When the experimental turbine-powered steamship Turbinia created a sensation when she sped between the lines of warships at the Spithead Naval Review in June 1897. As a means of propulsion, the turbine had arrived and the initial commercialization fell to a syndicate composed of the Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company of Wallasey-on-Tyne, who supplied the turbines, William Denny and Brothers, who built the hull and boilers and finished the ship, and Captain John Williamson who had a need for a speedy craft for the service he provided to the distant Campbeltown in connection with the Glasgow and Southwestern Railway.
King Edward on trials (Adamson)
King Edward Dining Room (Turbine Steamers)
King Edward Social Hall Lounge (Turbine Steamers)
The King Edward was launched at Dumbarton on May 16, 1901, by Mrs, Parsons, wife of Hon. Charles A. Parsons. She was 250 ft long and 30 ft in breadth, a hull that was almost a duplicate of the hull of the successful Duchess of Hamilton from a decade earlier.
King Edward Machinery (Turbine Steamers)
But it was the propulsion that was revolutionary. With a boiler pressure of 150 psi, three turbines were used; a high-pressure turbine driving a central propeller shaft exhausted into two low-pressure turbines driving port and starboard wing-shafts that initially mounted two propellers each. The reversing mechanism fed only the outer two wing-shafts and throughout her life was never particularly satisfactory.
The original propeller arrangement of King Edward (Denny)
On trials over the latter part of June, different configurations of the propellers were tried to minimize the problems of cavitation, and she attained a mean speed of 20.5 knots.
King Edward on her maiden voyage (Denny)
King Edward (Davidson)
King Edward (Robertson)
On board King Edward at Dunoon in 1901
Advert from Glasgow Herald, August 2, 1901
King Edward in Campbeltown Loch (Valentine)
King Edward at Campbeltown (Ritchie)
King Edward entered service in July on the Campbeltown route that had been popularized by Strathmore. The smooth sailing with the absence of the pulsations resulting from the movements of the cylinders of the paddle propulsion made her immediately popular. Her route was from Princes Pier at 8:40 a.m. to Dunoon, Rothesay, Fairlie, at 10:20 a.m., Lochranza and Campbeltown where she was timed to arrive at 12:20 p.m. There was time ashore in the town, or an excursion by coach to the Shores of the Atlantic at Machrihanish was possible. The return was at 3:00 p.m. allowing passengers to arrive in Glasgow at 6:20 p.m. by the train connection at Fairlie.
Machrihanish Coach (Turbine Steamers)
Such was the interest in the new turbine steamer that evening excursions with music on board were organized in connection at Greenock with trains from St Enoch. Another excursion that was offered was a connection at Lochranza by coach from Brodick for passengers by the Arran by the Kyles service of the Glasgow and Southwestern Railway steamers.
Advert from Glasgow Herald, August 2, 1901
Evening Cruise on King Edward (Art)
The success of the King Edward led Turbine Steamers Ltd. to order a new vessel for the following season. Queen Alexandra was an improved version and was launched from the Dumbarton yard on April 8, 1902 by Miss Dorothy Leyland, daughter of a director of the Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Co. Ltd. Queen Alexandra was 20 ft longer than King Edward and 2 ft broader in the beam and on her trials in May, was a full knot faster.
Queen Alexandra when new in 1902
Queen Alexandra (Robertson)
Queen Alexandra in the gloaming on an evening cruise approaching Dunoon in 1902
Control platform of Queen Alexandra
Queen Alexandra turbines and condenser
For the 1902 season, Queen Alexandra was placed on the Campbeltown station although both steamers called at the Kintyre port that year. The new steamer was popular for excursions and on such occasions King Edward and Williamson’s Strathmore would take up the service runs.
Turbine steamers Queen Alexandra and King Edward with Strathmore at Rothesay
For a time, the outward sailing to Campbeltown was by Pladda and the south of Arran, returning by way of the Sound of Kilbrannan with calls at Pirnmill and Lochranza. Complaints from passengers about the lack of a view forward on the shelter deck of Queen Alexandra led to her bridge being raised by several feet.
Queen Alexandra with her bridge raised (Robertson)
Queen Alexandra in Campbeltown Loch
Queen Alexandra at Princes Pier taken from Columba
Queen Alexandra at Campbeltown
Queen Alexandra at Campbeltown
Boarding Queen Alexandra at Campbeltown
Queen Alexandra at Lochranza (Valentine)
Passengers from Rothesay caught the Caledonian connection to Wemyss Bay where an additional call was made. The Wemyss Bay call also allowed a direct connection for excursionists from Edinburgh. Gourock was added as a call the following year and sailings by the south of Arran were dropped in favor of connections at Lochranza. The ferry calls at Prinmill and Machrie also featured in different seasons.
Despite the caption, Queen Alexandra leaving Fairlie
Queen Alexandra approaching Lochranza (Stengel)
Queen Alexandra at Lochranza
Queen Alexandra at Pirnmill ferry
Queen Alexandra at Campbeltown
Like King Edward, Queen Alexandra also offered evening cruises when she returned to Greenock.
