SS (RMS) ''Douglas'' (III) – the third vessel in the line's history to bear the name – was a

packet steamer Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed mainly for domestic mail and freight transport in European countries and in North American rivers and canals. Eventually including basic passenger accommodation, they were used extensively during t ...

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 The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Limited (abbreviated to IoMSPCo or, locally, The Steam Packet ()) is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world, having been founded in 1830. The company provides freight, p ...

in 1901 for £13,500.

Construction and dimensions

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

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. 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 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 and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

service to the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

and was thus very well suited to the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

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

Mersey The River Mersey () is a major river 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 ...

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

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 de ...

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

Royal Mail Royal Mail Group Limited, trading as Royal Mail, is a British postal service and courier company. It is owned by International Distribution Services. It operates the brands Royal Mail (letters and parcels) and Parcelforce Worldwide (parcels) ...

. 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 a major river 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 h ...

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 Civil ...

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 influenc ...

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 Hamburg, Manch ...

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 ...

made. She subsequently refloated, and arrived into

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

at 08:30.

Sinking

On 16 August 1923, ''Douglas'' pulled out of the

Brunswick Dock :''Brunswick Dock is also the name of a dock in London, which became part of the East India Docks.'' Brunswick Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, in England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the southern dock system, conne ...

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 is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

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

. 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 skill, art, competence (human resources), competence, and knowledge of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, o ...

and the

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

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 is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. 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 flag state, 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 hav ...

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 with two distinct applications: * the IMO ship identification number is a unique ship identifier; or, * the IMO company and registered owner identification number is u ...

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. Later, with the introduction of ...

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