SS (RMS) ''Douglas'' (III) – the third vessel in the line's history to bear the name – was a packet steamer which entered service with the

London and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exete ...

in 1889 under the name ''Dora'' until she was purchased by the

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * ...

in 1901 for £13,500.

Construction & dimensions

''Douglas'' was a steel built, single-screw vessel constructed by Robert Napier & Co. of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

. She had a registered tonnage of ; length ; beam ; depth . ''Douglas'' had a certificated accommodation for 506 passengers and a crew of 33. Napier's were also responsible for her engines and boilers.

Service life

Douglas pictured in Dry Dock at Birkenhead

The ''Douglas'' was a departure in Steam Packet practice. Until 1901 all its ships had been ordered and built for it, with the exception of the two eminently suitable vessels and which had been bought in after their owners had unsuccessfully tilted at the

Manx Manx (; formerly sometimes spelled Manks) is an adjective (and derived noun) describing things or people related to the Isle of Man: * Manx people **Manx surnames * Isle of Man It may also refer to: Languages * Manx language, also known as Manx ...

trade. The ''Douglas'' however, was a straight purchase to fill the gap left when was sunk in 1899. The ship had been working the

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

service to the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey ...

and was thus very well suited to the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

trade. In November 1903, she collided with, and sank, the steamer ''City of Lisbon'' in the

Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...

. ''Douglas'' was used for winter services to and from the Island, and throughout

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, playing a valuable part in maintaining the Island's lifeline.

Mail and cargo

''Douglas'' was designed to carry a mixture of passengers and cargo. Her designation as a

Royal Mail Ship Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship or Steamer), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract to the British Royal Mail. The designation dates back to 1840. Any vessel d ...

(RMS) indicated that she carried mail under contract with the

Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith Williams ...

. A specified area was allocated for the storage of letters, parcels and specie (bullion, coins and other valuables). In addition, there was a considerable quantity of regular cargo, ranging from furniture to foodstuffs and even motor cars.

Incidents

On Thursday 7 September 1911, the ''Douglas'' ran aground in the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...

as she completing passage from

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

to Liverpool.''The Ramsey Courier.'' Friday, 8 September 1911 Having left

midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours ...

on Wednesday, by the time the ''Douglas'' arrived in the Queen's Channel a

fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily inf ...

had lowered visibility, resulting in her running aground near the Crosby Lightship. The ''Douglas'' heeled over to

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...

slightly, but righted as the

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

made. She subsequently refloated, and arrived into

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

at 08:30.

Sinking

On 16 August 1923, ''Douglas'' pulled out of the Brunswick Dock in the

at the start of her voyage to

. As she proceeded down river towards the sea, she attempted to cross the bows of the ''Artemisia'', a ship of 5,731 tons which was inward bound to

with a cargo of sugar from

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

. ''Artemisia'' struck the ''Douglas''

amidships This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th ...

but the Duty Officer of the ''Artemisia'' prevented any loss of life by keeping his engines going, and holding his bows into the ''Douglas's'' side, so keeping her afloat until all crew and the 15 passengers were taken off safely. The ''Douglas'' then sank (at ) and her wreck was destroyed nearly four months later. The collision was followed by a lengthy and expensive legal wrangle in which it revealed that the ''Artmisia'' was waiting her turn to enter the dock and was lying a thousand feet off the entrance with just sufficient seaway to stem the flood tide. The ''Douglas'' left the dock, turned into the tidal water intending to go around the larger ship. The issue turned to one of

seamanship Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea." It involves topics an ...

and the

Admiralty Court Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences. Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest ...

held that the ''Douglas'' was alone to blame. The case was heard on 5 June 1924. The Steam Packet appealed against the decision and the appeal was allowed. This time the ''Artemisia'' was held to blame. Then came the final appeal to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...

. The successful appeal was dismissed and their Lordships reversed the findings of the Appeal Court. The responsibility of the collision rested solely on the ''Douglas''.

Gallery

Official number and code letters

Official number Official numbers are ship identifier numbers assigned to merchant ships by their country of registration. Each country developed its own official numbering system, some on a national and some on a port-by-port basis, and the formats have sometimes ...

s are issued by individual flag states. They should not be confused with

IMO ship identification number The IMO number of the International Maritime Organization is a generic term covering two distinct meanings. The IMO ship identification number, is a type of hull number used as a unique ship identifier, and the IMO company and registered owner ...

s. ''Douglas'' had the UK Official Number 94515 and originally used the

Code Letters Code letters or ship's call sign (or callsign) Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853"> SHIPSPOTTING.COM >> Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853/ref> were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids and today also. Later, with the i ...

L C G W .

References

;Bibliography * Chappell, Connery (1980). ''Island Lifeline'' T.Stephenson & Sons Ltd {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas (1889) 1889 ships Ships built on the River Clyde London and South Western Railway Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Steamships of the United Kingdom Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Steamships of the Isle of Man World War I merchant ships of the Isle of Man Maritime incidents in 1923 Shipwrecks of the River Mersey Ferries of the Isle of Man Passenger ships of the United Kingdom