium on April 10, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Hungary's athlete Anna Toth lies on track after a fall in the women's 100m hurdles semifinal during the European Athletics Championships at the Olympic stadium in Rome on June 8, 2024. (Photo by Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP Photo)

Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren raises his trophy in celebration on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 7, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images)

A person dressed as an astronaut walks past a man stopping traffic on a pedestrian crossing outside the Sydney Exhibition Centre September 13, 2014 where the science-fiction convention called “Oz Comic-Con” is currently being held. The two-day convention showcases “pop culture”, and includes appearances by actors from science-fiction movies and television shows. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)