Balmoral in Passenger Service

After leaving Glasgow and the Clyde last Wednesday Balmoral was forced to take shelter in Douglas, Isle of Man due to the prevailing wind which prevented her first 3 advertised passenger sailings taking place. It was not until 6am on Sunday (17th June) before she departed Douglas and headed to Garlieston to board her first passengers of 2012. She arrived off Garlieston in plenty of time but waited off until 9:45 to ensure sufficient water at the small pier. Passengers were quickly boarded and she departed just after 10am to head back to Douglas where most enjoyed the afternoon on the island. Many took the option of travelling by steam train to rejoin Balmoral at Port St Mary and then enjoy an excellent coastal cruise back up the East coast of the island to Douglas. The journey back to Garlieston was pleasant with flat seas and mainly clear skies.

Balmoral arriving at Garlieston

Isle of Man Steam Railway-picture taken at Port Erin

Much of the steel decking in the starboard alley way had to be replaced during the past winter,
as such the wooden decking was also replaced as shown in the photograph.

Balmoral at the end of her first day in passenger service.

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Sixty Five Years Ago on 16th June 1947

This photograph was taken 65 years ago on 16th June 1947.  It shows the brand new Paddle Steamer Waverley aproaching Dunoon for the second time in her long career. Having left her base at Craigendoran at 08:45 that morning she took the service run down to Rothesay, coming back up as far as Dunoon. Thereafter, she carried on northwards into Loch Long and Loch Goil to make her maiden calls at Lochgoilhead and Arrochar. At the latter pier passengers could disembark and connect with the Loch Lomond paddle steamers at Tarbet. As a result this service was called the 'Three Lochs Tour' and it was this route more than any other that was the raison-d'etre of P.S. Waverley, the last in a very, very long line of Clyde paddle steamers and, much later (nobody could have had any inclination of it in June 1947), the Last Seagoing Paddle Steamer in the World.

Certainly, she had a 'bone in her teeth' that day - just look at that bow wave! On her trials over the Skelmorlie Measured Mile in early June 1947 with full bunkers and water tanks and added weight sufficient to simulate a 50% maximum passenger load, Rankin & Blackmore's magnificent Engine No 520, which could develop and indicated horse power of 2100, drove her along at a maximum recorded speed of 18.39 knots. I've not seen a picture of her actual running trials. If the combustion was as incoomplete as it was when this picture was taken it is mqre than likely she could have approached at least 19 knots on those trials

She did tend to generate quite a bit of smoke in her early years. It had been intended from the outset to burn marine heavy fuel oil in the six furnaces of her double ended Scotch boiiler, which was also built in Daniel Rankin and Edward Blackmore's Eagle Foundry in Baker Street, Greenock, but this plan was thwarted by difficulties in procuring the necessary combustion systems in the immediate post WWII period. Therefore, her furnaces were modified to burn coal on static grates. Apart from the fact that it was difficult to ensure reliable supplies of good quality steam coal at that time it is possible that the furnaces were slightly small for burning the required quantity of coal, particularly if the fuel had significant ash contents. In general it takes longer and requires more volume for combustion to liberate the same amount of heat from coal compared to oil. She was eventually fitted with oil firing equipent supplied by Messrs James Howden & Company of Scotland Street, Glasgow during her maintenance period in the winter of 1956-57, which is probably just as well as a new bit of legislation had just reached the Statute Books - the Clean Air Act, 1956!

When the Waverley entered service at 08:45 on the 16th June 1947, the man in charge of her was Captain John Cameron DSC, who had also been been master of her predecessor, the Clyde paddle steamer Waverley of 1899. Capt Cameron was in charge of the previous Waverley when, sadly, she was sunk by Nazi bombers during the Evacuation of Dunkirk in May... 1940. Though there was significant loss of life Capt Cameron, a non swimmer, survived and he was proud to bring out what proved to be the last of a very long line of Clyde paddle steamers, stretching away back to the historic paddle steamer Comet of 1812, which, apart from being the first Clyde paddle steamer, was also the first commercially viable steamship to operated in the continent of Europe. Waverley will be commemorating the Bicentenary of the Comet with special sailings in early August 2012. Capt Cameron was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his wartime efforts. His association with the Clyde Steamer fleet lasted until his retirement in the 1970s. In retirement, which he spent with his wife Jean at their home in the Jordanhill district of Glasgow, Capt Cameron was an enthusiastic supporter of the Waverley preservation project in its early years as well as serving as the President of the West of Scotland Branch of the Dunkirk Veterans Association. This is the official LNER photo of Captain Cameron taking Waverley out on her first sailing sixty five years ago n 16th June 1947.

