PS ''Iona'' was a MacBrayne

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 ...

, which operated on the

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

for 72 years, the longest-serving Clyde steamer.

History

''Iona'' was built in 1864 to replace ''Iona'' (II) of 1863. She was built by J & G Thomson of Clydebank, for David Hutcheson & Co., which became

David MacBrayne Ltd David MacBrayne is a limited company owned by the Scottish Government. Formed in 1851 as the private shipping company David Hutcheson & Co. with three partners, David Hutcheson, Alexander Hutcheson and David MacBrayne, it passed in 1878 to David ...

in 1879. Two previous Clyde vessels had borne the same name. Both had been sold to the USA for

blockade running A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...

and lost early en route. ''Iona'' became the longest-serving Clyde steamer. After 72 years service, she was retired and broken up side-by-side with her younger sister, at shipbreakers, Arnott & Young at Dalmuir in March 1936.

Layout

''Iona'' had a curved and engraved bow and two funnels. Some of her fittings came from the earlier ''Iona'' (II). In 1873 she was fitted with telegraphs and steam steering gear for service on the

Ardrishaig Ardrishaig ( gd, Àird Driseig) is a coastal village on Loch Gilp, at the southern (eastern) entrance to the Crinan Canal in Argyll and Bute in the west of Scotland. It lies immediately to the south of Lochgilphead, with the nearest larger to ...

route. She was re-boilered in 1875 and again in 1891, with Haystack type boilers. During the 1891 refit, her funnels were lengthened and moved closer together.

Service

''Iona'' (III) was the main

steamer until the arrival of in 1878. After that, she continued to operate the early and late season service, sailing out of

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

for the rest of the summer. She stayed on the Clyde during the Great War and for a short while was chartered to the

Caledonian Steam Packet Company The Caledonian Steam Packet Company provided a scheduled shipping service, carrying freight and passengers, on the west coast of Scotland. Formed in 1889 to complement the services of the Caledonian Railway, the company expanded by taking over r ...

, working from

Wemyss Bay Wemyss Bay (; ) is a town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the traditional county of Renfrewshire. It is adjacent to Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire. The town and villages have always ...

. After the war, she was refitted and had new saloons added. She then sailed to

Lochgoilhead Lochgoilhead ( gd, Ceann Loch Goibhle, IPA: �kʰʲaun̴̪ˈɫ̪ɔxˈkɤilə is a village on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It is located within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and is widely consider ...

and Arrochar, and later from Oban to Fort William.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iona, PS 1864 Clyde steamers 1864 ships