RMS Columba
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 1878: David Hutcheson & Co.
- 1879: David MacBrayne Ltd
 PS Columba tile mosaic in a Greenock underpass | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | PS/RMS Columba |
| Namesake | Saint Columba |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | J & G Thomson, Clydebank |
| Yard number | 162[1] |
| Launched | 9 April 1878[1] |
| In service | 1878 |
| Out of service | 1936 |
| Home port | Glasgow |
| Fate | Scrapped, March 1936 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Paddle steamer |
| Tonnage | 543 GRT[1] |
| Length | 301.4 ft (91.9 m)[1] |
| Beam | 27.1 ft (8.3 m) |
| Installed power | Twin cylinder, non compound oscillating[2] |
| Propulsion | side paddles |
RMS Columba was a Clyde paddle steamer, MacBrayne's flagship from 1879 to 1935. She ran the first leg of "The Royal Route" to Ardrishaig for fifty eight summers.
Columba was built by J & G Thomson of Clydebank, for David Hutcheson & Co. (later David MacBrayne Ltd). Commissioned for the first stage of the "Royal Route" to Loch Fyne, she was the flagship of the MacBrayne fleet from 1879 to 1935 and is often considered the finest Clyde steamer of all time.[2] She brought new elegance and comfort to Scottish travel, and typified the mid-Victorian tourist steamer at its best.
Columba and her sister ship Iona were well maintained and kept their lustre to the end. Both were retired and broken up side by side at shipbreakers, Arnott & Young at Dalmuir in March 1936.[2][3]
Layout
Columba was modelled on Hutcheson's Iona, which she was destined to replace. She had a curved bow and two funnels and was fitted out to a high standard. There were a barber's shop and a post office on board.[4]
When Columba was re boilered in 1900, her four navy boilers were replaced by two haystack boilers. The reduction in weight meant that she floated five inches higher in the water.[2] At the same time, a smoking room was erected on the promenade deck immediately abaft the after funnel.