Stuart Cameron

A 65 year old Paddler
It was on Monday 16th June 1947 that Waverley undertook her maiden voyage: little did anyone realise what a life she was starting! On her first day in service she sailed up Loch Long to Lochgoilhead and Arrochar as part of the famous "Three Lochs Tour". It was therefore appropriate that on the 65th anniversary of her maiden voyage she should sail into Loch Long. Her cruise today to mark her 65th birthday was scheduled as Glasgow, Greenock, Largs, Dunoon and Loch Long but unfortunately the call at Dunoon was cancelled due to the prevailing weather conditions with strong winds as well as heavy rain for most of the cruise.

In order to commemorate the occasion Waverley was suitably dressed as the following two pictures show, both taken by Joe McKendrick as she made her way past Govan heading down river. Those passengers on board were offered a piece of birthday cake during the Loch Long cruise before which Graeme Hogg, chairman of Waverley Excursion Ltd, gave a short speech across the public address. In his speech he noted the appreciation of both Waverley Excursions Ltd and Waverley Steam Navigation Company to all those, who in the past year, have shown much support towards the ship by the substantial number of donations made to ensure that Waverley entered service in 2012. Passengers were asked to assemble in the dining saloon along with the ship's officers as Captain Andy O'Brian cut one of the 7 large cakes. Despite the weather many of the passengers had a very enjoyable day aboard the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world. As Captain O'Brian said "here's to the next 65 years of Waverley".

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Balmoral Returns

After much effort to ensure that Balmoral was ready for passenger service the weather unfortunately prevented her first scheduled passenger sailing of 2012 taking place. She did sail across to the Isle of Man and shortly after arriving at Douglas Captain Ian Clark was interviewed. The interview can be seen by clicking the following link:

http://www.manx.net/tv/mt-tv/watch/5913/mv-balmoral-returns



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A few more photographs as Balmoral departed Glasgow for her 2012 season

Balmoral finalising preparations before departure for the start of her 2012 season

 Balmoral eases astern out of Prince's Dock 

 The Balmoral and Waverley names together

  Balmoral's farewell blast on her horn, is acknowledged by Waverley with a long blast on her whistle

Off to sea we go!  2012 season beckons, hopefully with lots of good weather and loads of passengers.

A larger sequence of photographs from this move can be found  here

Balmoral leaves the Clyde

With Balmoral's first passenger sailing for 2012 scheduled for Thursday 14th June it was at 9am on Wednesday 13th June she departed Princes Dock Glasgow and backed up river to be alongside Waverley for a few minutes. Both ships exchanged whistle salutes and Balmoral left for compass adjusting at the Tail of the Bank. She then left Custom House Quay Greenock early afternoon and headed for Garlieston via the Kyles of Bute. Over the coming weekend she is scheduled to sail to the Isle of Man from Garlieston on Thursday & Sunday and Whitehaven on Friday & Saturday. Waverley and Balmoral are not scheduled to meet again this season although could pass each other around the 28th August when Balmoral leaves the Bristol Channel and Waverley arrives.

The following photographs were taken today (Wednesday 13th June) by Joe McKendrick.


Balmoral turns before going astern in the river.

Off Greenock

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Waverley to Iona

As per timetable Waverley departed Fort William on Monday 4th June direct to Oban before heading along the south coast of Mull to land at Iona. In 2011 weather conditions prevented her from landing any passengers but this year weather conditions were excellent allowing each of her 500 passengers about an hour and a half ashore on the island.

Waverley approaches Oban's North Pier

Waverley looks smart with paint work perfect and flags to mark the Jubilee

Berthing at the North Pier

Waverley at anchor off Iona

In all it was a Waverley day to remember and thanks are due to all those who have worked hard over the winter both ashore and on-board to ensure that she continues to allow passengers that unique opportunity to sail on a paddle steamer. Now in her 38th season of operational preservation the support of all her followers will help to ensure that she returns to Iona again in the future.

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Waverley & Balmoral in Glasgow

Waverley at her normal berth, which used to be known as No 83 Plantation Quay when this part of the River Clyde was still a working port, and Balmoral berthed at a berth that used to form the east side of the entrance channel to the former Princes Dock

Following a spell in the James Watt Dock at Greenock for completion of her winter refit work MV Balmoral made her way up to Glasgow a couple of days ago to join Waverley adjacent to Glasgow Science Centre. Recently Waverley was canted to berth bow downriver in preparation for her first sailing of the 2012 season, next Friday 1st June, when she wil sail from Glasgow to Oban. It is the first time that Waverley and Balmoral have been in Glasgow together for over 20 years (Balmoral was based at Glasgow during her first few years with WEL). Both vessels were basking in the wall-to-wall sunshine and temperatures up to 29oC over the past week. Let's hope they experience a lot of this type of weather in the next four and a half months, it could be critical in determining the longer term viability of the ships.

