Hearts of Oak
Isles of
Scilly
The Penzance /
Isles of Scilly Mail Packets
West Cornwall
Steamship Company from 1872.
1872-1875 GUIDE -
ON.60110 Chartered vessel
Wooden paddle steam tug.
Built 1869 Henry John Warren for Harvey & Co, Hayle
L 97 .7ft; B 19.8ft; Depth 9ft".
Single cylinder engine by Harvey of Hayle.
Built for the Dartmouth Steam Packet Co.
Between 1872-1875 chartered for service
Penzance-Scilly
to replace the wrecked LITTLE WESTERN;
Sold 1877 to Jackson and Ford of London and Milford.
Sold 1883 to Joseph Lawson of South Shields, tug
owner.
1888 resold to John & David Morris, Pelaw Main
(Registered Newcastle)
Reconstructed and converted to screw by Abbot &
Co of Gateshead.
111grt 61nrt, re-engined
using a 1868 compound engine of 30nhp by Kincaid Donald
& Co, Greenock
and renamed JUBILANT
27 Nov 1897 sailed from Maldon for the Tyne and not subsequently heard of.
MACKEREL
In the early
parts of the season, mackerel were caught near enough for landings to be made every
day or two; but later, when the fish were farther off, nearer the Irish and
French coasts, the takings were borne to St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, there
sold by salesmen from Newlyn, and purchased by buyers also from the home port,
the salesmen and buyers spending the week from Monday to Friday at St. Mary’s.
In succession three ships, the Queen of the Bay, the Lady of the Isles, and
Lyonesse conveyed all the fish to Penzance for despatch to London by rail.
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
1874 – 1885 QUEEN OF THE BAY
Built 1867 by Henderson, Colbourn and Company at
Renfrew
for William Alcock of Morecambe as an excursion paddle steamer.
Passenger capacity :195
Transferred to William Allsup of Preston for use at
Blackpool in 1872.
Purchased by West Cornwall Steamship Co. in 1874.
Re-boilered by Harveys in 1875.
Sold to John Dutton of Cardiff in 1885.
Between 1883 and 1885 she was engaged on a number
of
charters in the Bristol Channel during the summer season.
Propulsion type: Paddle, single diagonal
Owner: W Alcock,
Blackpool Lytham & Southport Steam Packet Co Ltd,
1867 (
Morcambe ); 1872 ( Blackpool )
Owner: West
Cornwall Steamship Co, 1874 - 1885
Owner: John
Dutton, 1885 ( Bristol )
Owner: John T
Hutchins, 1885 ( Cardiff )
Owner: Jessie
Laurie, 1886 ( Ilfracombe )
Owner: Newport
& Bristol Channel Excursion Co Ltd. 1889 ( Cardiff )
Tonnage: Gross 138
Fate : severely damaged by fire on 22 May 1894 on the
River Usk; sold for scrap.
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
1875 – 1904 LADY OF THE ISLES 152 ton steam schooner
Built 1875 by Harvey & Co of Hayle; she had a life of
65 years.
74 tons net; 130 ft 5 ins long; 18ft 5ins wide; 8ft 3 ins
depth
Powered by Gardiner 2 cyl engine.
She assisted in potato and mackerel seasons until 1917
This ship was the first of the Royal Mail steamers
serving the Isles of Scilly,
commencing service shortly after being built in 1875, and
served until 1904.
She went to
the aid of many vessels in distress,
including the
SS Schiller ( position 49-52N 006-25W )
In 1875, the
celebrated steamship 'Schiller', was on passage from New York to Plymouth when
she struck the Retarrier Ledges in dense fog and sank. More than 300
crewmembers and passengers lost their lives. During the First World War, the
Kaiser was so grateful for the courageous rescue attempts made by the islanders
and their care for survivors of the Schiller disaster, that he forbade any
German U-boat to attack the steamers that sailed between Penzance and the Isles
of Scilly.
1st September 1904, she was being taken around
the bay, but struck the Heaver Rock; her skipper took her into Lamorna Cove,
and beached her to stop her from sinking. She was re-floated and repaired and
with new boilers. From 1905 Acted as a cable ship for the Navy, then as the
salvage vessel for the Western Marine Salvage Co of Penzance, until
requisitioned by the Admiralty as an Auxiliary vessel.
Fate : She was under tow of a tug when she hit a mine off
Falmouth & sunk on the 3/10/1940. on October 3, 1940 when she struck a mine
off Killigerran Head. She sank about two miles offshore at a charted position of Lat 50.09.00N Long 04.56.00W in
50-58m of water.
