PS Duchess of Montrose was a paddle steamer launched in 1902 and operated by the Caledonian Steam Packet Company as a River Clyde excursion steamer. She saw active service during the First World War after being requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted into a minesweeper. She was lost near Dunkirk on 18 March 1917 after striking a mine.[1]
 Paddle Steamer Duchess of Montrose in pre-war livery
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | PS Duchess of Montrose |
| Namesake | Violet Hermione Graham (1854-1940), Duchess of Montrose |
| Owner |  Caledonian Steam Packet Company |
| Ordered | 29 November 1901 |
| Builder | John Brown & Company, Clydebank |
| Cost | £19,572 |
| Yard number | 352 |
| Laid down | 19 December 1901 |
| Launched | 8 May 1902 |
| Fate | Requisitioned by the Royal Navy, 15 February 1915 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Operator |  Royal Navy |
| Acquired | 15 February 1915 |
| Identification | Pennant number: PP585 |
| Fate | Mined near Gravelines, 18 March 1917 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Clyde paddle steamer |
| Tonnage | 322 tons |
| Length | 210.3 ft (64.1 m) |
| Beam | 25.2 ft (7.7 m) |
| Installed power | 206 nominal horsepower |
| Propulsion | Four-cylinder triple-expansion diagonal steam engine, driving paddles |
| Speed | 16.5 kn (30.6 km/h) |
Construction
editIn October 1901 the Caledonian Steam Packet Company invited tenders from six of the Clyde shipyards to build a replacement for the paddle steamer Meg Merrilies. On 29 October 1901 they accepted an offer made by John Brown & Company of Clydebank to build the ship for £19,572,[2] and the keel was laid in Clydebank on 19 December 1901.[3] The minutes of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company for 4 February 1902 record that:
It was agreed, subject of the approval of Her Grace, the Duchess of Montrose, that the new steamer should be named Duchess of Montrose.[2]
Duchess of Montrose was launched on 8 May 1902[3] and achieved the contracted speed during trials on 4 June 1902.[2]
Design
editDuchess of Montrose was fitted with a triple-expansion steam engine incorporating four cylinders (two high-, one intermediate-, and one low-pressure) arranged in tandem to drive two cranks. This arrangement was considered more efficient than the conventional two-cylinder compound steam engine and provided greater manoeuvrability at piers. The use of relatively small paddle wheels, intended to save wear and tear, meant that Duchess of Montrose had a diminutive paddlebox and, in conjunction with a very vertical funnel, she was easily recognisable amongst the Clyde fleet. She featured saloons fore and aft and an open bow under the promenade deck.[2]
Career
editExcursion steamer
editInitially employed on the Ayr station,[3] she went on to service both the Gourock and Wemyss Bay routes[4] before being used for general railway connections further upstream.[5]
Troopship
editOn 15 February 1915, along with Duchess of Argyll and Duchess of Hamilton, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a troopship and spent the first few months of her service ferrying troops from Southampton to France. It is reported that she initially arrived in Southampton in her Caledonian Steam Packet livery but was soon repainted naval grey.[6]
Minesweeper
editOn 15 May 1915 she was given the pennant number PP585 and converted into a minesweeper by Lieutenant Commander W G Rigg. This work involved having the end of her saloon cut away to main deck level and replaced with minesweeping equipment. From 14 July 1915 she was stationed at Dover under the command of Lieutenant Alexander Duff Thomson Royal Naval Reserve and from April 1916 she was stationed at Dunkirk.[6]
Salvage of the Sussex
editBetween 1 and 3 January 1917, Duchess of Montrose, HMS Myrmidon, HMS Nepaulin, HMS Redcar, HMT Security assisted in the salvage of the steamer SS Sussex after she struck a mine near the West Dyck shoal on her way to Dunkirk from Sydney, each ship receiving a portion of the salvage money.[7]
Loss
editOn the morning of Sunday 18 March 1917, Duchess of Montrose left Dunkirk harbour and at 9am began sweeping close to the Gravelines Buoy. She recovered five mines (from Barrage 248 laid by the U-Boat UB-12[8][9]) before stopping for low water.[10] Around an hour after she resumed sweeping, Duchess of Montrose hit a mine amidships, broke in two and sank in less than a minute.[10] Her wreck lies at 51°03′N 2°07′E / 51.050°N 2.117°E[9][11]
Thirty-one of the crew of Duchess of Montrose are reported to have been rescued,[10] but twelve men were lost in the sinking.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Lists of Naval Losses". battleships-cruisers.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
- ^ a b c d Paterson, Alan J.S. (1969) The Golden Years of the Clyde Steamers (1889-1914). David & Charles Ltd. ISBN 0-7153-4290-8
- ^ a b c "Launched 1902: PS Duchess of Montrose". Clydebuilt Ships Database. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ McQueen, Andrew (1923) Clyde River Steamers 1872-1922, The Strong Oak Press, ISBN 1-871048-17-6
- ^ "Duchess of Montrose at Paddle Steamer Resources website". Tramscape. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
- ^ a b Bacon, Sir Reginald (1919). The Dover Patrol 1915-1917. George H. Doran Company.
- ^ Smith, Gordon. "ROYAL NAVY SHIPS RECEIVING NAVAL SALVAGE and PRIZE BOUNTY MONEY". Naval History. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ Spindler, Arno.(1941) Der Krieg zur See, 1914-1918: Handelskrieg mit U-Booten, Volume 4. E.S. Mittler und Sohn.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Duchess of Montrose". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
- ^ a b c Dorling, Captain Taprell (1935) Swept channels: being an account of the work of the minesweepers in the Great War. Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. ISBN 978-0-19-822496-9
- ^ "HMS Duchess of Montrose (PP585)". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
- ^ "Royal Navy Casualties, killed and died, March 1917". naval-history.net. Retrieved 18 September 2008.