Balmoral's berth is in a channel that once formed the entrance to the busy Princes Dock (and as a result was not an actual berth when the Princes Dock was in operation. There used to be a Clyde Navigation Trust harbour control tower at the end of this quay. This couls be quite a busy area. Apart from the traffic up and down the river and into / out of the two docks the Princess dock canting basin was used for access to the large No 3 Govan Graving Dock. In the days before GPS, radar, AIS , mobile phones (or any phones) or radio the CNT port controllers in several control towers along the river and using semaphore and 'loud-hailers' performed a crucial role in preventing collisions in Glasgow's very busy docklands. At its peak inthe days prior to WWI the Clyde Trust regularly recorded in excess of 16,000 ship movements per annum on the River Clyde between Greenock Customhouse Quay and Glasgow Customhouse Quay. I think the Princes Dock control tower was there until circa 1986-87 (suddenly these old dock structures, that became very familiar over the years, disappeared and you couldn't actually remember when it had happened).

Nowadays the Queens Dock has disappeared without trace - it was infilled using rubble from many of the Glasgow tenement dwellings that had been damaged in the great hurricane of 14th January 1968, together with some of the city's lost architectural gems including the huge Glasgow & South Western Railway hotel at its St Enoch terminus station. Queen's Dock took almost 10 years to excavate and construct in the 1870s and probably about half that time to fill in just over a century later. The site now hosts the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (opened 1986, the Crowne Plaza Hotel (1989), the Clyde Auditorium (or Armadillo as it is known, colloquially) and, from next year, the huge 12,000 seat Scottish Hydro Arena which is now under construction on the area occupied by the the east end of the north basin of Queens Dock. 

Princes Dock was excavated in the late 1890s, construction being accelerated by using sunken concrete cylinders rather than vertical wooden and steel piles. The Plantation Quay wall at which Waverley berths is a replacement. The original wall was (still is) some 10+ feet further south (towards) the dock. When the original wall partly collapsed a new quay wall was built further out in the river and the spacwe between it anf the original wall was filled in - you can still see the ends ofthe numerous steel tie rods that anchor the new wall back into the original ground behind the first wall. Prior to the excavation of the Princes Dock, Plantation Quay continued right down to the entrance of the No 2 Govan Drydock. The berth just outside the No 2 dock was No 85 Plantation Quay, a name that it retained after the construction of the Princes Dock even though it was effectively cut-off from the remainder by the excavation of the channel jn which Balmoral is berthed,


The name Pacific Quay which is now used to describe this area is a modern 'invention of the post-industrial regeneration developers, bearing no significance to the former days as part of the working port.


Yorkhill Basin  (West Basin) on the map below, was infilled in 2007 and the resulting extra ground space forms car park space for a new museum built on the grounds of A & J Inglis' Pointhouse shipyard where Waverley was built.

Photo taken by Roy Tait

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Balmoral on Trials

Since leaving dry dock Balmoral has been berthed in the James Watt Dock where work had continued. She has now been fitted with an additional generator which will be situated at the stern above the galley for this season. It is planned over next winter this generator will replace one of her Lister generators which are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. The new generator is significantly quieter and less fuel-hungry than the Listers.

Balmoral left James Watt Dock mid-morning on Wednesday 23rd May and then proceeded down Firth until off Dunoon on trails before heading back upriver. She arrived in Glasgow just after 1pm for what is her first visit to the city for a few years, she will remain at the Science Centre until she enters service on the 14th June.

The following pictures were taken on Wednesday and kindly provided by Joe McKendrick.

Balmoral passes tall ship Stavros Niarchos at Greenock Custom House Quay on her way upriver.

The new livery can be seen to good effect as she heads upriver.
(Note the grey box on the stern housing the generator.)

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Waverley on Trials

On Thursday morning Waverley left Greenock Custom House Quay to undertake sea trials which involved some work on the boilers to ensure the burners are operating correctly but also to make compass adjustments. She left Custom House Quay at 10am and sailed down Firth to Toward and then made her way back up river to Glasgow where she arrived about 3pm. Joe McKendrick took the following 3 stunning pictures as she headed back up river. In just 4 weeks time she will be leaving the Clyde for her annual visit to the Western Isles.

A Perfect Paddler

Many thanks to Joe for providing the pictures.


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