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 woman walks protecting herself from rain after Hurricane Matthew in Les Anglais, Haiti, October 13, 2016. (Photo by Andres Martinez Casares/Reuters)

Abby Dow (L) of England scores a try during the Women's Rugby World Cup Semi Final match between Canada and England at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, 05 November 2022. (Photo by Aaron Gillions/EPA/EFE)

Cats dressed as characters from the film Frozen wait to be judged during the costume contest at the New England Meow Outfit's 10th Annual Allbreed and Household Pet Cat Show in Natick, Massachusetts, on August 27, 2023. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP Photo)

An Afghan evacuee plays at a holding centre run by the Italian Red Cross, where she carries out a quarantine with others, in Avezzano, Italy, August 30, 2021. (Photo by Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

Burning candles illuminate graves as a Bangladeshi man observes a contemplative moment on All Souls' Day at the Dhaka Christian Cemetery at Wari in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 02 November 2021. People on All Saints Day and All Souls Day pay respect to deceased relatives and loved ones by placing flowers on their tombs or maintaining their graves and lighting candles. (Photo by Monirul Alam/EPA/EFE)

An octopus is filmed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Okeanos Explorer and its robotic sub. (Photo by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

A woman places her fingers into the crucifix-shaped holes in one of the ancient columns in the Church of the Nativity on December 22, 2011 in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)