| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | 1868-1935: PS Countess of Erne |
| Owner: |
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| Operator: |
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| Port of registry: |  |
| Route: | |
| Builder: | Walpole, Webb & Bewley, Dublin |
| Launched: | 1868 |
| Out of service: | 16 September 1935 |
| Fate: | Sank in Portland Harbour |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 830 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length: | 241.4 ft (73.6 m) |
| Beam: | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Draught: | 14.3 ft (4.4 m) |
PS Countess of Erne was a paddle steamer passenger vessel operated by the London and North Western Railway from 1868 to 1889. [1]
She was built by Walpole, Webb & Bewley, Dublin for the London and North Western Railway in 1868.
She was sold to the Bristol General Steam Navigation Company in 1889 and used for a couple of years before being sold for scrap.
She was then used as a coal hulk in various ports. Finally she sank in Portland Harbour on 16 September 1935 and is a popular site with scuba divers for training dives.
The Great Western Railway's ships operated in connection with the company's trains to provide services to Ireland, the Channel Islands and France. Powers were granted by Act of Parliament for the Great Western Railway (GWR) to operate ships in 1871. The following year the company took over the ships operated by Ford and Jackson on the route between Wales and Ireland. Services were operated between Weymouth, the Channel Islands and France on the former Weymouth and Channel Islands Steam Packet Company routes. Smaller GWR vessels were also used as tenders at Plymouth and on ferry routes on the River Severn and River Dart. The railway also operated tugs and other craft at their docks in Wales and South West England.
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