''Duchess of Norfolk'' was a

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 ...

built in 1911 for the

London, Brighton and South Coast Railway The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR; known also as the Brighton line, the Brighton Railway or the Brighton) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its ...

and London and South Western Railway, who operated a joint service to the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. She was requisitioned by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

for use as minesweeper HMS ''Duchess of Norfolk'' during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, returning to her owners after the war ended. She passed to the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923. In 1937, she was sold to Cosens & Co Ltd and renamed ''Embassy''. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she was again requisitioned for use as a minesweeper, this time being named HMS ''Ambassador''. Postwar she was returned to her owners, and regained her former name ''Embassy''. She served until 1966. She was scrapped in 1967.

Description

The ship was built by D & W Henderson Ltd,

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 ...

. She was yard number 475 and was launched on 25 July 1911 with completion in August 1911. The ship was long, with a beam of and a depth of . She was powered by a compound steam engine, which had cylinders of and bore by stroke. This could propel her at a speed of .

History

''Duchess of Norfolk'' was built for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the London and South Western Railway. She was used on their

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

route. Her port of registry was

. In May 1916, ''Duchess of Norfolk'' was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for use as a minesweeper in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

. She was returned to her owners in July 1920 and refitted before resuming service. She passed to the Southern Railway at Grouping. In 1937, ''Duchess of Norfolk'' was replaced by ''Ryde''. She was sold to Cosens & Co Ltd and was renamed ''Embassy''. She was refitted before entering service. Her port of registry was changed to Weymouth. She was used for day trips from

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

. During the Second World War, ''Embassy'' was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for use as a minesweeper, HMS ''Ambassador''. Postwar, she was returned to Cosens & Co, and regained her former name. ''Embassy'' was refitted, with a larger wheelhouse and extended deck shelters, re-entering service in 1946. She was converted to oil firing during the winter of 1946-47. ''Embassy'' was used for day trips from Bournemouth, except for the 1948 season when she was based at Weymouth. In 1966, ''Embassy'' developed mechanical problems, including a damaged

paddle wheel A paddle wheel is a form of waterwheel or impeller in which a number of paddles are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several uses, of which some are: * Very low-lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than about ...

. She operated her final service on 22 September of that year. She was sold for scrap, and departed Weymouth under tow on 25 May 1967, bound for

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. She was scrapped at

Boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfi ...

, where she arrived on 28 May 1967.

Official Number and code letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to

IMO Number The IMO number of the International Maritime Organization is a generic term covering two distinct meanings. The IMO ship identification number, is a type of hull number used as a unique ship identifier, and the IMO company and registered owner ...

s. ''Duchess of Norfolk'' and ''Embassy'' had the United Kingdom

Official Number Official numbers are ship identifier numbers assigned to merchant ships by their flag state, country of registration. Each country developed its own official numbering system, some on a national and some on a port-by-port basis, and the formats hav ...

131994 and used the

Code Letters Code letters or ship's call sign (or callsign) Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853"> SHIPSPOTTING.COM >> Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853/ref> were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids and today also. Later, with the i ...

MBQN. Towards the end of her life, ''Embassy'' was allocated IMO Number 5510305.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duchess Of Norfolk 1911 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom Ships of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Ships of the London and South Western Railway Steamships of the United Kingdom Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Ferry transport on the Isle of Wight Minesweepers of the Royal Navy Ships of the Southern Railway (UK) Ships of Cosens & Company