Saint Columba

on May 27, 2017

At the end of the 1935 season, Messrs David Macbrayne & Co. Ltd, took possession of the two turbine steamers, Queen Alexandra and King George V that had belonged to Turbine Steamers Ltd. In May 1936, Queen Alexandra reappeared from the yard of Messrs J. Lamont & Co. Ltd. of Port Glasgow, sporting a mainmast, and a much elongated upper deck to accommodate a third red, black-topped funnel, drawing immediate positive comment as it reminded Clydesiders of the Cunard-White-Star liner Queen Mary that had been such an important image of the slow recovery of the shipbuilding industry on the river. Though the third funnel was a dummy, the new name selected for the vessel, Saint Columba, was also inspired as it cemented the link to the famous Columba, scrapped at the end of the 1935 season, that she was to replace. Saint Columba 1936 (Robertson) Saint Columba 1936 (Valentine) Saint...

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...

Neil Snodgrass’ Cigar

on May 14, 2017

An engraving by Joseph Swan in the book Strath-Clutha by John M. Leighton, published in 1839 shows an unusual vessel in the harbour of Glasgow. The vessel looks to have a twin hull with a series of galleries forming the superstructure. It is almost certainly the early iron steamer nicknamed Cigar that was built on an unusual and patent model for Mr. Neil Snodgrass in 1837. In his obituary in the Glasgow Herald of February 5, 1849, we learn a little of the background of Mr. Snodgrass though some of the details are inaccurate and have been added to from other sources. Mr. Snodgrass was born at Craigie in Ayr around 1776 and was educated at Ayr Academy where he achieved high honours in Mathematics. In 1794, he went to work in the cotton factory of Messrs. George Houston & Co., Johnstone, where he developed a plan for heating the factory by steam rather than the dangerous stoves then...

Turbine Steamers Ltd. 1919-1935

on Apr 4, 2017

In World War I, many of the Clyde steamers were called up for Admiralty service, and after the Armistice, it took the fleet many months to return to some semblance of normal peacetime duties. Mr John Williamson was manager of the Turbine fleet that sailed to Campbeltown and Inveraray with the pioneer turbine of 1901, King Edward, and Queen Alexandra, built in 1912 to replace the steamers of the same name. Both steamers had been requisitioned to carry troops across the English Channel and their return was anticipated in 1919. Queen Alexandra required little renovation after the war and she resumed service to Campbeltown at the end of June 1919. Queen Alexandra (Robertson) King Edward (Robertson) However, King Edward was not released until the end of 1919. Both were available in 1920 when Queen Alexandra was placed on the Inveraray route and King Edward sailed to Campbeltown, switching...

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...

Aerial Views of the Clyde

on Mar 4, 2017

Photographs of the Clyde Harbours and Resorts taken from the air and made into postcards have always been popular. They are an easy way of showing where you stay whether all-year-round, or on holiday. The earliest photographs of the Clyde that were released commercially appear to have been the work of an Edinburgh Company in the years shortly after the First World War, around 1920 or 1921. They are generally marked Aerial Photos Ltd., Edinburgh. They include a good selection of the Cowal Coast, including Dunoon, Rothesay and surrounding areas in Bute, and coastal towns in the Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. The photographs are oblique, taken at an angle, rather than the vertical stereo-pairs associated with mapping of later years. Quite a few show some of the steamers of the day. It is not clear what aircraft were used to obtain these photographs. Hunter’s Quay and the...