Builders: Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd Dundee 1928
Propulsion type: Paddle Compound Diagonal
Owner: Southern Railway Co
Service dates: 1928 - 1952
Tonnage: Gross 342
Comments:
Merstone was built in 1928, along with her sister Portsdown, to replace Duchess of Albany and Princess Margaret, who were sold for breaking up. The new boats were similar in design to Duchess of Kent although they had a large deckhouse with a skylight that provided light and ventilation to the engineroom. Merstone was used as a troop transporter for naval peronnel being taken to their ships in preparation for D day and she survived the heavy bombing suffered at Portsmouth. Portsdown was not so lucky, being sunk by a mine in 1941. After the war she continued the service from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight until 1952 when she was withdrawn following the introduction of the motor vessels Shanklin and Brading. Merstone was laid up and sold for scrap in September of that year. In service, she had an operational speed of 13.5 knots.