SS Royal William
A painting of the SS Royal William
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History | |
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Name | SS Royal William |
Ordered | 1830[1] |
Builder | George Black and John Saxton Campbell, Quebec[1] |
Laid down | September 2, 1830[1] |
Launched | April 27, 1831[1] |
In service | August 24, 1831[1] |
Spain | |
Name | Isabel II |
Namesake | Isabella II |
Acquired | September 1834 |
Out of service | 6 January 1860 |
Renamed | 1850: Santa Isabel |
Refit | 1840 |
Fate | Sunk by storm in Algeciras bay |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 1,370 ton[1] |
Length | 160 ft (49 m)[1] |
Beam | 44 ft (13 m)[1] |
Propulsion | steam engine;[1] paddles |
SS Royal William was a Canadian side-wheel paddle steamship that is sometimes credited with the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean almost entirely under steam power, in 1833, using sails only during periods of boiler maintenance. She was the largest passenger ship in the world from 1831 to 1839, where it was then passed by the SS Great Western. Earlier vessels that crossed partially under steam include the British-built Dutch-owned Curaçao in 1827 and the sail-steam hybrid SS Savannah in 1819.
The 1,370-ton SS Royal William (named after the ruling monarch,
.History
Genesis
She was commissioned by brewer John Molson[citation needed], George Black and John Saxton Campbell[3] and a group of investors from various colonies in British North America, including whom subscribed 196 shares at £25 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.[2] There were all told 235 investors of a total £16,000 in the Quebec and Halifax Steam Navigation Company.[2] The incorporation occurred on 31 March 1830.[2]
Construction
The ship was built in
Career as mail packeteer
She made several trips between Quebec and the Atlantic colonies in 1831, but travel became restricted because of the cholera epidemic in 1832.[5] Some shareowners protested that she had been poorly maintained over the winter, and as a result costly repairs that should have been unnecessary were required.[2] One legislator suggested that the annual subsidy not be paid because the Royal William had not fulfilled her schedule.[2] The losses bankrupted the venture because the loans went unpaid.[2] The owners lost some £16,000 on the venture.[4] On 3 April 1833 she was purchased at auction by a half-dozen mortgage holders and original shareholders for £5,000.[2]
Sale in England
Her owners decided to sail her to Europe and find a buyer. She departed from
Aside from a one-day pause to clean her boilers, the ship had crossed non stop using its steam engines. Royal William, which initially sold for £10,000, was eventually flipped to the
On 8 January 1860 Isabel Segunda was driven ashore and wrecked at Algeciras.[7]
Legacy
One of Royal William's co-owners was
In the town of Pictou there is a Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps named after this vessel. A large wooden model of Royal William is on display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax.[citation needed]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-88780-712-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-883283-50-6.
- ^ Denison 1955, p. 157
- ^ a b c Blakeley, Phyllis R. (1976). "Cunard, Sir Samuel". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. IX (1861–1870) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- ^ a b "Model of SS Royal William at the Maritime Museum" (Press release). Nova Scotia Museum. August 18, 2005.
- ^ "Noticias de España; San Sebastián". El comercio. Madrid. 24 April 1839. p. 1.
- ^ "Spain". The Royal Cornwall Gazette, Falmouth Packet and General Advertiser. No. 2953. Truro. 27 January 1860. p. 2.
Bibliography
- Eileen Reid Marcil, The PS Royal William of Quebec, Baraka Books, Montreal, 2020, 132 p.
- Denison, Merrill (1955). The Barley and the Stream: The Molson Story. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Limited.