The Latter Years of Columba

An account of the early career of Messrs MacBrayne’s Ardrishaig Mail steamer, the stately Columba, can be found in an article of February 2015. In this article, more of an album than an account, the development of the steamer from the 1890s to her demise in 1935 will be traced.

Some time in the 1890s, the promenade deck over the sponson houses fore an aft of the paddle wheels was extended and for the first time, Columba appeared with two lifeboats over the rear sponson houses, rather than a single boat aft.

Columba with new lifeboats

Columba in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)

Columba leaving Innellan

Columba

Minor changes were also incorporated in subsequent years. The forward grandfather-clock ventilators for the aft saloon were turned around to face the stern following reboilering in 1900 and in the following year, a deck awning was erected aft of the funnels to protect the companionway to the saloon deck. A smoke room was also added to this structure.

Columba at Tarbert around 1902

In 1903, access to the top of the deck awning was provided for passengers and it was railed off.

Columba in her Edwardian Heyday (Robertson, Glasgow)

Columba at Colintraive (Spencer)

Columba off Gourock

Columba in Rothesay Bay in 1906

Columba in Edwardian times

Arrival of Columba at Ardrishaig

Columba at speed

Columba at Rothesay (Schwerdtieger)

Columba at Gourock (Schwerdtieger)

After the Titanic disaster in 1912, Columba provided lifejackets for passengers and these were stored in a structure covered in canvass on the forward promenade deck. The following year, two lifeboats were added to the awning deck. The lifeboats were second-hand, coming from the Macbrayne motor vessel Scout that sailed on Loch Leven. Scout was built in 1907 by the Ailsa yard at Troon and destroyed by fire in August 1913.

Scout on Loch Leven

Scout at Ballachulish

Columba was laid up during the 1915 season at the start of World War I, but resumed her service to Ardrishaig, sailing from Wemyss Bay on account of the Clyde Boom, in 1916.

Columba around 1920 (Robertson)

Columba at Rothesay in 1923 (Judges)

Columba at Rothesay in 1924

Columba in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)

Columba at Ardrishaig (Valentine)

Columba at Rothesay in 1926 (Valentine)

Columba leaving Tarbert (Spencer)

In the Kyles of Bute (Spencer)

Columba in the 1920s

Columba in Rothesay Bay in the later 1920s

Columba off Gourock (Robertson)

Columba passing Craigmore at 11:00 on July 19, 1930

After the armistice, sailings from Bridge Wharf were resumed. Leaving Bridge Wharf in the morning at 7:11 and calling at Govan, Princes Princes Pier (9:00), Gourock, Dunoon, Innellan, Rothesay (10:30), Colintraive, Tighnabruaich, Tarbert (12:00) and arriving at Ardrishaig at 12:45, and returning at 1:45 to arrive back in Glasgow at 7:30 in the evening, every day, except Sunday, throughout the season, she remained the most famous steamer on the Clyde.

The combined losses of Chevalier and Grenadier in 1927 presented a number of problems to Messrs MacBrayne in affording the replacement tonnage to maintain the mail contract. A new entity, David MacBrayne (1928) Ltd. came into being with partial ownership by the London, Midland & Scottish Railway Co., and Coast Lines Ltd., to provide the needed capital. In 1929, the company introduced a new colour scheme with grey hulls on the MacBrayne steamers, including Columba. For the flagship service, this change was not well received by the public and the back hull reappeared within two weeks.

Columba with grey hull in 1929 (Spencer)

At the end of the 1935 season, Columba and her erstwhile consort, Iona, entered their winter lay-up at Greenock and at the end of February, the ships were towed to Dalmuir to be broken up. The next year, the Saint Columba took over the route.