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Side-Wheeled Paddle Steamers
Clyde
Steamer Services and Operators - Links to Historical Vessels -
Bibliography
Above
: Waverley was the last paddle steamer built for Clyde service (1947)
and after 1969 was the only remaining paddler. After being withdrawn in
1973 she found a new life in operational preservation on behalf of the
Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and continues in service
Photo by Alan Brown (supplied by kind courtesy of Gillon Ferguson) shows her in her first season of operation
The Firth of Clyde, by
virtue of its size, attractive
scenery and potential for varied cruising possibilities, is the main
area for coastal cruising in the UK. The river Clyde runs through
Glasgow, a city built on international trade and major centre for
steel, engineering and shipbuilding from
the industrial revolution into the present day. It soon widens into
an estuary with industrial towns dotted along it's steep sided banks.
Further downstream, holiday resorts developed along the mainland
coast and on the numerous islands in the Firth and wealthy
industrialists built homes amidst the beautiful scenery. With city
dwellers always keen to get away for a holiday at one of the resorts
or take in the delights of a cruise up one of the many sea lochs, and
islanders keen to commute to or deliver goods to markets on the
mainland, the advent of steamship technology meant that the Clyde
would become one of the foremost areas for its development. With so
many shipbuilding companies located along the Clyde building
sea-going ships for Britain and the world, it was only natural that
many of them were also involved in building the "Clyde Steamers".With some exceptions, ferry services on the Clyde are run by
Caledonian-MacBrayne, a state-owned company formed out of the merger
of the state owned Caledonian Steam Packet Company (operating on the
Firth of Clyde) and David MacBrayne Ltd, a part privately owned
company operating services in the Western Isles. Whilst MacBrayne
had, for most of the steamer era, been in a monopoly position in its
area, the Clyde was subject to continuous, often ruinous,
competition.
Small fleets and independent vessels run by private owners
essentially gave way in 1889 to the three main competing railway
companies, who were extending their tracks to the Clyde coast and
established fleets to challenge for the commuter traffic and the
increasing tourist excursion trade, especially to the resorts of
Dunoon (Cowal), Rothesay (Bute) and Brodick (Arran). A significant
market developed for cruising in its own right, especially to escape
the industrial city of Glasgow at weekends.
Only following railway nationalisation after the Second World War did the
fleets eventually combine under the title of the Caledonian Steam
Packet Company. Caledonian-MacBrayne disposed of the last Paddle Steamer (Waverley)
after the 1973 season and the last Turbine Steamer (Queen Mary) four
years later. Cal-Mac as they are commonly known, now operate a series
of ferry shuttle services across the Firth, providing highly
efficient links for cars, cargo and foot passengers. Waverley, now
under the charitable ownership of the Waverley Steam Navigation
Company, continues the cruising tradition of the
"Clyde Steamer".
STEAMER OPERATORS
Select a company below to see brief company details, fleet list
with links to more detailed vessel histories and a bibliography.
Includes the main independent operators which survived the
introduction of railway ownership.
RAILWAY COMPANIES OPERATING
STEAMERS
From the south bank of the Clyde and the Ayrshire coast
Caledonian Steam Packet Company
(1889-1972) (ship
operating subsidiary of the Caledonian Railway and eventual monopoly operator
from 1948)
Glasgow & South Western Railway
(1891-1923)
London Midland & Scottish Railway
(1923-1938) (successors
of the Glasgow & South Western Railway, operated in association with the
Caledonian Steam Packet)
From
the north bank of the Clyde. Independent until absorbed into the
Caledonian Steam Packet Company as an ultimate effect of railway
nationalisation
North
British Steam Packet Company (1866-1902) (ship
operating subsidiary of the North British Railway)
North British Railway
(1902-1923) (operating
the steamers under direct railway ownership)
London & North Eastern Railway
(1923-1947) (successors
of the North British Railway)
British Transport Commission (1948-1951)
(interim ownership of former LNER vessels operated
in association with those of the Caledonian Steam Packet Co)
STATE-OWNED TRANSPORT OPERATOR
Caledonian-MacBrayne Ltd
(successors of the CSP operated PS Waverley in 1973 only (and TS Queen Mary until 1977).
