West Cornwall Steam Ship Company
Encyclopedia
The West Cornwall Steam Ship Company was established in 1870 to operate ferry services between Penzance
, Cornwall
, and the Isles of Scilly
.
. The following year it took over the "Little Western" from the Scilly Isles Steam Navigation Company
which had been operating on the route since 1858. Following financial problems the company was acquired by John Banfield who set up the West Cornwall Steamship Company in 1907. He already operated two steam launches around the islands, Seagull and Siva, to which he added a 120 ton sailing ship, the Golden Light. The company sold the remaining ferry operating to Penzance and was wound up in 1917.
Steam services to the islands were hastily arranged by the Government chartering the Lapwing from a Clyde
operator until a new Isles of Scilly Steamship Company could take over in 1920.
and the Isle of Arran
in Scotland
. She moved to Penzance in 1871 but was wrecked in July the following year on Nornour Rock. She was 140 feet long and displaced 148 gross tons.
It was kept in service by the West Cornwall Steam Ship Company until 1875.
It was sold to Jackson and Ford of London and Milford in 1877, then Joseph Lawson of South Shields in 1883. In 1888 it was resold to John & David Morris, Pelaw Main and was reconstructed and converted to screw by Abbot & Co of Gateshead and renamed Jubilant. On 27 Nov 1897 it sailed from Maldon for the Tyne and its fate is unknown.
for William Alcock of Morecambe as an excursion paddle steamer with a passenger capacity of 195. She saw service in Morecambe Bay
, Lancashire
and then transferred to William Allsup of Preston for use at Blackpool in 1872, before being purchased in 1874 and transferred to Penzance in 1875 after being re-boilered by Harvey's of Hayle.
She was 131 feet 6 inches long and 136 tons. She had a single diagonal paddle.
She was sold to John Dutton of Cardiff in 1883 and until 1885 she was engaged on a number of charters in the Bristol Channel during the summer season. She was then obtained by John T Hutchins, 1885 in Cardiff, Jessie Laurie, 1886 in Ilfracombe and the Newport & Bristol Channel Excursion Co Ltd. 1889 in Cardiff.
She was damaged by fire on 22 May 1894 on the River Usk; sold for scrap.
In 1884 she was sold to the Great Western Railway Company and based at Milford in Wales. She was chartered by the West Cornwall Steam Ship Company in 1888 and 1889 for the season.
She was 211ft long, 23.2ft beam and 10.6ft deep. She could achieve a speed of 16 knots.
She returned to Scotland in 1891, based at Oban under the ownership of MacBrayne. There she served Gairloch via Mull, Eigg, Mallaig and Skye until she was broken up in 1924.
in 1875 and worked on the West Cornwall service until 1904.
On 1 September 1904, she struck the Heaver Rock. She was beached in Lamorna
Cove to stop her from sinking. She was re-floated and repaired and with new boilers.
From 1905 she was a cable ship for the Royal Navy
, and then from 1938 as the salvage vessel for the Western Marine Salvage Co of Penzance, until requisitioned by the Admiralty as an Auxiliary vessel.
She was sunk by a mine off Killigerran Head near Falmouth
on 3 October 1940. She was 130 feet 6 inches long and 162 tons.
, this time in 1889. She had a 3 cylinder turbine engine and was 329 gross registered tonnes, 170ft long, 25ft 1in beam, 10ft 4in depth. She was sold in 1918 to Queenstown, as a salvage ship, and returned to Hayle in 1928 to be scrapped
Lyonesse
is the area of land reputedly lying under the sea between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
since being built in 1901, when she was transferred to West Cornwall in 1905. She was sold on to Canada
two years later, becoming the . She was 189 feet (57.6 m) long and 483 tons.
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
.
History
The company was formed on 5 February 1870, principally by the shareholders in the West Cornwall RailwayWest Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
. The following year it took over the "Little Western" from the Scilly Isles Steam Navigation Company
Scilly Isles Steam Navigation Company
The Scilly Isles Steam Navigation Company provided shipping services between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly from 1858 to 1872.-Company:The company was founded in 1858 by John Banfield, Thomas Johns Buxton, William Mumford Hoskin and James Phillips, shareholders in the Little Western Steamship...
which had been operating on the route since 1858. Following financial problems the company was acquired by John Banfield who set up the West Cornwall Steamship Company in 1907. He already operated two steam launches around the islands, Seagull and Siva, to which he added a 120 ton sailing ship, the Golden Light. The company sold the remaining ferry operating to Penzance and was wound up in 1917.
Steam services to the islands were hastily arranged by the Government chartering the Lapwing from a Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
operator until a new Isles of Scilly Steamship Company could take over in 1920.
Little Western
The Little Western had been launched in 1858, and transferred to the West Cornwall company in 1871 for the sum of £2,640. It was wrecked on 6 October 1872.Earl of Arran
The Earl of Arran was a paddle steamer built by Blackwood & Gordon (Yard No. 37) in Paisley in 1860 for service at ArdrossanArdrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
and the Isle of Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. She moved to Penzance in 1871 but was wrecked in July the following year on Nornour Rock. She was 140 feet long and displaced 148 gross tons.
