Builders: Napier Shanks & Bell, in Yoker Dumbarton
Propulsion type: Paddle: Compound diagonal
Owners: Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Ltd.
Service dates: 1891 - 1947
Tonnage: Gross 427 (later 410)
Comments:
Built originally for Bristol Channel work, Lorna Doone was owned by Edwards, Robertson & Co. Under pressure from P & A Campbell, the competition proved too much and the ship was purchased by the Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Ltd., after a couple of seasons under the ownership of John Gunn, still in competition with Campbells.She had achieved a very creditable 17.5 knots on trials and was originally on the Cardiff to Ilfracombe run. Lorna Doone was similar in many ways to the Belle Steamers of the East Coast in that she had one funnel forward of the paddle boxes, full width deck saloon aft and a narrow fore saloon. On transfer to the Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Ltd. she was re boilered and gained another funnel in 1898. For two pictures of her in this guise, please click here. PS Lorna Doone (I) was considered in need of re boilering again in 1901, when she reverted to a single funnel. After service in two world wars she was considered to be in a too poor state to recondition again and was scrapped at Northam in 1948. For a close up picture of her paddle box, click here.
The above picture is previously unpublished and is an early colour original taken by the late SidneyPerrier, using Dufaycolour film. It shows her at Swanage on 27 August 1937. Whilst the picture is a little grainy, such colour pictures are rare.