RMS ''Columba'' was a
Clyde paddle steamer,
MacBraynes flagship from 1879 to 1935. She ran the first leg of "The
Royal Route" to
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 ...
for fifty eight summers.
History
''Columba'' was built by J & G Thomson of Clydebank, for David Hutcheson & Co. (later
David MacBrayne Ltd). Commissioned for the first stage of the "Royal Route" to
Loch Fyne, she was the flagship of the MacBrayne fleet from 1879 to 1935 and is often considered the finest Clyde steamer of all time.
She brought new elegance and comfort to Scottish travel, and typified the mid-Victorian tourist steamer at its best.
''Columba'' and her sister ship were well maintained and kept their lustre to the end. Both were retired and broken up side by side at shipbreakers, Arnott & Young at Dalmuir in March 1936.
Layout
''Columba'' was modelled on Hutcheson's , which she was destined to replace. She had a curved bow and two funnels and was fitted out to a high standard. There were a barber's shop and a post office on board.
When ''Columba'' was re boilered in 1900, her four navy boilers were replaced by two haystack boilers. The reduction in weight meant that she floated five inches higher in the water.
At the same time, a smoking room was erected on the promenade deck immediately abaft the after funnel.
Service
All of ''Columba''s distinguished career was on the first leg of "The Royal Route" from
Glasgow to
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 ...
, calling at
Rothesay and the
Kyles of Bute. The route, so named after Queen Victoria sailed from the Clyde in 1847,
was used by the cream of Victorian and Edwardian society to reach estates in the Highlands. ''Columba'' visited Ardrishaig over 5600 times in her 58-year career.
Other vessels took the continuation of the Royal Route through the
Crinan Canal to
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 ...
,
Fort William and
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
(through the
Caledonian Canal
The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford.
Route
The canal r ...
).
''Columba'' was replaced by MacBrayne's turbine steamer ''Saint Columba'' (formerly ''Queen Alexandra''). In the early 1970s, her name was honoured in the building of the
Anderston Centre
The Anderston Centre (originally styled as the Anderston Cross Commercial Centre, but now officially branded as Cadogan Square) is a mixed-use commercial and residential complex, and former bus station located in the Anderston area of Glasgow, ...
regeneration complex - along with that of fellow Clyde steamers the SS ''Dalraida'' and SS ''Davaar'' - the names of these three vessels were applied to the centre's three residential
tower blocks in reference to the Anderston docks which they regularly visited.
Footnotes
External links
Image in dry dock
{{DEFAULTSORT:Columba, RMS
Clyde steamers
1878 ships