TS ''King George V'' (the "KGV") was a pioneering Clyde passenger turbine steamer, built in 1926. She was a popular boat, seeing service to Inveraray and later based in

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 ...

, and withdrawn in 1974.

History

''King George V'' was built by

William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scottish shipbuilding company. History The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships are recorded being built ...

for the

Turbine Steamers Ltd A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating ...

as a pioneering turbine powered vessel intended for longer routes. She passed to the ownership of David MacBrayne Ltd in October 1935, when plans to rename her were never enacted. Displaced by , she was withdrawn from service in 1974. Several attempts were made to preserve her as a floating pub or restaurant, but all failed. ''King George V'' was burnt out at Cardiff docks in 1981 and scrapped in 1984. King George V capstan

Layout

''King George V'' was novel in design, providing spacious accommodation with an enclosed promenade deck, the saloon extending the full width of the hull and half the length of the vessel. Above this was an observation deck. The restaurant was aft on the main deck, with large observation windows. Her machinery was even more innovative. Seven turbines, with two very high pressure boilers, were linked by gears to twin propellers. The boilers had to be replaced after tubes burst. A first incident happened off

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier *Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia *Irvine Island *Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada *Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...

at the end of the 1927 season, when two firemen were killed. A second incident was in

Kilbrannan Sound Kilbrannan Sound (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Caolas Branndanach'') is a marine water body that separates the Kintyre Peninsula of Scotland from the island of Arran. Kilbrannan Sound is the western arm of the Firth of Clyde. See also * Dippen Bay * Ki ...

, with no loss of life. She was re-boilered in 1929 and again 1935. In 1935, one turbine was removed to simplify the power system and two new, slightly broader funnels were fitted. A main mast was fitted in 1952, radar in 1958 and in 1959, inflatable life rafts replaced two of her lifeboats. She was further modernised in the winter refits of 1960 and 1961.

Service

''King George V'' was initially mainly used on the Inveraray service but also visited

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing ...

. She became a much loved ship. After 1935, she was based in

cruising round Mull, to

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...

, Staffa and Fort William. In World War II, she was requisitioned as a troop carrier, initially based at Southampton. In 1940, she evacuated troops from Rotterdam, Ostend,

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

and famously,

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

. Returning to the Clyde in 1941 for tendering duties, she carried Prime Minister,

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

to his battleship en route to the

Atlantic Conference The Atlantic Charter was a statement issued on 14 August 1941 that set out American and British goals for the world after the end of World War II. The joint statement, later dubbed the Atlantic Charter, outlined the aims of the United States and ...

. After the war, she resumed MacBrayne cruises on the Clyde in 1946, including the summer

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 ...

mail service. She was back to Oban in 1947 and each summer until withdrawn in 1974. In her final years she also undertook charters, including one to Bangor in Ireland.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:King George V, TS 1926 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Clyde steamers

TS King George V TS ''King George V'' (the "KGV") was a pioneering Firth of Clyde, Clyde passenger turbine steamboat, steamer, built in 1926. She was a popular boat, seeing service to Inveraray and later based in Oban, and withdrawn in 1974. History ''King Ge ...

George V