TS King George V
part of the Clyde Turbine Steamers website from
paddlesteamers.info
King George V at
Oban in 1973. Photo by kind courtesy of Kenny Whyte
Launched on April 29th 1926
by William Denny and Bros at Dumbarton
Engines : 7 turbines by Parsons Marine Engineering Ltd
Dimensions : 260.6 ft x 32.1 ft
789 Gross Registered Tons
Set
the standard for spacious accommodation with an enclosed promenade
deck
Employed an advanced arrangement of turbines and two very high
pressure boilers.
Trouble with the boilers led to replacement in 1929 and again in
1935
In 1935 one turbine was removed to simplify the power system
Two new, slightly broader funnels were also fitted in 1935
Generally used on the Inveraray service but also visited
Campbeltown
Passed to MacBrayne ownership in October 1935 on the dissolution of
Turbine Steamers Ltd
Employed on cruises from Oban, especially to Iona
Requisitioned in World
War II as a troop transport, initially based in Southampton
In 1940 was involved
in evacuating troops from Rotterdam, Ostend, Calais, Boulogne and famously,
Dunkirk, landing 4300 men at Dover
Returned to the Clyde in 1941 for tendering
duties, with one famous passenger being Sir Winston Churchill
Made occasional return visits to the Clyde, including the summer
Ardrishaig mail service in 1946 and on charter to the CSP in early
1971.
Displaced by MV Columba in 1974 and withdrawn from service
Sold to interests in south Wales (Nationwide Transport Ltd) and towed to Cardiff Docks in 1975, but remained laid up.
In 1981 as there was a real hope of preservation as a pub at London to
replace PS Caledonia when she was bought by Bass-Charrington
King George V was burnt out when being refitted in dry dock at Cardiff on August 26th, 1981.
Towed
out of the Mount Stuart Dry Dock and laid up in Roath Basin until 1984
when she was moved to a tidal "berth" outside Alexandra Dock for
dismantling
'
The revolutionary King Edward, built
in 1901 for Clyde service was the world's first steam turbine powered
passenger ship, using a form of propulsion first demonstrated by the
engineer Charles Parsons on the launch Turbinia in 1896. A more
efficient user of steam, the turbine was to replace the reciprocating
engine as the main power source for screw steamers and the speed and
economy of King Edward soon made the turbine the chosen method of
propulsion for Clyde steamers on the long-haul cruise routes such as
to Campbeltown and Inveraray.
King Edward was followed on the Clyde by Queen Alexandra in 1902 and
the CSP's Duchess of Argyll in 1906. Queen Alexandra was seriously
damaged by fire and replaced by a similar vessel of the same name in
1912. After a long hiatus during which very few steamers were built
for the Clyde, the CSP replaced their ageing and expensive to run
paddler Glen Sannox with a new "Sannox" in 1925. This vessel was
little different to her half-sisters built 20 years earlier and
indicated that the CSP had lost the pioneering spirit which had led
it to embrace technological advances in the 1890s and early
1900s.
King Edward and Queen Alexandra were run by Turbine Steamers Ltd, a
company established in association with John Williamson, a Clyde
captain and steamboat owner and younger brother of James and
Alexander, respectively marine Superintendents of the Caledonian and
Glasgow & South Western Railway fleets. In 1926, Turbine Steamers
teamed up with the Parsons company who had become well established as
leaders in the manufacture of turbines, Yarrow Boilers and the
William Denny shipyard at Dumbarton to produce King George V, a
genuine development on the vessel introduced a quarter of a century
earlier.
In outward appearance, King George V was a striking looking ship, her
promenade deck saloon was extended the full width of the hull and ran
for half the length of the vessel amidships, allowing an extended
observation deck above and giving the impression of a mini-liner. The
increased passenger accommodation allowed the restaurant to be moved
to the main deck aft where large observation windows enabled diners
to enjoy the passing scenery. The design was repeated in two later
tubines which were to become among the most loved of all Clyde
steamers.
In terms of machinery, the main development was the the use of higher
pressure in the turbine, linked by gears to twin propellors. The
experiment with high pressure had disastrous effects and the boiler
had to be replaced twice after tubes burst. The first incidence
occurred off Irvine as the ship approached the port for her winter
lay-up after the 1927 season. Two firemen were killed as a result of
burns following the explosion. A second, in Kilbrannan Sound,
thankfully caused no loss of life, but no further risks could be
taken.
King George V continued in operation and was to give almost 50 years
loyal service. Although transferred to David MacBrayne's fleet in
1936 as a result of the break up of the Turbine Steamers and
Williamson - Buchanan Steamers companies, she was still seen on her
new owners' Gourock - Ardrishaig mail service from time to time.
Normally based at Oban and cruising around Mull, she was reunited
with one of her surviving ex-fleetmates when the Caledonian and
MacBrayne operations were merged from January 1973. She sailed for a
further two summers before being sold for potential use as a pub on
the River Thames at London. Whilst under conversion at Cardiff in
1981 a serious fire broke out and the remains of the hull were
finally scrapped in 1984.
In 1973 King George V added the Caledonian lion rampant to her red MacBraynes funnels - for a last campaign .....
Many thanks to Kenny Whyte for allowing his collection to be shown
Above: With Caledonian-MacBrayne - and now seeing more time in "Caledonian" waters ...... here at Gourock
.
Above
: At "Caledonian" headquarters, Gourock, with the Clyde's passenger
cruiser Maid of Cumbrae, in her second season as a makeshift car ferry
Above : Back at "MacBraynes" headquarters ........ Oban
Above : Full decks as King George V loads at Gourock
Above : Winter lay-up at Greenock alongside car ferry Bute
.
.
Above : At Wemyss Bay, the mainland railhead for car-ferry services to Rothesay on Bute
.
Above : Home port for most of her life - Oban
Above : Winter lay-up at Greenock
Leaving Scotland for the last time .......
King George V : at Cardiff
.
Above
: King George V was moved out of the dry dock in which she was lying
when the fire broke out - and eventually scrapped. Her hull was
floated out on to tidal sands off Cardiff and she disintegrated at the
hands of tide and time
Below : KGV at Cardiff courtesy of Stuart Cameron
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