A
limited cruising programme with motor vessels was offered for some
years subsequently but with little success. "Cal-Mac" became a lifeline
ferry only operator, latterly as franchisee of state specified routes
MAJOR INDEPENDENT
OPERATORS OF THE PAST
Originally
sailing from central Glasgow (Broomielaw) with some independent owners
providing services from downstream and Ayrshire piers. Downstream
services were generally bought out by the expanding railway companies
when their routes reached suitable railheads. Independent operators
continued to concentrate on "all the way" services from Glasgow which
were slower but generally cheaper for passengers
Alexander & John Campbell (1854-70) -
Keith & Campbell (1871-84) - Captain Robert Campbell
(1884-88)
Captain William Buchanan (1852-1890) :
Buchanan Steamers (1890-1919)
Captain Alexander Williamson
(1853-1890)
Captain John Williamson
(1891-1919)
Turbine Steamers Ltd
(1901-1935)
Williamson-Buchanan Steamers Ltd (1919-1935)
/ Williamson-Buchanan (1936) Co (1936-1943)
Castle Steam Packet Co / Glasgow Castle SP Co (1815-1851)
Limited Clyde services to provide access to the western highlands
David
Hutcheson & Co (1851-1879): David MacBrayne (1879-1971)
SMALLER INDEPENDENT
OPERATORS OF THE PAST (including owner captains)
Loch
Goil and Loch Long Steamboat Company (1825-1909)
Glasgow and Inveraray Steamboat
Company (1877-1909)
Loch Goil and Inveraray Steamboat
Company Ltd (1909-1912)
Wemyss Bay Steamboat Co
(1862-1869)
Gillies & Campbell
(1868-1890)
Frith
of Clyde Steam Packet Co
Greenock & Helensburgh
Steamboat Co
(1865-1888)
Graham Brymner & Co
(1867-1876)
Note : There were many more independent owners in the 19th century
EARLY CLYDE
STEAMERS
Captain
James
Williamson, in his book "Clyde Passenger Steamers 1812-1901" lists
turbine steamer TS King Edward as the 309th Clyde Steamer, following
PS Comet of 1812. Prior to 1866 and the inauguration of services by
the North British Railway, Williamson lists 234 vessels and describes
vessels, services and captains in a chronological format. there are
numerous lithographs and photos of the vessels themselves, the owners
and captains.
Click here for a list of the vessels
SPECIAL
REPORTS : CLYDE STEAMERS IN THE 1930s and 1960s - by Gordon Stewart
The 1930s saw the final development of the Clyde paddle steamer, a story which began in 1812 with the
pioneering vessel "Comet". The operators of the Clyde Steamers, mainly railway
companies, which had fought a long and hard battle for supremacy in
the trade, had severely outdated fleets and all embarked on a
programme of modernisation which was the greatest since the "Golden
Years" of 1890-1904. What was unusual was that the modernisation involved
the use of tried and tested technology - steam, and in the case of all the ferry
workhorses, paddles. Whilst this was understandable in the case of the London
& North Eastern Railway's
Jeanie Deans due to draught restrictions at her home base of Craigendoran, other
operators had no such problem yet still chose steamers, including paddle steamers, over motor vessels.
With a few exceptions, these were the last side-wheel paddle steamers built
for use in Europe.
Not until the early 1950s were motor vessels prominent on Clyde ferry services,
both as a cost-cutting measure and associated with the radical new designs needed
to handle the growing traffic in motor cars. The introduction of the paddle
steamer Waverley in 1947 could be seen as a conservative measure, but she was
to sail out of Craigendoran and in any case it made sense to replace war losses
quickly with tried and tested technology. She was to be the last. After a relatively
short life, or so it seemed, she was withdrawn in 1973 and the turbine steamer
Queen Mary thus became the last of an extensive fleet of steamers. Placed in
the hands of preservationists, Waverley has continued the tradition to this
day, whilst the "commercial" operators disposed of Queen Mary in 1977
to concentrate on car ferry services
It
has to be recognised that the paddle steamers were to all intents and
purposes the ferries of their day and whilst the large turbine steamers
could be regarded as excursion ships, for most, any excursion work was
an "add-on" to their ferrying duties. Whilst Waverley does continue the
tradition, the services of Caledonian-MacBrayne and Western Ferries now
provide what the paddlers once provided - but in a different way,
adapted to modern needs and "cargoes".
Clyde
Steamer Operations and new ships built in the 1930s
The 1960s - the last full decade of steam - or that's how it seemed
at the time......
CURRENT STEAMSHIP OPERATORS
Caledonian-MacBrayne inherited the services
of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company but are now purely ferry
operators. Waverley continues to spend the summer season on a
traditional cruise programe under her charitable preservationist
owners Waverley Steam Navigation Company and operated by Waverley Excursions Ltd.