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
1875 AQUILA paddle steamer ( assisted in mackerel season
)
1875 GAEL paddle steamer ( assisted in mackerel season )
AQUILA 264 g.t., iron hull, paddle steamer
180.4ft x 21.4ft x 9.7ft
built 1854 by James Henderson & Sons, Renfrew
for the North of Europe Steam Nav. Co.
17th Apr.1854 first voyage Weymouth - Jersey.
1857 joined her sister ship CYGNUS on the Weymouth &
Channel Islands S.P. Co service.
1860 withdrawn for overhaul and modernisation.
1873 re-boilered and further modernised.
1st July 1889 company taken over by G.W.R and ship sold
to Alfred Tolhurst, Southampton and then passed to Onesimus Dorey and
operated by his Plymouth, Channel Islands and Brittany
S.S. Co.
1895 sold to James Jones & Co, Swansea renamed
ALEXANDRA.
1896 sold to Hastings & St. Leonards SS Co renamed
RUBY.
Used on Hastings - Boulogne excursions.
1897 purchased by W. T. Simonds, Boston, Lincs.
1899 scrapped. [Merchant Fleets, vol.24 by Duncan Haws]
The Aquila was
designed by John Dudgeon for the North of Europe Steam Navigation Company for
a service from Harwich to Antwerp in 1854. The service started late in the year
(September) and was intermittent due to poor passenger receipts and lack
of cargo, closing down some six weeks later. AQUILA was laid up in
the Victoria Dock during 1855-1856 although occasional voyages were made
to Denmark in connection with the building of the railways. AQUILA was
chartered ( originally offered for sale at £9000 each but the Weymouth and
Channel Islands Co. decided to charter them for 18 months at £50 pm.) to
the Weymouth and Channel Islands Company in 1857 and subsequently
purchased by them. After refitting at Lowestoft AQUILA was handed over on
13th April, going to Jersey. AQUILA and CYGNUS were purchased 21 Nov 1857 for
the total agreed price of £14000.
The Great
Western at Weymouth, J H Lucking.
AQUILA
From ‘The
Illustrated London News’, September 30th, 1854
The North of
Europe Steam Navigation Company, encouraged by the success which has attended
their efforts to establish a regular system of communication with the countries
north of the Scheldt, via Hull and Lowestoft, and further stimulated by the
recent extension of the Eastern Counties branch railway to Harwich, determined
on making an attempt to provide equal facilities at that port for the traffic
between London on the one hand, and Antwerp on the other. At present the
greater portion of this traffic is conveyed by steamers, which traverse the
Thames and the Scheldt; the entire journey being performed by water, and
usually occupying from eighteen to twenty hours. By adopting the Harwich route,
the North of Europe Steam Navigation Company proposed to realise the following
results: First, the avoidance of the long and tedious passage up and down the
Thames; second, the increase and development of the local traffic between the
Eastern Counties and Belgium; third, the accomplishment of the journey in
twelve hours, thus effecting a saving in the distance, measured by time, of
some eight or twelve hours and, lastly, the establishment of the new service as
essentially a “day” service.
The first trip
on this service was taken, in the nature of an experiment, on Saturday week
last, the ship selected being the Company’s new steamer the Aquila, from the
building-yard of Henderson, Glasgow and fitted with engines of 120-horse power,
constructed upon the oscillating principle, by McNab, of Greenock. Her length
is 200 feet, breadth of beam one-tenth of her length, or 20 feet, and her
burden about 300 tons. Her engines, for new ones, work with much ease, whilst the
unpleasant vibration we so often experience, even in crack steamers, is
scarcely perceptible. Both out and home she gave the greatest satisfaction to
all on board, and averaged a speed of thirteen knots; in returning, on the
following Tuesday, she passed the buoy at the mouth of the Scheldt at eight
o’clock in the evening, steamed gallantly through a tremendous sea, and arrived
safely at Harwich at half-past two the next morning, accomplishing the distance
from the Scheldt hither in exactly six hours and a half. In this part of the
voyage the sea-going qualities of the Aquila, under the severest stress of
weather, were capitally brought out.
The
conclusions, to which this experimental trip lead us, are these: — For the
purpose of the traffic between London and Antwerp, and certainly all the local
traffic, the Harwich route has no real competitor in any of the other existing
routes; that during the summer months the day service may be conducted with
punctuality both ways, provided the railway arrangements are made compatible
with the demands of the service, and, above all, that the Belgian Government
can be induced to maintain additional lights, and erect a few more landmarks,
in the Scheldt; that, in the existing state of the navigation of that river it
presents insuperable obstacles to the project of ascending it at high water in
the evenings of the short winter days; and that until these difficulties are
removed, the steam-packet company have acted wisely in determining to dispatch
their boat from Harwich, on the arrival of the night mail from London, so as to
reach Antwerp early on the following morning.
