The opening of Princes Pier in 1870 for the Greenock and Ayrshire Railway Co. had signaled a downturn on the coast traffic carried by the Caledonian Railway Co. to Greenock Central with its remote and inconvenient approach to Greenock Quay. The situation was exacerbated when the Greenock and Ayrshire was absorbed into the Glasgow and South Western Railway Co. in 1872. While most steamers called at both Greenock Piers, the bulk of the traffic used the South Western route and with fast steamers such as Messrs Williamson’s Sultana on the station, the express services could even compete on the Rothesay station with the shorter crossing from Wemyss Bay. A plan to extend the Caledonian Railway further down the coast to Gourock was floated in 1877 but the proposal was rejected after opposition from the Greenock Harbour Trust.
The North British Steam Packet Co. route through Craigendoran opened in 1882 and further exacerbated the situation for the Caledonian Company. A new proposal for a Gourock extension was approved in 1884. Construction involved tunneling in hard whinstone and infilling along the edge of Gourock Bay, forming a long quay extending all the way to Kempock point. The character of the old watering place was transformed to a modern packet terminal, and by May 1887, steamers were able to call at the new pier facility.
Gourock Pier (Ritchie)
The new station at Gourock and the railway connection were expected to be open in May of 1889 and the Caledonian Company faced a dilemma in arranging for steamers to call; whether to rely on private owners or whether to apply for Parliamentary powers to run their own steamboats. With such a large investment in the railway, the company chose the latter path and appointed Captain James Williamson as Marine Superintendent in 1888. Captain Williamson was the eldest son of Captain Alexander Williamson of the Turkish Fleet and he already had shown his abilities in owning and managing the tourist steamer Ivanhoe. Captain Williamson recommended the purchase of the steamers Madge Wildfire and Meg Merrilies from Captains Peter and Alexander Campbell, the sons of Captain Robert Campbell who had run the Kilmun trade until his death in April of 1888. Captain Alexander had taken the firm’s other steamer, Waverley to the Bristol Channel for the 1888 season and the two brothers would seek their fortunes there after selling the two steamers and the goodwill of the Kilmun trade to the Caledonian Company at the end of 1888. Two new steamers were also ordered.
Madge Wildfire in Caledonian Colours approaching Cove
Meg Merrilies in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)
With objections from the private owners on the river who feared that the Caledonian Railway would monopolize traffic, the company’s application to Parliament for legal powers to own steamers was refused and a separate company, The Caledonian Steam Packet Company Ltd., was set up in May 1889 to own and manage the steamboat operations.
Gourock Pier officially opened at the end of May in 1889 although it was a further year before work was completed. In June, the new service involved Meg Merrilies and Ivanhoe, under charter, sailing to Rothesay, while Madge Wildfire took up the Dunoon and Holy Loch service. The colour scheme was most attractive with yacht-like yellow funnels, deep blue hulls with white paddle-boxes, and pastel pink upper-works, tastefully edged in pastel blue.
Madge Wildfire
Meg Merrilies (Robertson)
There were also calls by most of the steamers on the river, including Iona and Lord of the Isles, but the Turkish fleet, loyal to the South Western, by-passed the pier as did the North British steamers. The two newly ordered steamers had yet to arrive.
Approaching Gourock Pier
The Caledonia was launched from the yard of Messrs John Reid & Co., at Port Glasgow on May, and ran her trials a month later. She had a full-width saloon aft and a short saloon forward for steerage and was well appointed, a distinct advance on the rival Sultana and Viceroy of the Turkish Fleet. Caledonia was fitted with compound machinery by Messrs Rankin & Blackmore and had two navy boilers leading into a single funnel. She reached a creditable 16¾ knots on trial and took up the Rothesay service, relieving Ivanhoe to resume her normal cruising excursion to Arran for the Frith of Clyde Steam Packet Co.
Caledonia leaving Rothesay with Victoria
Caledonia and the puffer Glenfinart at Blairmore
The other steamer, Galatea, was launched from the yard of Messrs Caird & Co., Greenock, on May 31, 1889. She had full-width saloons fore and aft and was fitted with a two-crank compound engine with four navy boilers exhausting into two funnels. She was certainly an impressive vessel, not unlike an improved Ivanhoe, but proved extravagant in fuel and a disappointment in the area of speed, achieving less than the projected speed of 17½ knots on trials.
Galatea (Adamson)
Galatea (Robertson)
Galatea at Gourock
Galatea off the Kirn shore
The new standard of comfort and speed was making inroads into the Rothesay traffic by way of Wemyss Bay and, succumbing to the inevitable, the Wemyss Bay Railway Company sold out to the Caledonian Railway in the autumn of 1889. The steamboat service to Rothesay, Largs and Millport was in the hands of the Wemyss Bay Steamboat Company who had been in dispute with the railway over the fraction of through fares they obtained. The owner and manager, Captain Alexander Campbell, constrained to maintain two ships in service in winter and three in summer, attempted to sell his aging fleet to the Caledonian but the offer was refused. Of his four steamers, Lancelot, Argyle and Adela, were distinctly old fashioned and only the two-funneled Victoria of 1886 was considered suitable for modern service. Captain Campbell gave notice to quit at the end of April, 1890, and on the first of May, Caledonia took over the Largs and Millport service and Galatea sailed to Rothesay.