The ship is owned on behalf of the Paddle Steamer preservation
Society, which is also the majority shareholder in Waverley Steam
Navigation Company.
Waverley Steam Navigation Co Ltd / Waverley
Excursions Ltd (1975-date)
CLYDE
TIMELINE
A graphical representation
listing Clyde Steamers and the main steamer operators in the
format of a Time Line. The aim is to show for each ship, the years
in which
she spent her main cruising season on the Clyde, and for each
operator, the years during which they ran steamers during the main
season. Additionally, for each main season, the vessels operating on
the Clyde can be established. Brief details of changes in company
management, structure etc and notes regarding the builders, launch
date and subsequent fate of the vessels are included. The data is by
no means complete and will be updated from time to time. Information
supplied by visitors to this site would be much appreciated for
incorporation into the "Time Line". We would particularly welcome
clarification of the first/last summer seasons for each vessel where
they changed ownership or were sold off the Clyde, and confirmation
of the seasons spent on the Clyde at the start and end of both World
Wars. The Timeline is held as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (.xls)
and can be viewed on-line or saved to your hard disk. When saved, the
"freeze panes" setting should be reactivated allowing easier viewing
of the spreadsheet, so that vessel names and years, the axis titles,
remain in view. Select a line for a vessel and see the years she
spent on the Clyde. View a column for any particular year and see
which operators and which vessels under whose ownership were in
operation for that main summer season.
To open or download the Time Line, please click here : Clyde
Timeline
ROTHESAY BAY
Rothesay was the prime destination
for cruise boats from the mainland - an essential stop for boats
going around Bute or to other destinations in the outer Firth and
the main destination for holiday makers and excursionists in its
own right. In the heyday of the steamers it could get very busy
in Rothesay Bay. In this view taken in the early 1960s by Alexander
Bain, two steamers (the paddler Jeanie Deans and the turbine steamer
Queen Mary II) head off in different directions.To the left
of the photo is one of the three "ABC" class car ferries,
which provided the basis shuttle service from Wemyss Bay.
Photo by kind courtesy of Donald Bain
General
Bibliography and books about Clyde Steamers
Books relating specifically to individual operators
and vessels are shown under the appropriate
entry.
For excellent information and historic images, I recommend the Graham Lappin Collection at dalmadan.com : https://www.dalmadan.com/?page_id=14
The Victorian
Summer of the Clyde Steamers (1864-1888)
Alan J S Paterson
Published in 1972 by David & Charles
IBSN 0-713-5630-5
Detailed acaemically researched history of the early years of the Clyde Steamers prior to
the establishment of the CSP
The Golden
Years of the Clyde Steamers (1889-1914)
Alan J S Paterson
Published in 1969
Detailed academically researched history of the Clyde Steamers at the height of the railway
fleet competition
Clyde River and Other
Steamers
Duckworth & Langmuir
Published Third Edition in 1972 by Brown, Son & Ferguson Ltd,
Glasgow. First published in 1937
Definitive fleet list, vessel histories and summary history of
operators
Clyde River
Steamers of the Last Fifty Years
Andrew McQueen
Published in 1923 by Gowans & Gray,
Glasgow
Clyde Pleasure
Steamers An Illustrated History
Ian McCrorie
Published in 1986 and 1987 by Orr, Pollock & Co, 2, Crawfurd
Street, Greenock, PA15 1LH
ISBN 1-869850-00-9
Comprehensive
history
Pleasures of the Firth : Two Hundred Years of the Clyde Steamers 1812-2012
Andrew Clark
Published in 2012 by Stenlake Publishing
ISBN-10 : 1840335859 - ISBN-13 : 978-1840335859
A comprehensive copiously illustrated history by local expert Andrew Clark
Clyde Passenger
Steamers 1812 - 1901
Captain James Williamson
Published in 1987 by SPA Books Ltd, PO Box 47, Stevenage, Herts
ISBN 0-907590-19-5
Reprint of the first definitive guide, written by the founder of the
"Caledonian" and first published in
1904.
Scottish
Coastal Steamers 1918-1975 : The Lines that Linked the
Lochs
Brian Patton
Published in 1996 by Silver Link Publishing Ltd., The Trundle, Ringstead Road, Great Addington,
Kettering, NN14 4BW.
