RMS ''Royal Adelaide'' was a paddle

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

owned and operated by the

City of Dublin Steam Packet Company The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company was a shipping line established in 1823. It served cross-channel routes between Britain and Ireland for over a century. For 70 of those years it transported the mail. It was 'wound-up' by a select commit ...

. Its principal route ran between London and

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

Final journey

The ''Royal Adelaide'', captained by John Batty, left Cork fully laden with cargo and about 250 passengers on Wednesday, 27 March 1850, touching off at Plymouth on the Thursday evening. By the time the ship left Plymouth for London at 3.00 am on Friday, there were almost 300 deck passengers. The ship was lost at about 11.00 pm on Saturday, 30 March 1850 on Tongue Sands north of

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

, with the loss of all on board. News only reached London late on Sunday as the

river pilot A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who has specific knowledge of an often dangerous or congested waterway, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots know local details s ...

waiting for the ship happened to meet a Deal pilot (Charles Gillham) who reported seeing a ship of a similar description in distress the previous evening (''London Illustrated News'' 6 and 13 April 1850). The dead included more than 150 deck passengers from Ireland, during a time when the Great Famine was at its height.

External links

*
''Moving Here'' website
Royal Adelaide (1838) Royal Adelaide (1838) Royal Adelaide (1838) 1850 in the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in March 1850 Shipwrecks of the River Thames Shipwrecks in the Strait of Dover {{ship-stub