SS (RMS) ''King Orry'' (II) No. 45479 – the second vessel in the company's history to bear the name – was an iron

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 were ...

operated 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 * ...

Construction and dimensions

''King Orry'' was built by R. Duncan & Co., at

Port Glasgow Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most rece ...

in 1871, with engines by Rankin & Blackmore, and launched on Monday 27 March 1871. Length 260'; beam 29'4"; depth 14'7", ''King Orry'' had an original tonnage of , and this was later increased to 1,104. Her original speed was 15

knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot may also refer to: Places * Knot, Nancowry, a village in India Archaeology * Knot of Isis (tyet), symbol of welfare/life. * Minoan snake goddess figurines#Sacral knot Arts, entertainmen ...

. In 1888, ''King Orry'' was refitted by Fairfield & Co at a cost of £8,246. She was lengthened by 30

feet The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg mad ...

, and at the same time she was reboilered by J. Jones & Co for £4,080. This thorough refit gave her a new boiler pressure of , her diagonal compound engine now had a stroke of 78 inches with a high-pressure cylinder of 52 inches and low pressure 92. Consequently, her speed was now increased from to . In 1895 she was given a complete electric lighting installation costing £575.

Service life

Considered an exceptionally well appointed ship, ''King Orry'' saw service on the wide range of routes the Steam Packet Company then operated. ''A contemporary report of the time stated she had:-'' For her operation the latest advancements in technology had been introduced. Part of this was the provision for telegraph communication with the engine room from both ends of the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, a

speaking tube A speaking tube or voicepipe is a device based on two cones connected by an air pipe through which speech can be transmitted over an extended distance. Use of pipes was suggested by Francis Bacon in the ''New Atlantis'' (1672). The usage for t ...

in the center and a third telegraph at the Captain's look-out house on the fore part of the hurricane deck. The vessel could therefore either been steered from the hurricane deck or the

aft "Aft", in nautical terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning towards the stern (rear) of the ship, aircraft or spacecraft, when the frame of reference is within the ship, headed at the fore. For example, "Able Seaman Smith; lie aft!" or "Wh ...

part of the ship. At the time ''King Orry'' entered service approximately 100,000 passengers were being conveyed by the Company, thanks in no small measure to the newly constructed low water landing pier at Douglas (now named the Victoria Pier), prior to the construction of which required passengers to disembark by boat. On 1 September 1873, during a voyage from Liverpool to Douglas, an explosion in her magazine injured several people, one seriously. On 12 August 1878, she collided with ''Concordia'', which was at anchor 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 ...

. ''King Orry'' was undamaged and proceeded on her voyage to Douglas. On 19 June 1884, the ''King Orry'' was required to go to the assistance of the ''Mona’s Isle'' which had suffered a mechanical failure.''The Isle of Man Examiner.'' Saturday, 21 June 1884 Departing

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 13:05hrs with approximately 250 passengers embarked, ''Mona’s Isle'' cleared the

Victoria Channel Otago Harbour is the natural harbour of Dunedin, New Zealand, consisting of a long, much-indented stretch of generally navigable water separating the Otago Peninsula from the mainland. They join at its southwest end, from the harbour mouth. It ...

and set a course bound for

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 ...

. She passed the ''Tynwald'', which was engaged in accompanying yachts racing 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 ...

, at 14:30hrs which reported her to be making good speed. When approximately mid-channel the mechanical failure to her machinery occurred, forcing her

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

, Capt. McQueen, to come to anchor and await the arrival of assistance. As there was no

wireless communication Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The mos ...

at that time, anxiety was caused in

as the scheduled time of arrival of the ''Mona’s Isle'' passed, requiring the

to contact their

office to ensure that she had departed on time. This was duly confirmed and the ''King Orry'', under the command of Capt. Gill, was coaled and despatched in order to locate the ''Mona’s Isle'' and give assistance. At 23:15hrs the ''Mona’s Isle'' was located by the ''King Orry'', which then took her under tow and proceeded to

. Passage was slow, and it was not until 05:00hrs the following morning that the two vessels arrived in Douglas; where many people had stayed on the Victoria Pier all night, anxious to receive news. Whilst out of commission, the ''King Orry'' replaced the ''Mona’s Isle'' on the Liverpool schedule, and in turn she was replaced on the Fleetwood schedule by the ''Fenella''.

Disposal

After 41 years of service – the longest service record up until that time in the history of the Steam Packet Fleet – the decision was made to withdraw her. She was taken by

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Quine to Llanerchymor for breaking, but before scrapping commenced she was opened for public inspection with the proceeds of this been donated to the Honeywell Cottage Hospital.Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (Fred Henry, 1973) p.15 ''King Orry'' was broken up at Llanerchymor, Wales, in 1912.

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. ''King Orry'' had the UK Official Number 45479 and 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 ...

P K J B .

References

;Bibliography * Chappell, Connery (1980). ''Island Lifeline'' T. Stephenson & Sons {{DEFAULTSORT:King Orry (1871) Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Ferries of the Isle of Man Steamships of the United Kingdom Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom 1871 ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Clyde Maritime incidents in September 1873