Guide
Guide was a wooden-hulled paddle steamer leased following the loss of the West Cornwall's two ships in 1872. It was built in 1869 for the Dartmouth Steam Packet Company by John Henry Warren for Harvey & Co, Hayle. Length 97.7 feet; Beam 19.8 feet; Depth 9 feet. It has a single-cylinder engine by Harvey of Hayle.It was kept in service by the West Cornwall Steam Ship Company until 1875.
It was sold to Jackson and Ford of London and Milford in 1877, then Joseph Lawson of South Shields in 1883. In 1888 it was resold to John & David Morris, Pelaw Main and was reconstructed and converted to screw by Abbot & Co of Gateshead and renamed Jubilant. On 27 Nov 1897 it sailed from Maldon for the Tyne and its fate is unknown.
Queen of the Bay
The paddle steamer Queen of the Bay was built 1867 by Henderson, Colbourn and Company at Renfrewfor William Alcock of Morecambe as an excursion paddle steamer with a passenger capacity of 195. She saw service in Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310 km².-Natural features:The rivers Leven,...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and then transferred to William Allsup of Preston for use at Blackpool in 1872, before being purchased in 1874 and transferred to Penzance in 1875 after being re-boilered by Harvey's of Hayle.
She was 131 feet 6 inches long and 136 tons. She had a single diagonal paddle.
She was sold to John Dutton of Cardiff in 1883 and until 1885 she was engaged on a number of charters in the Bristol Channel during the summer season. She was then obtained by John T Hutchins, 1885 in Cardiff, Jessie Laurie, 1886 in Ilfracombe and the Newport & Bristol Channel Excursion Co Ltd. 1889 in Cardiff.
She was damaged by fire on 22 May 1894 on the River Usk; sold for scrap.
Gael
The Gael was an Iron Paddle Steamer built by Robertson & Co. Engineer: Rankin & Blackmore in 1867 for the Campbeltown & Glasgow Steam Packet Joint Stock Company. She was the first ship built by this ship yard.In 1884 she was sold to the Great Western Railway Company and based at Milford in Wales. She was chartered by the West Cornwall Steam Ship Company in 1888 and 1889 for the season.
She was 211ft long, 23.2ft beam and 10.6ft deep. She could achieve a speed of 16 knots.
She returned to Scotland in 1891, based at Oban under the ownership of MacBrayne. There she served Gairloch via Mull, Eigg, Mallaig and Skye until she was broken up in 1924.
Lady of the Isles
The Lady of the Isles was launched by Harvey's of HayleJohn Harvey (ironfounder)
John Harvey was a Cornishman whose career started as a blacksmith and engineer at Carnhell Green near Hayle, in West Cornwall. In 1779 he established a foundry and engineering works at Hayle called Harvey & Co. By 1800 the company employed more than 50 people and continued to grow as Harvey worked...
in 1875 and worked on the West Cornwall service until 1904.
On 1 September 1904, she struck the Heaver Rock. She was beached in Lamorna
Lamorna
Lamorna is a fishing village and cove in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Penwith peninsula approximately four miles south of Penzance.-Newlyn School of Art and the Lamorna Colony:...
Cove to stop her from sinking. She was re-floated and repaired and with new boilers.
From 1905 she was a cable ship for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and then from 1938 as the salvage vessel for the Western Marine Salvage Co of Penzance, until requisitioned by the Admiralty as an Auxiliary vessel.
She was sunk by a mine off Killigerran Head near Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
on 3 October 1940. She was 130 feet 6 inches long and 162 tons.
Lyonesse
The Lyonesse was another vessel built by Harvey's of HayleJohn Harvey (ironfounder)
John Harvey was a Cornishman whose career started as a blacksmith and engineer at Carnhell Green near Hayle, in West Cornwall. In 1779 he established a foundry and engineering works at Hayle called Harvey & Co. By 1800 the company employed more than 50 people and continued to grow as Harvey worked...
, this time in 1889. She had a 3 cylinder turbine engine and was 329 gross registered tonnes, 170ft long, 25ft 1in beam, 10ft 4in depth. She was sold in 1918 to Queenstown, as a salvage ship, and returned to Hayle in 1928 to be scrapped
Lyonesse
Lyonesse
Lyonesse is a country in Arthurian legend, particularly in the story of Tristan and Iseult. Said to border Cornwall, it is most notable as the home of the hero Tristan, whose father was king...
is the area of land reputedly lying under the sea between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Deerhound
The Deerhound had worked on the MerseyRiver Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
since being built in 1901, when she was transferred to West Cornwall in 1905. She was sold on to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
two years later, becoming the . She was 189 feet (57.6 m) long and 483 tons.
| Date | 1871-1872 | 1872-1875 | 1875-1889 | 1889-1905 | 1905-1918 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Western | — | ||||
| Earl of Arran | — | ||||
| Guide | — | ||||
| Queen of the Bay | — | ||||
| Lady of the Isles | — | — | |||
| Lyonesse | — | — | |||
| Deerhound | — |