SS ''Mona'' (I) - the first vessel in the Company's history to be so named - was a wooden

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

that was operated 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 ...

Building

John Wood & Co built ''Mona'' at

Port Glasgow Port Glasgow (, ) 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 recent census in 2011 s ...

, launching her on 27 July 1831. Her registered length was , her beam was and her depth was . Her

tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on '' tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a cal ...

s were and .

Robert Napier and Sons Messrs Robert Napier and Sons was a famous firm of Clyde shipbuilders and marine engineers at Govan, Glasgow founded by Robert Napier in 1826. It was moved to Govan for more space in 1841. His sons James and John were taken into partnership in ...

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 ...

built her engine, which was a side-lever steam engine driving side paddles. Its working pressure was , it was rated at 70 NHP, and it gave her a speed of .

IoMSP career

''Mona'' was the second ship to enter service with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. She was hurriedly ordered for the winter service in place of the larger , which was soon considered too valuable to risk in storm conditions. ''Mona'' started on the Company's service to

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is a port on the north-west coast, and lies outside the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park. ...

, and then began winter service to

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 ...

in October 1832. Faster than ''Mona's Isle'', she cut the

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 ...

– Liverpool run to seven hours, and once made passage from Douglas to Whitehaven in four hours and 35 minutes.

Steam tug

''Mona'' was the smallest ship in the IoMSP fleet. After less than 10 years service she was bought by a C Drinkwater, possibly in 1839 when her port of registration was changed from Douglas to

. The Liverpool Steam Tug Company bought her in 1841 to use as a tug. In 1852 James Ward, Hugh Sheridan and Charles Flanagan bought her and registered her in

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 ...

. Her tonnages were revised to and . After the

Merchant Shipping Act 1854 The Merchant Shipping Act 1854 ( 17 & 18 Vict. c. 104), also known as the Imperial Shipping Act 1854, is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was passed on 10 August 1854, together with the Merchant Shipping Repeal Act 1854 ( 17 ...

was passed, her

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 ...

was 13398. She was scrapped in 1864.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mona (1832) 1831 ships Ferries of the Isle of Man Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom Passenger ships of the Isle of Man Ships built on the River Clyde Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Steam tugs