Queen Alexandra setting off on an evening cruise (Davidson)
King Edward pioneered a new route in 1902 from Greenock, Dunoon, Wemyss Bay, Fairlie and then by Garroch Head to Loch Fyne where she called at Tarbert and Ardrishaig.
King Edward at Wemyss Bay (Stengel)
King Edward at Tarbert (Stengel)
King Edward approaching Ardrishaig (Stengel)
King Edward at Ardrishaig (Stengel)
King Edward at Ardrishaig (Washington Wilson)
The return journey was through the Kyles of Bute. This put her in direct competition with MacBrayne’s Columba. However, the Tarbert connection was dropped after the 1902 season and the MacBrayne favourite held her own against the new opposition. Through bookings to Islay and Oban on the MacBrayne connections were not possible for passengers by the turbine steamer.
King Edward at Ardrishaig (Valentine)
Columba arriving at Ardrishaig with King Edward at the preferred inner berth
Towards the end of the 1902 season a new company, Turbine Steamers Ltd., was set up to run the two turbine steamers. Managed by John Williamson, it proved to be a most successful operation.
Advertising postcard for Turbine Steamers Ltd.
Advertising postcard for Turbine Steamers Ltd.
With the Tarbert call dropped in 1903, King Edward extended her sailing to Inveraray with calls at Strachur and Crarae, now in direct competition with Lord of the Isles. The extension to Inveraray allowed coach connections to Oban and a number of short excursions for the time ashore.
King Edward returning to Inveraray Pier to commence her return to Greenock
King Edward at Dunoon
King Edward at Rothesay (Ritchie)
King Edward approaching Inveraray
King Edward at Strachur
By 1905, she was also sailing through the Kyles of Bute rather than by Garroch Head on both the outward and inward legs of the service and the competition had a serious impact on the Glasgow and Inverary Steam Packet Co. steamer which could not compete for speed. When the Ardrishaig call was dropped in 1908, the demise of the Lord of the Isles was inevitable and she was taken over by Turbine Steamers Ltd., to run excursions from Glasgow round Bute in 1912.
At Inveraray King Edward had to vacate the pier to allow the Lord of the Isles to berth. During that time King Edward offered a short cruise to the head of Loch Fyne.
Changes were made to King Edward in 1906 with a new set of propellers and the relocation of her boats aft on a new shelter deck that year.
The Race for Inveraray
Lord of the Isles leads King Edward from Rothesay and up the Kyles
Lord of the Isles and King Edward leaving Rothesay in Unison
King Edward at Tignabruaich (Spencer)
King Edward at Inveraray with Lord of the Isles lying off
Lord of the Isles has a turn at Inveraray while King Edward heads to the head of Loch Fyne on a brief excursion (Tuck)
King Edward at Inveraray with the St Catherines ferry Fairy
King Edward about to leave Inveraray on the return to Greenock
King Edward returning through the Kyles (Spencer)
For Queen Alexandra on the Campbeltown service in 1906, the narrow-gauge Campbeltown and Machrihanish Railway opened for passenger service, and greatly increased the capacity for the trip to the “Shores of the Atlantic”. Excursion passengers had just over half-an-hour at Machrihanish before they had to catch the connection for the return sailing. Those with more time on their hands could complete a round of golf at the links course.
Queen Alexandra leaving Greenock
Campbeltown and Machrihanish Railway train leaving Campbeltown with Queen Alexandra at the pier (Rogers, Campbeltown)
Campbeltown and Machrihanish Railway train leaving the Limekilns cutting (Rogers, Campbeltown)
Campbeltown and Machrihanish Railway train at Machrihanish
In the off season, the turbine steamers were laid up in James Watt Dock in Greenock.
Queen Alexandra and King Edward in James Watt Dock (Stengel)
On September 11, 1911, Queen Alexandra caught fire when she was berthed for the night in Albert Harbour Greenock. She was damaged but not seriously, and ongoing negotiations to sell the steamer to the Canadian Pacific Railroad were carried forward. In due course she was repaired and readied to sail across the Atlantic and round the tip of South America to take up a new career as Princess Patricia, sailing from Vancouver to Victoria in British Columbia.
Princess Patricia at Vancouver
The new Queen Alexandra (Robertson)
A replacement turbine steamer, a second Queen Alexandra, was quickly ordered by Turbine Steamers Ltd. She was launched at Dumbarton in May, 1912, and incorporated some improvements on her predecessor, including a bow rudder and more reversing power. She was ready to enter service on May 23, sailing on the Campbeltown route.
The new Queen Alexandra at Wemyss Bay
The new Queen Alexandra leaving Fairlie
Lochranza
Pirnmill ferry
Campbeltown
Lochranza on the return
Machrie Bay ferry
Evening sailing
The sinking of the Titanic meant that additional life-saving equipment was required for King Edward. Boats were added aft on the promenade deck. The new Queen Alexandra was completed with an additional lifeboat that made her easily recognizable from her predecessor. In addition, her bridge was set back a few feet from the fore-end of the shelter deck.
King Edward with her added lifeboats (Robertson)
King Edward at Crarae
The new Queen Alexandra and King Edward continued sailing to Campbeltown and Inveraray respectively until both were called up for war service in February 1915.