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
GAEL
Type: Iron Paddle Steamer
Launch Date: 1867 Breaking Date: 1924
Builder: Robertson & Co. Engineer: Rankin &
Blackmore
Owner: Campbeltown & Glasgow Steam Packet Joint Stock
Co. (1867-1883)
Size: 211.0' x 23.2' x 10.6'
Boiler: 2 Haystack 35 lb: New boiler (1872): New boiler
(1879)
Engine: Oscillating 2 cylinder 45" x 63"
Speed: 16 knots
Description: Two funnels. Flush decked (after deck saloon
added later).
The Gael was built to beat the Herald, which had appeared
on the Glasgow to Campbeltown service. She set a record of 3 hours on her first
voyage and the Herald was withdrawn soon afterwards. The arrival of the Kintyre
led to the Gael being employed on excursions to Campbeltown with waggonette
trips to Machrihanish. She was completely refitted at this time with a saloon
built aft. The old saloon being converted into a dining room. 1884 she was sold
to the Great Western Railway Co. and based at Milford in Wales.
1888 and 1889 the Great Western Railway's PS GAEL was
chartered "for the seasons" by the West Cornwall SSC which ran the
packet service Penzance - Scilly.
She returned to Scotland in 1891, based at Oban under the
ownership of MacBrayne. There she served Gairloch via Mull, Eigg, Mallaig and
Skye until she was broken up in 1924.
References to
the GAEL and the AQUILA in
"The
Victorian Summer of the Clyde Steamers 1864 - 1888
by Alan J. S.
Paterson ISBN 0-85976-550-4
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
1889 LYONESSE Steel Screw Steamer
Built 1889 by Harvey & Co., Hayle
3 cylinder turbine engine by Harveys
329 tons Gross, 52 Net; 170 feet Long; 25 ft 1 ins
breadth; 10 ft 4 ins depth
In service until 1889 - 1918.
1918 Sold Queenstown
1928 Broken up.
Lyonesse.
Scilly packet. Involved in attempted salvage of ship Horsa, 1893.
HORSA. Iron
ship, 1163 tons. Built 1882. Lbd 220 x 34.2 x 21.7 ft.
Left Bluff,
New Zealand on 19 December 1892, for London;
ashore, abandoned,
in the Scilly Islands 4 April 1893.
Towed clear by
the Scilly packet Lyonesse next day and
then set out
for St. Mary's.
When about
twenty kilometres off the islands
the HORSA
rolled over and sank.
Kelly’s Directory of Cornwall 1893 - Water Conveyance.
Scilly Isles—West
Cornwall Steam Ship Co. John Banfield, manager; office, 6 North parade;
steamers leave Scilly in January, February, March & April on Tues. Thurs.
& Sat.; returning from Penzance, Mon. Wed. & Fri; May, June daily;
July, August & September, leave Scilly, Mon. Tues. Thurs. & Fri.;
returning from Penzance, Tues. Wed. Fri. & Sat.; October, November &
December, from Scilly, Mon. & Thurs.; returning, Wed. & Sat
Boskenna Bay, Mounts Bay & Carbis Bay Steam Ships, Francis Banfield &
Sons, managers, 6 North parade
In July, August & September marine excursions from Penzance
to places of interest on the north
& south coast of Cornwall
Little Western Steamship Co. George Bazely & Sons, agents; steamers leave Penzance for
Bristol every Wed. & for Plymouth, Torquay & London every Mon
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
1908 - 1910 MELMORE O.N.99833.
Owned by Earl of Leitrim
412 g.t., 156.2ft x 25.8ft,
Passenger / Cargo ship
Built 1892 by D. J. Dunlop & Co, Port Glasgow
for the Trustees of the late Earl of Leitrim, Glasgow.
An
advertisement of 1892/3 described her
thus
"The
MELMORE takes her name from Melmore Head which is at
the head of
Melmore Bay. She is a great advance on the ROSSGULL
with her yacht
like lines , electricity in all parts of the vessel
and two large dormitory like saloons providing
sleeping
accommodation for twenty five passengers each."
Used initially on the Glasgow - Northern Ireland service.
( Clyde to Mulroy and excursions to Londonderry, Portrush
and Melmore ).
4th May 1905 acquired by Great Western Railway to replace
the perishables ships,
mainly those of James Fisher & Co, Barrow-in-Furness.
