The PS (
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 we ...
) ''Comet'' was built in 1812 for
Henry Bell, hotel and
baths owner 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 gove ...
, and began a passenger service on 15 August 1812 on the
River Clyde between
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 ...
and
Greenock, the first commercially successful
steamboat service in Europe.
History
Henry Bell had become interested in steam-propelled boats, and corresponded with
Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboa ...
to learn from the ''
Charlotte Dundas'' venture.
In the winter of 1811/1812 he got John and Charles Wood of
John Wood and Company, shipbuilders of
Port Glasgow, to build a paddle steamer which was named ''Comet'',
named after the "
Great Comet
A great comet is a comet that becomes exceptionally bright. There is no official definition; often the term is attached to comets such as Halley's Comet, which during certain appearances are bright enough to be noticed by casual observers who ar ...
" of 1811. The 28 ton burthen craft had a deck long with a beam of .
It had two paddle wheels on each side, driven by a single-cylinder engine rated at .
The engine was made by John Robertson of Glasgow, and the boiler by
David Napier,
Camlachie
Camlachie ( gd, Camadh Làthaich) is an area of the city of Glasgow in Scotland, located in the East End of the city, between Dennistoun to the north, and Bridgeton to the south. Formerly a weaving village on the Camlachie Burn, it then develop ...
, Glasgow
(a story has it that they were evolved from an experimental little steam engine which Bell installed to pump sea water into the Helensburgh Baths). The funnel was tall and thin, serving as a mast, with a
yard
The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly ...
, allowing it to support a square sail when there was a following wind.
A small cabin aft had wooden seats in front of concealed beds and a table. ''Comet'' was reported as "brightly painted, having for her figurehead a lady garbed in all the colours of the rainbow".
''Comet'' was launched on 24 July 1812
with her trial run on 6 August from Port Glasgow to the
Broomielaw
Broomielaw is a major thoroughfare in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It runs adjacent to the River Clyde, on its north bank and forms the southern, waterside boundary of the city's International Financial Services District.
History
Named after ...
in Glasgow, taking three and a half hours for the .
[Some sources have the launching in 1811 and 18 January 1812 for a trial trip] The double paddlewheels were found to unsatisfactory and a pair of single wheels were substituted which increased her speed to almost 7
knots
A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines.
Knot may also refer to:
Places
* Knot, Nancowry, a village in India
Archaeology
* Knot of Isis (tyet), symbol of welfare/life.
* Minoan snake goddess figurines#Sacral knot
Arts, entertainme ...
.
On 15 August 1812, Bell advertised in a local newspaper "The Greenock Advertiser", that the Comet would begin a regular passenger service from that day, a distance of each way:
On 15 August ''Comet'' made the first commercial sailing from Glasgow for
Bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thou ...
, Helensburgh and Greenock, opening the era of the steamboat on the Clyde, and more widely in Britain and Europe.
The fare was "four shillings for the best cabin, and three shillings for the second." As the vessel clearly had no cabins in the modern sense it is unclear what this meant.
![Flywheel from P](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Flywheel_from_P.S._Comet_-_geograph.org.uk_-_39208.jpg)
The success of this service quickly inspired competition, with services down 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 ...
and the sea lochs to
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Campbeltown 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 ...
within four years, and the ''Comet'' was outclassed by newer steamers. Bell briefly tried a service on the
Firth of Forth.
Famous passengers
*
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
*
James Watt (in 1816, visiting his home town of Greenock in old age) – by this date Bell offered a return trip from Glasgow 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 ...
on the same day which Watt undertook.
Wreck
Bell had the ''Comet'' lengthened and re-engined, and from September 1819 ran a service to
Oban and
Fort William (via the
Crinan Canal), a trip which took four days. On 15 December 1820 the ''Comet'' was wrecked in strong currents at Craignish Point near Oban, with Bell on board.
There were no deaths.
One of the engines ended its working days in a Greenock brewery,
and is now in
The Science Museum
The Science Museum is a major museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. It was founded in 1857 and is one of the city's major tourist attractions, attracting 3.3 million visitors annually in 2019.
Like other publicly funded ...
in London.
Subsequent fate
In 1875, the schooner ''Ann'' was driven against a
steamship at
Greenock,
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...
and sank. The ''Glasgow Herald'' reported a piece from the ''Greenock Telegraph'' which stated "part of the hull of the Ann was all that was left of Henry Bell's old Comet, the first steam-vessel ever to sail in European waters. Some years ago she was bought up by Smillie, of Glasgow, and Bell's old engine taken out. She was lengthened, made a schooner, and was run on the Larne trade, where she was at great favourite, and was familiarly called the 'Long Ann'. Some time since she was burnt down to the waters edge, but her hull was so good, and she was such a favourite with her owners, that they hauled her into dock and fitted her. The curious thing is, that having been built at Port-Glasgow 63 years ago, and undergoing many vicissitudes, she should, like an old weather-beaten sailor, end her days almost at the threshold of her own home."
''Comet II''
Bell built another vessel, ''Comet II'', but on 21 October 1825 she collided with the steamer ''Ayr'' off Kempock Point,
Gourock
Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a ...
, Scotland.
''Comet II'' sank very quickly, killing 62 of the estimated 80 passengers on board,
including the son-in-law of
John Anderson, a friend of
Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
. Also drowned were recently married Captain Wemyss Erskine Sutherland of the 33rd Regiment and Sarah née Duff of Muirtown.
After the loss of his second ship, Bell abandoned his work on steam navigation.
Replica
![The Comet - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/The_Comet_-_geograph.org.uk_-_485232.jpg)
A
replica of the ''Comet'', currently situated in Port Glasgow, was built by
Lithgows
Lithgows Limited is a family-owned Scottish company that had a long involvement in shipbuilding, based in Kingston, Port Glasgow, on the River Clyde in Scotland. It has a continued involvement in marine resources.
History Founding
The Company ...
shipyard apprentices in 1962 for the 150th anniversary of the original.
As part of the anniversary celebrations the replica sailed from Port Glasgow to Helensburgh and back, accompanied by a flotilla of small ships.
In 2011, just before the original's 200th anniversary, the replica was restored by a partnership of
Inverclyde Council
Inverclyde Council is one of the 32 local authorities of Scotland. Created in 1995, its administrative centre is based in Greenock and its territory covers the area of Inverclyde in the west of Scotland, taking over from the local government distr ...
,
Ferguson Shipbuilders
Ferguson may refer to:
Places
Canada
*Ferguson Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario)
*Ferguson, British Columbia
*Mount Ferguson (Ontario), a mountain in Temagami, Ontario
United States
*Ferguson, a meteorite fall in North Carolina
*Ferguson, Arkansas
* F ...
and an organisation called The Trust.
The restoration cost £180,000.
A survey and condition report was commissioned by Inverclyde Council and reported back in 2019. The survey found that the wooden hull of the replica is in such bad condition that it is beyond economic repair, and recommended that the machinery be removed and placed in a new hull.
Notes
References
Bibliography
* ''Clyde Pleasure Steamers'' Ian McCrorie, Orr, Pollock & Co. Ltd., Greenock,
External links
Significant Scots – Henry BellRSA Treasure Trails – The Science Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comet
1812 ships
Clyde steamers
Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom
Ships of Scotland
Tourist attractions in Scotland
1820 in Scotland
Ships built on the River Clyde
Maritime incidents in December 1820
Maritime incidents in February 1875