The Teetotal Steamer—Ivanhoe

on Apr 5, 2015

Drunkenness and unruly behaviour on the river steamers of the Clyde were problems that “respectable” working class folk had to deal with in the period leading up to 1880. In that year, a syndicate was formed by Mr. Alexander Allan of the Allan Line, Mr. George Smith and Captain James Brown, both of the City Line, Mr. Robert Shankland, of Greenock and Captain James Williamson to obtain and run a steamboat run on temperance principles. Captain James Williamson, one of three sons of Captain Alexander Williamson of the “Turkish Fleet” was to manage the company and was to command the new steamer Ivanhoe for nine seasons until he assumed management of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company. Drinking on a river steamer—frowned upon! The new steamer was to sail on one of the most attractive excursions from Helensburgh to Whiting Bay on the Island of Arran by way of Rothesay and the Kyles of Bute,...

Killarney—Langlands Cruises

on Mar 28, 2015

The venerable company of Langlands had its founding in the early days of coastal steam navigation when, in 1836, Mr. Matthew Langlands became the Glasgow agent for the Glasgow & Liverpool Royal Steam Packet Company. The company had an extensive interest in coastal trade around the shores of Britain and also briefly participated farther afield in the trans-Atlantic trade. As M. Langlands and Sons Ltd., they provided a regular service between Liverpool and Glasgow and in addition ran a series of cruises to the Clyde and West of Scotland with a number of well-appointed screw steamers.  The black funnel with two white bands and black between was well known on the Clyde. Princess Royal on the Clyde The first to be illustrated is the Princess Royal, the fifth of the name for the company. Built in 1876 by the London & Glasgow Engineering and Shipbuilding yard in Govan, she was...

The Loss of the Janet McNicol

on Mar 22, 2015

The Janet McNicol was an Ardrossan registered wooden smack owned by Mr Alexander McNicol of Brodick, Arran. She had been carvel built by Messrs J. & H. Halliday at Rothesay in 1875 and was 42.5 feet in length, 14.8 feet in breadth and had a depth of hold of 6.4 feet, giving her a gross tonnage of 23.15 tons and registered tonnage of 19.49 tons. Janet McNicol at Lamlash Quay around 1900 On 8th October 1907 at Irvine, the Janet McNicol, loaded a cargo of bricks for Brodick and sailed at 10:00 a.m., under the command of Mr. John B. McNicol, son of the owner. The crew consisting of Neil Stewart, mate, and Alexander Russel, deck hand. The Janet McNicol sailed over to Lamlash Bay where she anchored near the north-west end of Holy Isle, about three hundred yards from the shore. It was a safe anchorage, almost opposite a farm-house and the farmer, Mr. John McIntyre noted that the master...

Lord of the Isles—1877

on Mar 15, 2015

Lord of the Isles in her first season off Inveraray (George Washington Wilson) In the middle of the 1870s, the ducal seat of Inveraray was poorly served by steamboats. David Hutcheson provided the flagship Iona on the important tourist link with Tarbert and Ardrishaig, but the upper part of Lochfyne was relegated to the slow Inveraray Castle and Mary Jane which were mainly concerned with goods traffic and spent a whole day on the one way journey, returning the next, reminiscent of the 1840s. Indeed both steamers on the route had been built in that decade. Inveraray around 1865 In 1875, the Mary Jane was withdrawn and converted into the Glencoe for use as a tourist steamer on the west coast, leaving the Inveraray Castle to provide three sailings a week to Inveraray. Inveraray Castle (Robertson Gourock) The fastest route to Inveraray involved sailing to Lochgoilhead and then traveling by...

Millport

on Feb 28, 2015

The island town of Millport commands a sheltered bay on the Island of Great Cumbrae off the Ayrshire coast.  In the eighteenth century, the bay provided an anchorage for the revenue cutter and the town developed some importance.  The coming of the steamboat provided a more ‘genteel’ location for the summer visitor than Largs, Dunoon or Rothesay and the town has maintained this position of understated popularity to this day. In Lumsden’s Steamboat Companion of 1820, the entry barely mentions Millport.  “On the West side of the large Cumbray, is the village of Millport, the annual retreat of bathers; and opposite to it, the small Cumbray. Both these islands are remarkable for remains of antiquity; for some singular formation and arrangement of rocks; and for various excavations of curious and grotesque appearance. On the smaller island is a lighthouse of...

Columba

on Feb 27, 2015

  In her day, the Columba was a magnificent vessel and is perhaps the best known of the steamers that ever sailed on the Clyde. Launched from the yard of J. & G. Thomson at Clydebank on April 11th, 1878, she was over 301 feet long by 27 feet broad and 9 feet in depth, dimensions that were not exceeded for a century. She had a simple oscillating two-cylinder engine served by four boilers that propelled her at 18 knots on her daily schedule from the Broomielaw to Ardrishaig and back. While her engine room was rather old fashioned, in every other way, Columba reached the forefront of convention. Her saloons, fore and aft, were the full width of the hull providing excellent accommodation for her passengers, and her passengers ranged from the simple highlander to the elite of British society making its way to the shooting and fishing estates on the West Coast, to foreign tourists...

Clyde Steamers in World War 1

on Feb 14, 2015

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...

Alliance

on Feb 9, 2015

In 1861, the Glasgow Publisher, John Cameron, produced a five-part serialization of Hugh Macdonald’s “Days at the Coast.” The parts were entitled “The Frith of Clyde, Descriptive Sketches of its Watering Places, Scenery, and Associations” and were illustrated with a number of engravings not found in earlier or indeed subsequent editions. One of the engravings illustrates an odd-looking craft sailing down the Gareloch off the village of Row, unmistakable because of its church spire. The odd looking craft is undoubtedly the Alliance, and a she was a complete departure from the sleek, fast greyhounds that comprised the usual craft on the Clyde. The origins of the Alliance come from the jaundiced eyes of some who had discovered the luxurious amenities available in many of the steamboats that sailed on the rivers of America. The idea of offering such craft on the Clyde dates to 1854 when...

Excursions

on Jan 20, 2015

The rapid extension of the railway network in the late 1840s and early 1850s brought forth the works excursion. For the first time it was possible for an employer to close a works for the day and for the operators, en masse, to board a train and steamer connection for a few hours respite from the daily toil. Refreshed by sea breezes and healthy fare, the workers returned with feelings of gratitude to provide another year of service to the generous employer. Dalmonach Works in 1851 Such was the situation in the Vale of Leven where the railway connection between Balloch and Bowling on the Clyde opened in 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace. The Dalmonach Works of James Black & Co. had created a stir at the Exhibition and their order book was full. They began to organize an annual trip, making use of the railway. The annual trip in 1853 was on Saturday August...

Motor Yachts on the Clyde

on Jan 10, 2015

In the 1860s, a boat yard was built at the mouth of the burn at Rosneath on the Gareloch by Archibald McKellar. In May 1909, the yard was purchased by James Silver, a local man who had served his apprenticeship in the yard, and a yacht designer, John McCallum, and they set about building yachts of high quality. The business failed in 1914 and was taken over by Ferguson and Thompson, Ltd., of Glasgow who retained James Silver as manager and continued the business under the name of James A. Silver, Ltd. A new designer, John Bain, arrived at the yard and became the yard manager when James Silver left in 1916. The firm developed a reputation for the production of high quality motor yachts at Rosneath in the 1920s and 1930s. Their designs and their methods are well documented in the publication “Motor Yacht Building” by John Bain that was published in the late 1930s. The firm closed its...