The ''Rob Roy'' was the first

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

to successfully sail the open sea. The ship was named after the Scottish folk hero

Rob Roy MacGregor Robert Roy MacGregor (; 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Jacobite Scottish outlaw, who later became a Scottish and Jacobite folk hero. Early life He was born in the Kingdom of Scotland at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, as r ...

History

The paddle steamer was built by William Denny from Dumbarton and equipped with a 30 HP side-balancing steam engine by David Napier. On the morning of 13 June 1818 the ''Rob Roy'' left the port of

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

, sailed via

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre Peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing port. The 2018 populatio ...

and reached

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

on the evening of 14 June 1818. She then plied this route twice a week in all weathers, including those in which sailing ships stayed in port. The ship later operated on the route between Greenock and

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. In the winter of 1818/9 the steamship was overhauled and equipped with separate rooms for women and men with beds. From 1818 to 1821

David Tod David Tod (February 21, 1805 – November 13, 1868) was an American politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Ohio. As the 25th governor of Ohio, Tod gained recognition for his forceful and energetic leadership during the American Civil ...

was ''Rob Roy''s chief engineer. In May 1821 the ship was transferred to

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

and reached its new homeport on Sunday 10 June 1821. On 15 June 1821 the Rob Roy crossed the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

for the first time and reached

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

. In the beginning, there were only a few passengers and the post office favoured conventional sailing ships. But soon the advantages of the steamship were recognized, as it travelled regardless of the weather and only needed 2 hours and 45 minutes for the crossing, which began to be reflected in a growing number of passengers and volume of freight. In August 1821, the ''Roy Rob'' met the oncoming sailing ships ''Lord Duncan'' and ''Prince Leopold'' on the way to Calais. She cleared her goods in Calais, took on new passengers and overtook the two ships on the way back. The successful use of the ''Roy Rob'' led to traditional parcel ships being replaced by steamers on many routes in a very short time. For the connection between Dover and Calais, the steamship ''Dasher'' was introduced in October 1821 and the ''Arrow'' in January 1822. The French government was interested in acquiring the ''Rob Roy'', but a British export ban on machinery prevented the ship's owners from selling. However, French customs officers found

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

on board the ship and confiscated it. It was suspected that this was just a trick agreed with the shipowners to circumvent the export ban. The ship was renamed to ''Henri Quatre'' or ''Henry IV'' in 1823 and continued sailing between Calais and Dover. It was France's first seaworthy steamship.

References

External links

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Paddle Steamer ROB ROY

David Napier by David Napier and David Bell: Chapter VI

Packet Service I to 1854

Dover to Calais Ferry History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rob Roy Steamships of the United Kingdom 1818 ships