Southbank Grouping and Tartan Lums

on May 21, 2017

The Caledonian Steam Packet Co. Ltd. had all of its steamships called up for duty in World War I and had to rely on chartered vessels for much of the emergency. As with the other companies that had steamers serving, most of those that had survived the dangerous war time duties returned in dribs and drabs during 1919. Two of the steamers, Duchess of Hamilton and Duchess of Montrose, had been lost while minesweeping during the war. At the beginning of April, Duchess of Fife returned to the Clyde, followed a few days later by Caledonia, damaged badly in a collision with a freighter on the Seine. In the last week of the month, Duchess of Rothesay arrived and a few days later, the turbine Duchess of Argyll, while Marchioness of Breadalbane appeared on the first of May. The remaining unit of the fleet, Marchioness of Lorne, did not return until 1921 and was laid up in Bowling Harbour for a...

Caledonian and Southwestern Advances

on Aug 28, 2016

By 1894, the resurgence of the Glasgow & Southwestern Railway connections had eclipsed the efforts of the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. at Gourock to dominate the Clyde Coast trade. A new station edifice at Princes Pier was nearing completion and the fleet of modern steamers, well designed for the routes that they supported, were quickly supplanting the steamers initially purchased from the Turkish Fleet. That year, Neptune was placed on the popular Arran by way of Rothesay service from Princes Pier, taking over the route from Buchanan’s Isle of Arran. By sailing on the outward leg through the Kyles and returning by Garroch Head, she was in direct opposition to James Williamson’s Ivanhoe. The route also provided a circular tour to Arran where passengers could return by the Glen Sannox to Ardrossan. Neptune in Rothesay Bay (McGregor, Kilmarnock) Early in the year, Captain James...

Early Arran Steamers

on Dec 30, 2015

It was in 1834 that the Castle Company introduced a service from the Ayrshire coast to the Island of Arran. The veteran Inverary Castle sailed to Brodick from Troon where she connected with the horse-drawn railway from Kilmarnock. Ardrossan was included as a call in 1834 and the following year, Ardrossan was the Ayrshire terminus with a connecting coach from Kilmarnock. Although the Inverary Castle was described as extensively improved in both speed and comfort, she had been advertised for sale in the Spring, and was disposed of the following year when M‘Kellar’s Hero appeared on the route. The hull of the Hero was built by William Denny in Dumbarton in 1832 and her machinery was produced by Robert Napier. Duncan M‘Kellar added a larger and more successful vessel, the Victor, in 1836 so that Hero was available for the Arran service. Plan of the Glasgow, Paisley, Ardrossan and Ayr...