TSS (RMS) ''Manx Maid'' (I) No. 131765 - the first ship in the Company's history to be so named - was a

packet steamer Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...

which was bought by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company from the London and Southwestern Railway Company, and commenced service with the Steam Packet in 1923.

Dimensions

Constructed for the London and Southwestern Railway Company and named ''Caesarea'', the vessel was built by

Cammell Laird Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...

at Birkenhead in 1910. Length 284'6"; beam 39'1"; depth 15'8". ''Caesarea'' was launched at Birkenhead on Wednesday 14 September 1910. ''Caesarea'' was a steel; triple-screw turbine vessel, which had a registered tonnage of . Powered by three directly coupled turbines, and producing 6,500 i.h.p., ''Caesarea's'' boilers were double-ended circular return type, with a working steam pressure of 160 pounds p.s.i. This gave ''Caesarea'' a service speed of 20 knots.

Service life

London and Southwestern Railway Company

''Caesarea'' entered service with the London and Southwestern Railway Company in 1910, who employed her on the Southampton - Channel Islands service. On 7 July 1923, in a thick

fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...

, ''Caesarea'' struck a rock off Corbière as she was making passage from Jersey. Water began to enter the stokehold and engine room, whilst the

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...

began to fill, leading to the ship beginning to

founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

. She was able to turn round and almost made it back to St Helier Harbour, but sank just outside the pierheads. ''Caesarea'' was stuck fast for almost two weeks, but was refloated on 20 July on a spring tide. Nobody was injured. Following her salvage, ''Caesarea'' was taken under tow to Southampton for initial repair, and from there to Birkenhead at where her repairs were completed and she was acquired by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company

Purchased by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in December 1923 for an initial price of £9,000 and renamed ''Manx Maid'', she was refitted at a cost of £22,500 and converted to oil burning for a further £7,000 resulting in a total cost to the Company of £38,500. ''Manx Maid'' was fired by six furnaces for each boiler and at 18 knots would consume 84 tons of oil in 24 hours - or 36 tons at 12 knots. ''Manx Maid'' entered service with the Steam Packet fleet in time for the 1924 tourist season. She was employed operating to the numerous destinations then served by the Company, and continued to give reliable service to and from the Island, until with the dark clouds of war beginning to gather, she was requisitioned by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

on 27 August 1939, as an ABV - an armoured boarding vessel.

War service

''Manx Maid'' saw service in both World Wars. In 1914, she was requisitioned and served throughout the World War I under her original name, ''Caesarea''. In World War II she was requisitioned in August 1939, and served as an ABV, an

Armed Boarding Vessel Ocean boarding vessels (OBVs) were merchant ships taken over by the Royal Navy during the Second World War for the purpose of enforcing wartime blockades by intercepting and boarding foreign vessels. Ships See also * Armed boarding steamer ...

. As other Steam Packet ships were attending the

Evacuation of Dunkirk The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

, ''Manx Maid'' took no part in Operation Dynamo, as she was undergoing repairs at the time. However, once her repairs were completed, she was ordered to Southampton and made two crossings into the war zone as the retreat moved westwards along the French coast. Her first mission took her to St Malo, but by the time she arrived the port was already under

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

. She escaped after being unable to go inshore, and returned to England. She then made passage to Brest, and in one trip brought out nearly 3,000 troops, roughly twice her allowable passenger complement. ''Manx Maid'' pulled out in a heavy swell followed by the , and a cross-channel railway steamer. ''Manx Maid'' was almost two feet below her marks, and consequently developed condenser trouble meaning she had to heave to for nearly three hours some distance off the French Coast with the main enemy force approximately 30 miles from the port. Even so, she finally reached

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

safely. In October 1941 she became a 'Special Duties' vessel and was renamed H.M.S. ''Bruce'' by the Royal Navy. From the end of March 1942 she became a Fleet Air Arm target vessel, continuing those duties until March, 1945. She was paid off at Ardrossan on 21 March 1945 (minus her mainmast), and returned to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company that day.

Post-war service and disposal

Following her war service, ''Manx Maid'' returned to the Isle of Man. After a refit, she resumed her duties within the Steam Packet fleet, where she once again worked on the peak traffic routes, until with the introduction of the , , and , the decision was made to put her up for disposal. ''Manx Maid'' was towed to Barrow-in-Furness for breaking up in November 1950.

Gallery

References

;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Manx Maid Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company 1910 ships World War I merchant ships of the United Kingdom World War II merchant ships of the Isle of Man Ferries of the Isle of Man Steamships of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in 1923 Steamships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom World War II merchant ships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Mersey