Steamers of
the Clyde and Western Isles
MacArthur, McCrorie and MacHaffie
Published 1964 and 1965 by the authors
Pamphlet with vessel histories of the existing fleet at the time of
issue, with fleet list and technical
details
Clyde Steamers of
Yesteryear
MacArthur, McCrorie and MacHaffie
Published in 1965 by the authors
Pamphlet with histories and technical details of selected historical
vessels
Clyde Coast
Pleasure Steamers
E C B Thornton
Published in 1968
Concise history pamphlet with appendix explaining terms associated
with steam
engines
Clyde Piers - A
Pictorial Record
Joy Monteith and Ian McCrorie
Published in 1982 by Inverclyde District Libraries, Central Library,
Clyde Square, Greenock, Scotland
ISBN 0-9500687-5-6
Photos of Clyde piers with extended captions invoking memories of the
piers, vessels and services.
Classic
Scottish Paddle Steamers
Alan J S Paterson
Published in 1982 by David & Charles (Publishers) Ltd, Brunel
House, Newton Abbot, Devon, UK
ISBN 0-7153-8335-3
Clyde story told through extended histories of twelve representative
steamers
The Sea Routes to
Arran
Ian McCrorie
Published in 1993 by Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd
The history of Clyde services to Brodick and the other Arran resorts
plus the current Lochranza ferry
Clyde
Steamers Remembered
Published in 1994 by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society
(Scottish Branch)
Steamer Photo album with magnificent views and extended captions
More Clyde
Steamers Remembered
Published in 2001, with glossy paper and
many colour photos, this book follows on from the original edition with a further selection of high-quality photos
Days at the
Coast
Robert Preston
Published in 1994 by the Richard Stenlake, Ochiltree Sawmill,
Ochiltree, Ayrshire, KA18 2NX, Scotland
ISBN 1 872074 42 1
Excellent album of black & white photos with extended captions
covering many vessels at Clyde
locations
Caledonian
Steam Packet Co Ltd
Alistair Deayton
Published in 2002 by Tempus Publishing Ltd
Excellent album of black & white photos with authoritative
captions covering the ships of the famous CSP Fleet
Dunoon Pier - a celebration
Ian McCrorie
Published
in 1997 by Argyll Publishing, Glendaruel, Argyll PA22 3AE
ISBK 1 874640
68 8
Extensive illustrated history of the pier and services at one of the
Clyde's premier resorts in Ian McCrorie's informative and highly readably style.
In hardback
Tighnabruaich Pier
Ian McCrorie
Published
in 2002 by the Thighnabruaich Pier Association and Douglas press, Glendaruel,
Argyll, PA22 3AE
ISBN 1 902831 82 9
Detailed story, copiously illustrated,
of the pier on the Kyles of Bute, a favoured destination for cruises for generations
Lochranza Pier
Ian McCrorie
Published
in 2003 by Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd, The Ferry Terminal, Gourock, PA19 1QP
ISBN
0 9507166 2 6
Written by Clyde steamer expert Ian McCrorie to celebrate the
reopening of the pier on the isle of Arran for use by PS Waverley
Glory Days - Clyde Steamers
Brian
Patton
First Published in 2003 by Ian Allan Publishing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey,
KT12 4RG
ISBN 0 7110 2925 3
Clear text and informative extended captions
alongside excellent illustrations. Nothing new but nevertheless an excellent
review of the history of Clyde Steamers for beginners and experts alike
Steamers of the Clyde : NB & LNER
Alaistair
Deayton
Published 2000 by Tempus Publishing Ltd, The Mill, Brimscombe Port,
Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG www.tempus-publishing.com
ISBN
0 7524 2107 7
Brief history of the Clyde's "north bank" fleet followed
by illustrations with informative captions written up by one of the acknowledged
experts on Clyde (and other steamers)
Return to
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Steamer Index
Historical Database
Homepage
ASSOCIATED
WEBSITE : CLYDE TURBINE STEAMERS
Although
Clyde Steamer fleets were dominated by paddle steamers, the introduction
of the turbine steamer King Edward in 1901 dramatically improved
the quality of the long-distance day excursion fleet. The world's
first ever passenger ship powered by turbines brought a new
level of speed, comfort and smoothness and in the next 35 years
a number of excellent vessels joined the Clyde fleet.
The
only surviving example is TS Queen Mary (seen above in 1967 at
Tighnabruaich in a photo by Jake Dale) which sailed from 1933 to 1977
and later served as a floating restaurant in London. In 2014 she was
purchased by the Friends of TS Queen Mary, a Scottish charity, with the
intention to return her to Glasgow for static use
Click
here for Clyde
Turbine Steamers
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