13th May Weymouth - Channel Islands cargo service.
Her deck crane was never used and was later removed.
1909 served two routes per week; Channel Islands -
Plymouth or Weymouth - Nantes.
1911 reverted to Weymouth - Channel Islands route but put
up for disposal.
10th Jun 1912 sold to Charles Forbes for use as an
abortive
treasure seeking expedition to Caribbean, Cocos Islands
and then
26th Jun 1912 sold to H. Whitworth, Glasgow.
The Melmore arrived on the British Columbia Coast in
1913,
and was converted for excursion service the next summer,
running day and moonlight excursions ( to the
accompaniment
of a string band ). Her last run was Labour Day 1914.
1914 –1916 MELMORE ( oddly, recorded as being ex
WOLFHOUND ?? )
owned by Union Steamships of British Columbia, Vancouver.
1916 sold to Melmore SS Co, Vancouver; part of the Union
SS Co of British Columbia
1917 sold to German E. Leith, Callao, Peru and renamed
SANTA ELENA.
1936 owned by Peruvian Government - Minister of Marine,
Callao and used as
lighthouse tender, renamed CONDESTABLE CELENDON.
Deleted from Lloyds Register in 1947.
Info from
Duncan Haws
Merchant Fleets, vol.24,
Britain's
Railway Steamers
Register of
Merchant Ships built in 1892 by Starke / Schell.
Echoes of the
Whistle. ISBN 0-88894-286-9 (pages 43
& 69)
Douglas
& McIntyre, Quebec Street,
Vancouver, BC Canada V5T 4S7
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
[ 1910 Railway
Tenders from Plymouth ]
1910 SIR WALTER RALEIGH
Great Western Railway Co Uk
Passenger Tender 1908
Built April 1908 by Cammell Laird & Co, Birkenhead. Vessel Nr V0680
478
tons gross. 169 tons nett.
Steel
twin-screw vessel.
Twin
sets of triple expansion 3-cylinder engines.
Spent
a year at Fishguard first.
151ft
6ins long; 38ft 6ins beam; 14ft 6ins depth; draught 9ft.
Smoking
saloon with refreshment bar,general saloon & a ladies saloon at the rear.
Licensed
for 590 smooth water, 400 outside.
Official
trials at Liverpool on 19/5/1908 and reached 14 knots.
Was
involved in a mail fire while in the Sound on December 20th 1920.
Became
a Naval examination vessel from August 25th 1939.
Became
experimental minelayer towards end of Second War, based at Portsmouth.
Sold
January 1947 to Leigh's Albert Yard & Motor Packet Services of Southampton;
resold
April 1947 to Overseas Towage & Salvage Co
and
then to French owners at Cherbourg who renamed her INGENIEUR REIBELL.
1910 SIR RICHARD GRENVILLE
Passenger Tender 1891 Great
Western Railway Co Uk
Built 1891 by Cammell Laird Brothers of Birkenhead. Vessel Nr V0580
420
tons gross. 103 tons nett.
Iron
twin-screw vessel.
Compound
2-cylinder engine.
Length
132ft. Breadth 30.1ft. Depth 12.6ft.
Used to transport King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra
& party from the Royal Yacht to Millbay Pier
on Monday March 10th 1902.
Captain was Joseph Collins,
who had joined the Great Western Railway in 1874 as
mate on the Sir Francis Drake, been made master of
the "Smeaton" in 1883, and master of the Sir Richard
Grenville in 1891.
Renamed
PENLEE in 1931 on arrival of SIR RICHARD GRENVILLE (2).
Sold
October 1931 to Dover Harbour Board and renamed LADY SAVILE
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
1910 DEERHOUND 15knots, purchased 1910; but costs rose
and was sold to Canada, and renamed LADY EVELYN as mail
packet
Built 1901 Tranmere, Great Britain.
Tons 483
The Howe Sound Navigation Co. brought the screw
steamer Lady Evelyn a former Canadian mail packet on
the St. Lawrence, to Vancouver in 1921 for operation with
Brittania.
LADY EVELYN of 582 tons, 189 x 26.1 x 9.5
Served out of
Vancouver 1923 -1936 and scrapped.
Gordon Newell,
Maritime Events of 1921-1922,
H.W. McCurdy
Maritime History of the Pacific Northwest. p. 323.
She was also
involved in rescue of survivors of the
Empress of
Ireland in 1914.
