Old Caledonia_IMO 5057785_P_London_04-1973

PS ''Caledonia'' was a

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...

built in 1934. She principally provided an Upper Clyde ferry service, later moving to

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

and then Craigendoran. During the Second World War, she served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

as a

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

and then an auxiliary anti-aircraft ship under the name HMS ''Goatfell''. Her final days were as a floating pub in London until destroyed by fire in 1980.

History

PS ''Caledonia'' was built by

William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scottish shipbuilding company. History The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships are recorded being buil ...

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

for the Caledonian Steam Packet Company. She was launched on 1 February 1934 and completed later that year.

Layout

Built to look more like a screw turbine than a traditional paddle steamer, ''Caledonia'' and her sister ''Mercury'' had plating carried around the sponsons. They had promenade deck saloons fore and aft with observation decks above each, linked and extended forward of the forward saloon. The navigation bridge was raised above the observation deck, forward of the single large elliptical funnel. William Denny triple expansion three-crank engines gave a maximum speed of just over 17 knots. In 1954 ''Caledonia'' was converted from coal burning to oil fuel.

Service

''Caledonia'' had a regular ferry programme connecting Gourock and

Wemyss Bay Wemyss Bay (; ) is a town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the traditional county of Renfrewshire. It is adjacent to Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire. The town and villages have always ...

with

Dunoon Dunoon (; gd, Dùn Omhain) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well a ...

and Rothesay. She also provided cruises to the

Kyles of Bute The Kyles of Bute ( gd, Na Caoil Bhòdach) form a narrow sea channel that separates the northern end of the Isle of Bute from the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the Scottish mainland. The surrounding hillsides are roughly wooded, and ov ...

and short cruises from

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

and Millport. HMS Goatfell WWII IWM FL 13495

In 1939 she was converted to a

and renamed HMS ''Goatfell''. Her wartime service continued after 1941 as an

anti aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

ship. In 1946 ''Caledonia'' was returned to her owners, but in 1954 the car ferry revolution displaced her to

as excursion steamer, with relief sailings from

Ardrossan Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the ' Three Towns'. Ardrossan is located on the east shore ...

to Arran. In 1965 she moved up-river to Craigendoran, to replace the withdrawn , cruising round Bute for a further five years, until the disastrous economics of Clyde cruising signalled the end. In 1969 she was retired from service and sold for scrap. Saved by subsequent sale to

Bass-Charrington The Bass Brewery () was founded in 1777 by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, once the highest-selling beer in the UK. By 1877, Bass had become the largest brewery in the world, with an ...

, she served as a floating pub and restaurant named ''Old Caledonia'' on the

Victoria Embankment Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfar ...

of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

. Badly damaged by fire in 1980, she was beyond economic repair and was scrapped in July 1980 at Milton Creek on

The Swale The Swale is a tidal channel of the Thames estuary that separates the Isle of Sheppey from the rest of Kent. On its banks is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Sittingbourne to Whitstable in Kent. It is al ...

near Sittingbourne,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. Her place in London was later taken by stable mate , until 2009. ''Caledonias engines were saved and are preserved at the

Hollycombe Steam Collection The Hollycombe Steam Collection is a collection of steam-powered vehicles, amusement rides, and attractions in South East England. It is based in West Sussex, but the closest town is Liphook in Hampshire. The collection includes fairground rid ...

near Liphook,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caledonia, PS 1934 ships Clyde steamers Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Clyde World War II minesweepers of the United Kingdom

History

Layout

Service

See also

References