| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | 1889-1928:S.S. Lyonesse |
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |  |
| Builder | Havey and Company, Hayle |
| Launched | 2 February 1889 [1] |
| Out of service | 1928 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1928 by Thos. W. Ward, Hayle |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 329 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length | 170 ft (51.8 m) |
| Beam | 25.1 ft (7.7 m) |
| Draught | 10.4 ft (3.2 m) |
| Propulsion | Triple-expansion steam engine |
SS Lyonesse was a passenger vessel built for the West Cornwall Steam Ship Company in 1875. [2]
She was built by Harvey's of Hayle. She was fitted with a turtle back deck, long bridge, promenade quarterdeck, Walker's patent windlass, patent anchors, saloon, fore and aft cabins. The launch was carried out on 2 February 1889 by Mrs Field of Marazion. She was named Lyonesse as it is a country in Arthurian legend said to border Cornwall. In later traditions Lyonesse is said to have sunk beneath the waves some time after the Tristan stories take place, making it similar to Ys and other lost lands in medieval Celtic tales, and perhaps connecting it with the Isles of Scilly. She carried two funnels close together, with black tops.
On 22 June 1900 she hit the rocks at Newford Island whilst departing from St Mary's pier on the Isles of Scilly. She was badly bulged and leaking, but the passengers and mails were safe. [3]
On 2 February 1904 she attempted to alert the inhabitants of St Mary's with her siren of a tidal wave which was engulfing the harbour. The Sheffield Daily Telegraph for 3 February 1904 reports:
About four a.m., about an hour before the tide was at its height, the inhabitants of St. Mary’s were aroused by the loud hooting of the syren of the mail steamer Lyonesse. Men hurriedly rushed to discover the cause, and in doing so incurred considerable risk, as huge volumes of water were dashing over the quay, doing damage in every direction, and washing away everything not permanently secured. The steamer in a dangerous position held on to her moorings with the greatest difficulty. A number of small craft were washed out to sea, but were ultimately recovered. The damage done is increased by the fact that the flower season is now in progress. At Bryher, the neighbouring island, seas broke over the flower and potato fields, doing great damage. Happily, the wind was light, or much more serious results would have ensued. The Lyonesse subsequently passed over to Penzance, the passage being difficult on account of the heavy seas. The effects of the tidal wave were felt in Penzance, heavy seas dashing over the promenade, and deluging the streets and houses in the vicinity. Torrential rains were also experienced. [4]
On 23 June 1914 she went to the assistance of the Belgian steamer Gothland which went ashore on the Isles of Scilly. [5]
During bad weather on 27 March 1916, she broke from her moorings on the Isles of Scilly and ran on the beach. She was undamaged and was refloated. [6]
She was sold in 1919 [7] to a salvage ship at Cobh and returned to Hayle in May 1928 to be broken up. [8]
Lyonesse is a kingdom which, according to legend, consisted of a long strand of land stretching from Land's End at the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England, to what is now the Isles of Scilly in the Celtic Sea portion of the Atlantic Ocean. It was considered lost after being swallowed by the ocean in a single night. The people of Lyonesse were said to live in fair towns, with over 140 churches, and work in fertile, low-lying plains. Lyonesse's most significant attraction was a castle-like cathedral that was presumably built on top of what is now the Seven Stones Reef between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly, some 18 miles (29 km) west of Land's End and 8 miles (13 km) north-east of the Isles of Scilly. It is sometimes spelled Lionesse.
Penzance is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about 64 miles (103 km) west-southwest of Plymouth and 255 miles (410 km) west-southwest of London. Situated in the shelter of Mount's Bay, the town faces south-east onto the English Channel, is bordered to the west by the fishing port of Newlyn, to the north by the civil parish of Madron and to the east by the civil parish of Ludgvan. The civil parish includes the town of Newlyn and the villages of Mousehole, Paul, Gulval, and Heamoor. Granted various royal charters from 1512 onwards and incorporated on 9 May 1614, it has a population of 21,200.
St Ives is a parliamentary constituency covering the western end of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The constituency has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Derek Thomas, a Conservative MP.
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company (ISSC) operates the principal shipping service from Penzance, in Cornwall, to the Isles of Scilly, located 28 miles (45 km) to the southwest. It provides a year-round cargo service together with a seasonal passenger service in summer. The name of the company's principal ferry, the Scillonian III, is perhaps better known than that of the company itself.
Land's End Airport, situated near St Just in Penwith, 5 NM west of Penzance, in Cornwall, is the most south westerly airport of mainland Britain. The airport is owned by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company (ISSC). ISSC's subsidiary Land's End Airport Limited operates the airport, and another subsidiary, Isles of Scilly Skybus, operates a regular passenger service to St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly as well as scenic flights around west Penwith.
St Mary's Airport or Isles of Scilly Airport is an airport located 1 nautical mile east of Hugh Town on St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, to the south west of Cornwall, UK. It is the only airport serving the Isles of Scilly, handling all air traffic to and from the Islands. The airport is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall and currently is operated by the Council of the Isles of Scilly.
RMV Scillonian III is a passenger ship based at Penzance in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, run by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. She operates the principal ferry service to the Isles of Scilly and is one of only three ships in the world still carrying the status of Royal Mail Ship.
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, Great Britain, formed in 1846 to construct a railway between Penzance and Truro. It purchased the existing Hayle Railway, and improved its main line, and built new sections between Penzance and Hayle, and between Redruth and Truro, and opened throughout in 1852.
RMV Scillonian was a passenger ferry built for the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company in 1925 by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company Ltd of Troon, Scotland. She was designed to carry 400 passengers and cargo between Penzance, Cornwall, UK, to the offshore Isles of Scilly.
Telegraph is a settlement on St Mary's, the largest of the Isles of Scilly, England.
The West Cornwall Steam Ship Company was established in 1870 to operate ferry services between Penzance, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly. It became the West Cornwall Steamship Company in 1907 and was wound up in 1917.
John Harvey was a Cornishman whose career started as a blacksmith and engineer at Carnhell Green near Hayle, in west Cornwall. In 1779 he established a foundry and engineering works at Hayle called Harvey & Co. By 1800 the company employed more than 50 people and continued to grow as Harvey worked with many of the great Cornish engineers and entrepreneurs of the day. These included Richard Trevithick, William West, and, more importantly, Arthur Woolf. In 1797, Harvey's daughter, Jane, married Richard Trevithick.
The Scilly Isles Steam Navigation Company provided shipping services between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly from 1858 to 1872.
The SS Nile was an iron-hulled cargo steamship. She is best remembered for her sinking in bad weather on 30 November 1854 with the loss of all hands, most likely after colliding with The Stones, a notoriously dangerous reef off Godrevy Head in Cornwall.
PS Earl of Arran was a passenger vessel operated by the Ardrossan Steamboat Company from 1860 to 1871 and the West Cornwall Steam Ship Company from 1871 to 1872
SS Melmore was a passenger cargo vessel operated by the Great Western Railway from 1905 to 1912.
SS Lady of the Isles was a passenger vessel built by Harvey and Company, Hayle for the West Cornwall Steam Ship Company in 1875.