SS Mabel was a small cruise ship launched in 1883 and owned by James Hornsby, proprietor of the Loch Maree Hotel, that provided tourists a tour of landlocked Loch Maree, Scotland.[2][3] Mabel also served as a small passenger ferry between Poolewe (Tollie Bay pier 57°44′30″N 5°34′53″W / 57.7416°N 5.5815°W ) and Kinlochewe (Rhu Noa pier 57°37′43″N 5°20′35″W / 57.6285°N 5.3430°W), which connected visitors arriving by coach from Achnasheen railway station.[2][4]
.png) A model of "SS Mabel" at Gairloch Museum.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | "Mabel" |
| Owner | Loch Maree Hotel |
| Ordered | 1882 |
| Builder | T.B. Seath & Co.[1] |
| Launched | 1883 |
| Out of service | 1911 |
| Fate | Unknown; likely scrapped. |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 13.7 meters |
| Propulsion | 1 × single-screw propeller |
Hornsby sold Mabel to David MacBrayne, whose steamship operations covered all of west Scotland, in 1887.[5] MacBrayne promoted the vessel as a tourist attraction and it served until 1911, when it was moored up beside Loch Maree Hotel.[2][6]
In 1913 the vessel was beached near to the hotel, where it remained until about 2000.[1][7]
A model of Mabel can be seen in the Gairloch Museum,[6] however some photos show the Mabel with slight differences: the model and some photographs show the vessel with tiller steering, while another image, undated, seems to show passengers at the stern of the ship with a crew member at the wheel on an open bridge.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b "The steamer "Mabel" on a slipway at Talladale, Loch Maree, 1927". Am Baile - Highland History and Culture. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "New Circular Route on Loch Maree". Bradshaw's Monthly Continental Railway, Steam Transit, and General Guide, for Travellers Through Europe. Bradshaw's. July 1887. p. 704.
- ^ Baddeley, Mountford (1884). "The Northern Highlands and Islands". Time & Fare Tables. London: Dulau and Co. p. xv.
- ^ Sheet 20 Ross & Cromarty (Map). 1:126,720. Edinburgh: John Bartholomew. 1902.
- ^ Deayton, Alistair (2014). "David MacBrayne: 1879–1905". MacBrayne Ships. Stroud, England: Amberley. ISBN 9781445635828.
- ^ a b "SS Mabel". Gairlochmuseum. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ "MHG52224 - MABEL: LOCH MAREE - Highland Historic Environment Record". her.highland.gov.uk. The Highland Council. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ^ "SS "Mabel" on Loch Maree". Am Baile - Highland History and Culture. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