Caledonia at Keppel (Washington Wilson)
Caledonia at Millport
Caledonia leaving Largs
Galatea in Rothesay Bay
Galatea approaching Rothesay Pier
Galatea at Rothesay with Columba and Bute No 3
In May, 1890, the Victoria was sent to Belfast, sailing to Bangor under charter, but returned to the Clyde in 1892 for a Mr Carswell under the auspices of the Scottish Excursion Steamer Co. and took up sailing from Fairlie to Campbeltown in conjuction with the Glasgow and Southwestern Railway. At the end of the following year, she was sold to owners on the Thames.
Victoria at Campbeltown
Fitted with telescopic funnels, Victoria on the Thames
In the meantime, anticipating the need for new vessels, orders had been placed for two steamers, essentially copies of the successful Caledonia, from Messrs Rankin & Blackmore, who contracted the hulls to Messrs J. Reid & Co. The first of the pair, Marchioness of Breadalbane was launched in the middle of April and in her trials just over a month later was recorded as making 17 knots. She was well equipped and unlike Caledonia, had her bridge placed forward of her funnel to improve visibility in navigation.
Marchioness of Breadalbane approaching Hunter’s Quay
Marchioness of Breadalbane leaving Wemyss Bay
At the beginning of May, the Marchioness of Bute was launched. Like here sister, she also attained 17 knots, and replaced Caledonia on the Rothesay station from Gourock.
Marchioness of Bute in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)
Marchioness of Bute off Kirn
Marchioness of Bute with Galatea
Marchioness of Bute at Kilchattan Bay (Stengel)
Marchioness of Bute with Iona at Rothesay (Valentine)
The Caledonian had also been active in other areas where they could counter their rivals, the Glasgow & Southwestern. The Arran traffic was then in the hands of Messrs Buchanan who used the Scotia on the station between Ardrossan and the Island in connection with the Glasgow & Southwestern. An extension of the Caledonian Railway into Ardrossan Harbour was opened in May 1890, and the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. had a steamer in waiting to take up a new service from the new Montgomerie Pier at that port to Brodick and the other east Arran calling places. The Duchess of Hamilton had been ordered from the yard of Messrs William Denny & Co. Ltd., at the end of 1889 and was launched at Dumbarton early in April of 1890. Built sturdily to withstand the heavy weather encountered in the lower Firth even in summer, she had a full width main saloon aft and a narrow saloon forward but her promenade deck was carried forward to the bow.
Duchess of Hamilton (Adamson)
Duchess of Hamilton at Brodick (Washington Wilson)
Duchess of Hamilton leaving Brodick (Washington Wilson)
As was to become the common design of the subsequent Caledonian Duchess steamers, the forward part of the main deck was left open to facilitate the handling of ropes at the piers. It was contemplated that she might extend her routes to Campbeltown and so her sea-going qualities were particularly important. When the service began at the end of May, 1890, the new steamer outclassed the Scotia connecting with the Glasgow & Southwestern trains. Captain Buchanan put the Scotia up for sale but she remained in service over the winter months when the Duchess of Hamilton, like the other first-class steamers on the Firth was laid up.
There was one unfortunate incident between the Duchess of Hamilton and the Scotia in August 1890 where the two steamers came into collision at the entrance to Ardrossan Harbour. The court case, detailed in a separate article, found against the Caledonian steamer.
Scotia in Lamlash Bay
In 1890 also, the newer of the two steamers purchased from Messrs Campbell, the Madge Wildfire, was given a fore saloon, making her a more useful member of the fleet.
Madge Wildfire with her new saloon (Adamson)
Madge Wildfire heading for Gourock
Madge Wildfire at the Broomielaw on the Kilmun station
Madge Wildfire at Cove
Madge Wildfire at Largs
Acknowledging the need to provide a suitable vessel for the winter service to Arran, the Caledonian Steam Packet ordered a steamer from Messrs Rankin and Blackmore who subcontracted the hull to Messrs Russell & Co., of Port Glasgow. Marchioness of Lorne was launched towards the end of April, 1891, and was of similar dimensions to the two earlier Marchionesses but was much more sturdily built and had her promenade deck extended to the bow like Duchess of Hamilton. Like the Duchess of Hamilton, her deck houses were painted white, rather than the varnished wood of the other steamers in the fleet.
Marchioness of Lorne in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)
Marchioness of Lorne at Wemyss Bay
Marchioness of Lorne leaving Wemyss Bay and the bow of Galatea.