PS Violet (1880)
SS Violet was a paddle steamer passenger vessel operated by the London and North Western Railway from 1880 to 1902.[1] (PS is a later designation used to differentiate paddle steamers from propeller steamships)
 LNWR Steamship SS Violet | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | 1880-1904: PS Violet |
| Owner | 1880-1904 London and North Western Railway |
| Operator | 1880-1904 London and North Western Railway |
| Port of registry |  |
| Route | 1880-1902: Holyhead - Dublin |
| Builder | Cammell Laird |
| Yard number | 471 |
| Launched | 1880 |
| Out of service | 1902 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 1,035 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length | 300 ft (91 m) |
| Beam | 33.1 ft (10.1 m) |
| Draught | 14.4 ft (4.4 m) |
| Speed | 17¾ knots |
History
She was built by Cammell Laird for the London and North Western Railway in 1880. She was a sister ship to Lily and built to the same specification. They were intended to operate a new overnight service between Holyhead and Dublin. The service previously had only been during the day time.
The ship had new boilers and engines fitted in 1890-91 to increase the speed from 17¾ knots to 19½ knots.
She was sold in 1902 to Liverpool and Douglas Steamers Ltd.
Specification
In 1883 The Engineer published specifications for SS Violet (and sister ship SS Lily) as follows:[2]
Dimensions : 310 feet long overall, 300 feet 6 inches between perpendiculars, 33 feet beam, drawing 14ft 4inches.
Passengers : Certified by Board of Trade to carry 475 deck passengers and 415 saloon passengers.
Engines : Twin cylinder oscillating engines with jet condensers. Cylinder bore 78 inches, stroke 7 feet with double piston rods and crossheads. Crankshaft 18inch diameter. Each cylinder had two slide-valves operated by link motion. Mean indicated horsepower over 3 hours is 3220 and propeller speed is 30 revolutions per minute.
Boilers : Eight rectangular boilers supplying steam at 30 psi. The boilers contained a total of 2152 tubes, total heating surface of 12215 square feet, and total grate area of 470 square feet.
Paddle Wheels : 27 feet 8 inches diameter, with floats 11 feet wide, and 4 feet 6 inches deep.
On the Holyhead to Kingstown crossing she was about 15 minutes faster than the earlier ships SS Shamrock and SS Rose.
References
- Railway and Other Steamers, Duckworth. 1962
- "Engines of the London and North-Western Railway Company's Steamship Violet". The Engineer: 292. 13 April 1883.