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
1913 GOLDEN LIGHT
120 tons gross
Built WS Martyn, Truro 1864
3 masted schooner; owner Capt Thomas Donald, Feock
1866 Owner William Calf, Penzance altered to two masts.
Purchased by the West Cornwall steamship Company to bring
coals from
South Wales, also to carry Packet Mails
1917 Sold to Cardiff owners
7th Feb 1918 sank in Bristol Channel
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
1917 PRINCESS LOUISE ON 95050
974 GRT Steel screw steamer
226.0ft L, 32.1ft B, 14,1ft D.
Built 1888 by D & W Henderson, Meadowside, Glasgow.
Launched 15th March 1888 , as Yard No 333, Delivered 25th April 1888.
Port of Registry : Glasgow.
Triple expansion steam engine and one single ended boiler operating at
160lbs/sqin pressure supplied by the builders.
One deck, five bulkheads, well deck
Owners : M.Langlands & Sons, 5 Rumford Place , Liverpool and 123 Hope
Street,
Glasgow. They operated a "Round Britain" coastal service, including
Bristol Channel
and Plymouth.
1888 Employed on Glasgow/Bristol service
1901 Transferred to Glasgow/Liverpool service
1904 New engines, boiler and donkey boiler supplied and fitted by
Clyde
Shipbuilding & Engineering Co.Ltd., Port Glasgow. Electricity installed.
1917 Assisted in mackerel season Isles of Scilly
1919 renamed CLYDE COAST . Company taken over by Coast Lines Ltd.
Retained on Glasgow /Liverpool service.
1923 renamed SETTER Burns Laird & Co.
1925 renamed CLYDE COAST. Coast Lines Ltd.
1925 renamed MACROOM City of Cork Steam Ship Co., Ltd
1929 Sold for breakup
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
1917 RAMBLING ROSE Naval Drifter
Nancy Haig - Trawler 299 Tons - built 1911 Smith's Dock
Middlesbrough -
owned by New Docks ST Co Fleetwood. 1 x 6 pdr - hired by RN 1916-19 as
minesweeper. Admiralty No. 1360 - Port Reg FD.133. Returned to owner and
again requisitioned by RN april 1940 and employed as a Boom Defence Vessel.
Purchased November 1943. Port No. Z.166. Laid up June 1946 and later sold.
1917 NANCY HAIG Naval Drifter
Rambling Rose - Hired Drifter 59 Tons - built 1909 -
hired by RN 1915-19.
Admiralty No.1142 - Port Reg. YH.553. Under armament Dittmar & Colledge
have
noted "Net", It is assumed that this refers to the use of nets to
entangle submarines.
Auxiliary Patrol in Area XIV out of Falmouth. The parent ship
was
the Dreel Castle, a drifter of 97 Tons built in 1908; Admiralty No.2251 - Port
Reg. KY.71.
Sources: Royal Navy Trawlers Part 2 Requisitioned Trawlers (Toghill)
British Warships 1914-1919 (Dittmar & Colledge)
Ships of the Royal Navy An Historical Index Volume 2: Navy Built Trawlers,
Drifters, Tugs and Requisitioned Ships (Colledge)
~~~~~~~~o~o~~~~~~~~~
During the
Great War, there were also ….
SS VICTOR, from Falmouth, date unknown.
Steam tug built by Pool, Skinner & Williams of
Falmouth, engines by Cox and
Co. Owned by the Thomas family. A regular summer excursion vessel.
1917-1919 Admiralty service as ICTOR.
1926 sold away to Swansea
1934 Jennet Dewsbury, Swansea
1939 George Dewsbury, Swansea
1946 William & Ira Guy and Frederick Thomas, Cardiff
1949 J Davies Towage & Salvage Ltd, Cardiff
Broken up c1954/5.
SS TRITON, from Falmouth, details and date unknown.
Tug HERCULES, details and date unknown.
The ARTIFICER Coastal ship, details and date unknown.
The RATAPIKO, FY 1878, date unknown.
Royal Navy HMS Ratapiko MS Trawler
Built in 1912.
Displacement: 247 tons.
Length 164 feet
Max speed 12 knots
Engines Reciprocating engine, 1 shaft
Power 850
List
mainly compiled from one made
by
my great grandfather Archibald Thompson
and
continued ( up to the first Scillonian )
by
my grandfather Francis Orlando Thompson
of
St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly
My
Thanks for
The
kind help of the Captain and Crew of the ship, Mariners-L;
Thanks
too for material and help from
Chris
Marrow ( of the Syllingar )
and
Mike Tedstone
for
his kind permission to use his article
“The
Ship with Five Lives”
as
well as The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company,
Roger
Banfield and the Isles of Scilly Museum
Other
material from
West
Country Passenger Steamers by Grahame Farr
Raymond
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