Queen Boadicea II was constructed as a sturdy passenger boat featuring a 65-foot all-steel hull. The vessel was well-suited for operations such as the Dunkirk evacuation, provided that weather and sea conditions remained calm. With a draft of 3 feet, she was ideal for navigating the River Thames, where her working life began in 1936 under the ownership of Mrs. C.M. Smith. During this period, she operated passenger services between Westminster and Greenwich.

Despite her suitability for river service, the vessel’s shallow draft was less advantageous for crossing the English Channel during adverse weather. On Friday, 31 May 1940, under the command of Lieutenant J.S. Seal, RNR, Queen Boadicea II avoided the beaches due to a fresh on-shore breeze and proceeded directly to Dunkirk harbour. Upon arrival, the vessel encountered heavy shelling and enemy air attacks. At Dunkirk pier, the motor boat Janice was destroyed by a direct bomb hit, resulting in the deaths of her skipper, Sub-Lieutenant Bell, RNVR, and a stoker rating. Queen Boadicea II rescued three crew members who had been thrown into the water as Janice sank.

Following this event, Lieutenant Seal was unable to maintain a log of the vessel’s activities. However, in the 1980s, a holidaymaker recounted caring for thirteen soldiers who had returned from Dunkirk aboard Queen Boadicea II.

After World War II, the vessel was acquired by George Wheeler Launches to operate passenger services on the Thames, running from Greenwich to Westminster and extending upriver to Kew and Richmond. Subsequent ownership passed to Dart Pleasure Cruises in Dartmouth, Devon. Eventually, Queen Boadicea II was sold to Tamar Cruising, who employed her as a ferry service in Plymouth.

In 1988, Queen Boadicea II gained public attention when she transported travel writer Alison Payne and her one-ton shire horse, Mighty, from Admiral's Hard, Plymouth, to Cremyll, Mount Edgecombe, Cornwall. This journey was part of a fundraising effort for charity.

Queen Boadicea II continues to carry passengers and is currently based at The National Waterways Museum, located at Llanthony Warehouse, The Docks, Gloucester, GL1 2EH.