Corrie Ferry

on Dec 21, 2022

A few miles north of Brodick on the Island of Arran is the village of Corrie. Strung out along the rocky coast with no natural bay but there are natural inlets where at one point a jetty and at another, a quay, provide some shelter for fishing boats and trading craft. For many years there was a trade in lime from mines in the vicinity. The village is particularly picturesque and early attracted visitors as the most direct route for ascending Goat Fell, the tallest peak in the Arran mountains. The early steamboats to the Island, belonging to the Castle Company in the 1820s, sailed from Glasgow and Rothesay for Brodick and Lamlash and would have passed along the shoreline close to the village. It seems likely that passengers for Corrie would have been landed there by ferry, either from the ship’s boat or from a wherry setting out from the shore. Like the rest of the Island, the village...

Williamson-Buchanan Steamers

on Mar 27, 2017

The Clyde steamers played an important role in World War I, related in an article in February 2015. At the end of hostilities, changes to the different fleets on the Clyde were instituted. This article focuses on the changes that took place with the steamers associated with Messrs Williamson, Buchanan and Turbine Steamers. This part focuses on Williamson-Buchanan steamers. A subsequent article will focus on Turbine Steamers. As the steamers returned to the Clyde in 1919 from their activities during the war, the following announcement appeared in the newspapers. “Amalgamation of Two Firms: The amalgamation is announced of the two well-known firms of Clyde river steamer owners, Messrs Buchanan Steamers (Limited) and Mr John Williamson “Both firms have been associated for a long time with passenger services on the river and estuary, and each has done a great deal to develop this service...

Firth of Clyde Steam Packet Co. Ltd.

on Jan 15, 2017

The history of the steamer Ivanhoe has featured in earlier articles, up to the point when she was laid up in 1906 by the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. Ltd. As the new century progressed, the pollution that characterized the upper Clyde began to be ameliorated and there was renewed interest in sailing from the heart of Glasgow. Shipyards on the Clyde were also experiencing full order books and sailing “doon the water” allowed the denizens of the city to see the latest developments that would make the Clyde known throughout the world. It was to accommodate this need that Captain Cameron brought out the Meg Merrilies and the Lady Rowena, and in 1911, the Ivanhoe was brought out of retirement. Ivanhoe in her 1911 color scheme The Firth of Clyde Steam Packet Co. Ltd. was registered on 16th February 1911 with a nominal capital of £6,000 and purchased, for £4,000 from the Caledonian...

Buchanan Steamers

on Jan 3, 2016

The early years of Captain William Buchanan’s career as a steamboat owner on the Clyde have been documented in the articles dealing with W. F. Johnstone, Railways and Racing, and Early Arran Steamers. Captain Buchanan’s steamers carried a black funnel with a white band, a remnant of their origins with the Castle Company’s steamers. The hulls and paddle boxes where black providing a rather utilitarian look. The Eagle of 1864 is a good place to start the remainder of the story. From the yard of Messrs Charles Connell & Co., she was an impressive vessel with two funnels forward of her paddle boxes but her engines, by Messrs Henderson were too powerful for her hull and her early career involved many adjustments, including lengthening the hull by 16 feet in 1866. Eagle at the Broomielaw around 1866 (Annan) Nevertheless, the Eagle was a reliable steamer and earned...