Builders: Societe des Chantiers de la Loire 1898
Propulsion type: Paddle triple expansion diagonal
Owner: London Chatham & Dover Railway (Chemin de Fer du Nord), S.A.G.A.
Service dates: 1898 - 1923
Tonnage: Gross 2004
Comments:
This large, fast steamer was built for the LC&D Railway, but was operated under the French flag by the Northern Railway of France. She and her sister, Pas de Calais, were the only two paddlers built for cross channel work by the French. Under the 1896 Mail Agreement with the French, it was agreed that the morning service was operated by the French and the midday and night services by the LC&DR and therefore this picture would be taken on the morning run. These were fast ships, running at 21.5 knots which contributed to the longer service than most of the paddlers built for cross channel work at this time. In the Great War, Le Nord was responsible for ramming and sinking a German U Boat. After the War she was sold to S.A.G.A. and continued in service until May 1923, when she ran aground off the South Foreland and was declared a total loss. With her passing went the regular use of paddle steamers on the Dover Calais route. This picture comes from a family album and is previously unpublished. It shows Le Nord backing into the harbour at Calais.