The declaration of a state of war on August 4th, 1914 had little immediate effect on the Clyde and the river traffic. The construction of warships had been a feature of the shipyards for the previous six or seven years as Britain built up its fleet of Dreadnought battleships, but for the steamships that served the summer resorts, there was little impact until the following spring. In early February 1915, a number of Clyde steamers were taken by the Government to transport troops across the English Channel. Among them were the large paddle steamers Duchess of Hamilton, Duchess of Montrose, and Glen Sannox, and the turbine steamers, Duchess of Argyll, Queen Alexandra and King Edward. Painted black, they quickly established an important link for the army. The Glen Sannox was found unsuitable and returned to the Clyde, but the turbines in particular had a long and distinguished service...