TSS ''Carlotta'' was a

London, Tilbury and Southend Railway The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR), was a British railway company, whose network connected Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , T ...

passenger ferry, in service between

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a Tilbury Fort, 16th century fort ...

and

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...

from 1893 until 1930.

History

TSS ''Carlotta'' was built by A. W. Robertson and Company,

Canning Town Canning Town is a town in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, north of the Royal Victoria Dock. Its urbanisation was largely due to the creation of the dock. The area was part of the ancient parish and County Borough of West Ham, ...

West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

(now in London), as Yard No.70 for the

as a Gravesend-Tilbury Ferry. She was their first twin-screw vessel and was launched on 21 November 1892. ''Carlotta'' was delivered to the railway company on 13 January 1893 after running successful

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, wh ...

. She was acquired by the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

in 1912 and by the

London Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...

in 1923 as the railway changed hands. In 1930 the ferry was reported to have been scrapped. However, she was resold to the Essex Yacht Club and became their floating clubhouse at

Leigh-on-Sea Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a List of towns in England, town and civil parish within the city of Southend-on-Sea, located in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 22,509. Geograph ...

. On 1 February 1941 ''Carlotta'' was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a

depot ship A depot ship is an auxiliary ship used as a mobile or fixed base for submarines, destroyers, minesweepers, fast attack craft, landing craft, or other small ships with similarly limited space for maintenance equipment and crew dining, berthing an ...

for the auxiliary patrol service, and renamed ''Gypsy'' (the name of her predecessor as clubhouse at Leigh-on-Sea). She was sunk by aircraft bombing off Tower Pier, London on 11 May 1941.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlotta 1892 ships Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Steamships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Thames Ships of the Midland Railway Ships of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Ships of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway