THE final journey for a famous river ferry was rudely interrupted early yesterday when she had to be towed into Yarmouth harbour for engine repairs.The Shieldsman, which carried more than 10 million passengers during three decades on the River Tyne, is set to start a new life as a trendy floating bar in Portsmouth, but ran into trouble on its journey from South Shields near Norfolk's Scroby Sands.

THE final journey for a famous river ferry was rudely interrupted early yesterday when she had to be towed into Yarmouth harbour for engine repairs.

The Shieldsman, which carried more than 10 million passengers during three decades on the River Tyne, is set to start a new life as a trendy floating bar in Portsmouth, but ran into trouble on its journey from South Shields near Norfolk's Scroby Sands.

Yarmouth Coastguard mobilised Gorleston lifeboat at 1.30am yesterday when one of the ferry's engines failed.

Lifeboat operations manager Neal Duffield said: “We went out initially to escort her into the harbour but because of her slow progress, the coxswain decided to tow her in.”

The new owner of The Shieldsman, who wishes to remain anonymous, had piloted her out of the mouth of the Tyne on Sunday.