The Princess Alice is a large ocean liner who docks at Bigg City Port.
Biography[]
TUGS[]
Once, when a regatta parade was being held on the 4th of July, the Princess Alice had an announcer onboard who served as the commentator.
Sometime later, she returned to Bigg City Port and the Star Fleet had to bring her in and dock her. However, they were finding it extremely difficult due to the high winds. The Princess Alice's rudder was also damaged, preventing her from assisting in the operation.
At first, they began to gain control of the large liner, but quickly began to lose her. They desperately needed the aid of another tug. Reluctantly, Zebedee assisted with bringing the Princess Alice under control again, much to Zorran's shock and disgust.
Appearances[]
Episodes[]
- Sunshine (stock footage (TV version only) (does not speak))
- Regatta (does not speak)
- High Winds (does not speak)
Salty's Lighthouse[]
- Too Young to be Included (unnamed)
- Taking Off (cameo)
- Salty Come Lately (cameo)
- Backwards Day (cameo)
- Blankety Blank
- Farley Frog (cameo)
- Big Birthday Bash (cameo)
- No Strings Attached (cameo)
Basis[]
The Princess Alice is based off of a real life S.S. Princess Alice that was a part of a class of German passenger ships Barbarossa-class, built by AG Vulcan Stetin company for North German Lloyd line. One of the liners from the class shared the same name as its counterpart in TUGS - Princess Alice (formerly Kiautschou). In April 1917, the ship was seized from Germany by the United States and was renamed U.S.S. Princess Matoika (ID 2290).
Behind the Scenes[]
After production ended, the Princess Alice's model was carried over to the set of TUGS' sister show, Thomas & Friends. She first appeared in Series 3, retaining her S.S. Vienna guise for a short while.
After the third series, the Princess Alice was renamed to "S.S. Roxstar" and was given a brand-new livery. Her hull was repainted into a solid black without her white and red stripes, while her smokestacks were painted black and white. In this new livery, her superstructure remained white.
When Thomas & Friends was converted from traditional models to CGI animation in 2009, the Princess Alice made her debut in this new style, still under the name "S.S. Roxstar."
After the use of models ceased in 2008, the Princess Alice's model went into permanent storage. The model would see the light of day again a mere ten years later when it was brought out by HiT Entertainment/Mattel Creations and loaned to the The Star Tugs Company for their exhibition at the Midland Railway in Butterley, Derbyshire, UK for display alongside other character models and props used in TUGS.
Despite the model being used as various ocean liner characters in TUGS, it remains in its "S.S Roxstar" guise from Thomas & Friends.
Livery[]
The Princess Alice has a black hull with red and white lining at the bottom and a white stripe at the top. Her superstructure is white and she also sports two black and red funnels.
Trivia[]
- Her top speed is 30 knots.
- Princess Alice's model was on loan to the Star Tugs Trust until 2019, in the form of "S.S. Roxstar."
- In an interview with Jeremy King conducted by Sodor Island Fansite (SiF), King recounted a number of facts regarding the Princess Alice's model:
- The model was described as very light, as it was made from plywood.
- The model is said to be around 4 feet long. However, this may be incorrect as when it is seen in its S.S. Vienna guise alongside Hercules in Bigg Freeze, it appears to be almost 3-4 times Hercules' length. This would make her model around 12 feet long.
- A model-maker from Germany built her and brought her over by vehicle.
- The Princess Alice is never heard speaking, as a male crew member speaks for her instead with a megaphone.
- Princess Alice, the Duchess, and S.S. Vienna share the same model.
- Princess Alice and the Duchess share the same hull and smokestack colouration. While Princess Alice's front superstructure differs in design to the other two liners.
- The three ocean liners share the same horn sound: