The SB Cambria is a historically significant Thames sailing barge, now preserved and used for sail training. Built by shipwright William Eberhardt for £1,895, she was constructed as a spritsail barge to serve in coastal trade. Her sister ship, the Hibernia, was lost off Norfolk in 1937. Cambria distinguished herself as the last Thames sailing barge to trade entirely under sail, with her final cargo carried in October 1970—a shipment of cattle cake from Tilbury Dock to Ipswich. Her last skipper was Captain A. W. (Bob) Roberts, known for his vigorous sailing style and speed, with Roberts sailing her for over twenty years and earning a reputation for fast passages and tough sailing. Cambria's design features a spritsail rig, typical of Thames barges, optimized for coastal navigation. She was notably faster than her sister Hibernia, achieving second place in the coasting class at the Thames and Medway matches in 1906. An illustrative event from her active years recounts her arrival in Dover an hour ahead of a steamer, sailing at nine knots and overtaking the vessel in the Channel. After her commercial career, Cambria was sold to the Maritime Trust in 1971, intended for display at St Katharine Docks, but she suffered neglect until her transfer to the Sittingbourne Dolphin Sailing Barge Museum in 1987. In 1996, she was acquired by the Cambria Trust for a symbolic £1. Following a major restoration costing £1.4 million, supported by the National Lottery, she was re-launched in 2011 at Faversham Creek. Since then, Cambria has participated successfully in the Thames sailing barge races, winning the coasting class in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Today, SB Cambria stands as a preserved vessel of maritime heritage, serving as a training platform and a symbol of the Thames sailing barge tradition, with a storied history of speed, resilience, and cultural significance in British coastal navigation.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.