SS ''Mona'' (I) - the first vessel in the Company's history to be so named - was a wooden

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 ...

that was operated by the

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

Building

John Wood & Co built ''Mona'' at

Port Glasgow Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recen ...

, launching her on 27 July 1831. Her registered length was , her beam was and her depth was . Her

tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on ''tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically ref ...

s were and .

Robert Napier and Sons Messrs Robert Napier and Sons was a famous firm of River Clyde, Clyde shipbuilders and marine engineers at Govan, City of Glasgow, Glasgow founded by Robert Napier (engineer), Robert Napier in 1826. It was moved to Govan for more space in 1841. Hi ...

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 ...

built her engine, which was a side-lever steam engine driving side paddles. Its working pressure was , it was rated at 70

NHP Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

, and it gave her a speed of .

IoMSP career

''Mona'' was the second ship to enter service with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. She was hurriedly ordered for the winter service in place of the larger , which was soon considered too valuable to risk in storm conditions. ''Mona'' started on the Company's service to

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is th ...

, and then began winter service to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in October 1832. Faster than ''Mona's Isle'', she cut the

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

– Liverpool run to seven hours, and once made passage from Douglas to Whitehaven in four hours and 35 minutes.

Steam tug

''Mona'' was the smallest ship in the IoMSP fleet. After less than 10 years service she was bought by a C Drinkwater, possibly in 1839 when her port of

registration Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), the ...

was changed from Douglas to

. The Liverpool Steam Tug Company bought her in 1841 to use as a tug. In 1852 James Ward, Hugh Sheridan and Charles Flanagan bought her and registered her in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Her tonnages were revised to and . After the

Merchant Shipping Act 1854 The Merchant Shipping Act 1854 (17 & 18 Vict c. 104) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was passed on 10 August 1854, together with the Merchant Shipping Repeal Act 1854 (17 & 18 Vict c. 120), which together repealed several c ...

was passed, her

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 ...

was 13398. She was scrapped in 1864.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mona (1832) 1831 ships Ferries of the Isle of Man Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom Passenger ships of the Isle of Man Ships built on the River Clyde Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Steam tugs