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)

A greyhound dog dressed up in a festive costume on Buchanan Street in Glasgow on December 24, 2023. (Photo by Michael McGurk/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

People try to get a roast chicken at the first Costco outlet in China, on the stores opening day in Shanghai on August 27, 2019. China has proved a brutal battleground for overseas food retailers in recent years, with many failing to understand consumer habits and tastes as well as local competitors building a stronger presence. (Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP Photo)

Chris “Birdman” Andersen poses for Getty Images photographer Mike Ehrmann during the Miami Heat's Media Day at AmericanAirlines Arena, on September 30, 2013. (Photo by Gary Coronado/The Palm Beach Post)

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Luxury buildings are reflected in front of houses at a lake dwelling also known as or palafitte or “Palafito” in Recife, Brazil, March 1, 2016. Zika has spread most rapidly in the urban squalor of Brazil's northeastern coastal cities like Recife. (Photo by Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

People out in Aberystwyth on “Booze Black Friday” or “Mad Friday” in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK on December 16, 2016. The “Booze Black Friday” is the last working Friday before Christmas when workers celebrate with their colleagues. Alcohol sales in pubs, clubs and off-licences rise dramatically on this day. (Photo by Keith Morris/Alamy Live News)

Boy says hello to a swimming bear in Seattle, Washington on October 4, 2022. Fall weather brings out the Animals' playful side as Attendees celebrate World Animal Day with a visit to Woodlawn Park Zoo. (Photo by Shane Srogi/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A picture taken on October 17, 2017 shows Madame Tussauds museum's wax figure of US President displayed along the East Side Gallery section of the Wall in Berlin during a photo session. The wax figure will be displayed at Madame Tussauds museum in Berlin from October 20, 2017. (Photo by Jens Kalaene/AFP Photo/DPA)