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The Clyde steamer is the collective term for several passenger services that existed on the
River Clyde
The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...
in Scotland, running from
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
downstream to
Rothesay
Rothesay ( ; gd, Baile Bhòid ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay, which offers an onward rail ...
and other towns, a journey known as going ''doon the watter''.
The era of the Clyde steamer began in August 1812 with the very first successful commercial
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
service in Europe, when
Henry Bell's began a passenger service on the River Clyde between Glasgow and
Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
. The ''Comet'' undertook her official trial run on 6 August 1812. Henry Bell himself was on board, along with John Robertson, maker of ''Comet''s engine, and William McKenzie, formerly a schoolmaster in
Helensburgh
Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local governm ...
, acting as skipper. According to the ''Glasgow Courier'' newspaper two days later, the journey was completed in three-and-a-half hours. After this success, other operators sprang up in competition, and the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
became immensely popular with holidaymakers. By 1900 there were over three hundred Clyde steamers operating, and the industry was still in full swing by the early 1960s. Then, competition from new forms of holiday travel brought the era almost to a close, but continues to provide excursions.
From the outset, steamboat services were aimed at holidaymakers, with a stop at Helensburgh bringing passengers to Bell's Baths Hotel. Within ten years, there were nearly fifty steamers on the Firth of Clyde, sailing as far as
Largs
Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic.
A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...
,
Campbeltown
Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing ...
and
Inveraray
Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...
, and the Glasgow Magistrates had introduced a five-pound fine for services running late to prevent "the Masters of Steam Boats, from improper competition and rivalship, postponing their departure for considerable and uncertain periods, after the times they had previously intimated to the Public". Steamer services were also introduced onto the inland lochs, with the ''Marion'' appearing on
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...
in 1816.
With the rapid
industrialisation
Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...
and population growth of 19th-century Glasgow, great numbers were eager to be released from the grimy city on ''Fast Days'', and during the annual
Glasgow Fair week they went on a cruise down the Clyde to clean, unspoilt scenery. Tiny villages, perhaps with a stone jetty, soon became resorts with wooden piers and villas, hotels and public houses. Local residents would let out rooms, and boarding houses developed. Established towns like
Dunoon
Dunoon (; gd, Dùn Omhain) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well ...
and
Rothesay
Rothesay ( ; gd, Baile Bhòid ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay, which offers an onward rail ...
, on the
Isle of Bute
The Isle of Bute ( sco, Buit; gd, Eilean Bhòid or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault.
Formerly a constituent isl ...
, became major resorts. The wealthy built sandstone villas at places like
Kilcreggan
Kilcreggan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cille Chreagain'') is a village on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland.
It developed on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde at a time when Clyde steamers brought it within easy reach ...
,
Blairmore and
Innellan, to which they could commute daily, or weekly, during the summer.
The first turbine-powered merchant vessel, the Clyde steamer , was built in 1901. Her successor, the of 1933, was a
floating restaurant on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
until 2009. She was rescued by the Friends of TS Queen Mary, and she is now undergoing restoration on the Clyde in preparation for a return to passenger service in summer 2024.
The PS ''Waverley'', built in 1947, is the last sea-going
paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
in the world. This ship sails a full season of cruises every year from places around Britain, and has sailed across the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
for a visit to commemorate the 1940 sinking of
her 1899-built predecessor at the
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk (french: Bataille de Dunkerque, link=no) was fought around the French port of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle of France on ...
. The 1900 steamer still sails on
Loch Katrine
Loch Katrine (; or ) is a freshwater loch in the Trossachs area of the Scottish Highlands, east of Loch Lomond, within the historic county and registration county of Perthshire and the contemporary district of Stirling. The loch is about lon ...
, while on Loch Lomond the is being restored.
Vessels
*
PS ''Comet'' (1812–1820)
*PS ''Hero'' (1858–1909)
[
*PS ''Iona II'' (1863–1864)
* PS ''Iona'' (1864–1936), the longest-serving Clyde steamer
*PS ''Chancellor'' (1864–1896)]
* PS ''Gael'' (1867–1924)[
* PS ''Columba'' (1879–1935)
* PS ''Waverley'' (1885–1921), built for Captain Robert Campbell for the Kilmun station, taken over by his sons P & A Campbell, operated in the Bristol Channel 1887 to 1917, ferry and minesweeper during World War I
* PS ''Waverley'' (1899–1940), the surviving ''Waverleys predecessor that carried passengers on the Clyde and was sunk while carrying evacuees from Dunkirk during World War II
* TS ''King Edward'' (1901–1952)
* PS ''Duchess of Montrose'' (1902–1917)
* PS ''Waverley'' (1907–1939), a Clyde-built paddle steamer (originally operating as the PS ''Barry'' before being renamed in 1926) that carried passengers on the Bristol Channel and was sunk during minesweeping duty in World War II
*PS ''Vale of Clyde'' (1907–1952)][
* PS ''Eagle III'' (1910–1946)
* TS ''Queen Alexandra'' (1912–1958)
* TS ''King George V'' (1926–1974)
* TS ''Duchess of Montrose'' (1930–1964)
* PS ''Jeanie Deans'' (1931–1964)
* TS ''Duchess of Hamilton'' (1932–1970)
* TS ''Queen Mary'' (1933–1978)
* PS ''Caledonia'' (1934–1980)
* PS ''Waverley'' (1947–present), the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world
* PS ''Maid of the Loch'' (1953–1981)
]
Song
The journey down the Clyde to Rothesay is immortalised in the song "The Day we Went to Rothesay O".
References
;Bibliography
*
External links
History of the Waverley - Clyde Waterfront Heritage
Friends of TS Queen Mary
{{Portal bar, Scotland
Steamboats in Europe
Firth of Clyde