Belfast

Commanded by Capt J T Ross, the Belfast Steamship Company’s express passenger steamship SS ‘Dynamic’ carries the Belfast Harbour Commissioners on their annual inspection in 1896. The late-1870s saw a period of intense competition on the Irish Sea ferry services, forcing the BSC to modernise its fleet; the ‘Semaphore’ underwent a major refit that included lengthening her hull and reboilering her, and she was then renamed ‘Telegraphic’. Two other ships were sold, releasing funds to allow BSC to order the ‘Dynamic’ from Harland & Wolff - she was the first vessel to be built at the Queen’s Island Shipyard, and the last in the BSC fleet with an iron hull. When completed, ‘Dynamic’ was the fastest steamship on the Irish Sea. Because of her speed, she was chartered by the Admiralty during 1885-86; she was then given a refit and had electricity installed. On 3 January 1891, the ‘Manchester’, a steamship belonging to a rival company, left Belfast for Liverpool. One hour later the ‘Dynamic’ sailed from Prince’s Dock, also bound for Liverpool. Her turn of speed was such that she was able to catch up with the ‘Manchester’ and berth at Liverpool at approximately the same time. Stiff competition meant that these ships were rarely idle. When not on scheduled crossings, they would be used on Saturday excursions from Belfast. A typical excursion would be to Largs and back at 2s 6d for saloon and 1s 6d for steerage passengers. On-board entertainment was usually provided by a band, including regimental bands from units of the British Army stationed in Ireland. By the late 1890s, however, ‘Dynamic’ was getting past her best. Her iron hull would soon need a considerable amount of money to be spent on it if she was to maintain her status as a fast ship. It was decided that the expense would be too much, and in 1901 she was sold.
An extract from from"Victorian and Edwardian Maritime Album".

Passengers take an opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of Belfast harbour as the Douglas packet makes her way slowly along. On 3 December 1909 the packet ‘Ellan Vannin’ was lost with all hands and passengers when she foundered off the entrance to the Mersey, the worst loss in the history of the IOMSPCo.
An extract from from"Isle of Man Photographic Memories".

Passengers on a Douglas boat take in the sights, sounds and smells of Belfast Harbour. Amongst the companies operating services to Belfast were the IOMSPCo, the Barrow Steam Navigation Co, controlled by the Midland Railway with sailings from Barrow and Morecambe, and a joint Lancashire & Yorkshire and London & North Western Railway service from Fleetwood. In 1900 the Midland Railway began to develop Heysham as a cross-channel port, ordering four new steamers for the route. They were of a similar size at around the 2000 grt mark and about 340 ft in length, and each were able to carry 2000 passengers. The main difference was that two were twin-screw triple-expansion, and two were triple- screw direct turbine ships. When the turbine ships began running in 1904, they were the first of their type to visit Belfast.
An extract from from"Victorian and Edwardian Maritime Album".

The last of the transatlantic paddle-liners, Cunard’s ‘Scotia’, was finally withdrawn in September 1875, while the last transpacific paddler managed to linger on for another six years. In Britain, paddlers still found favour with cross- channel and excursion steamer operators, and new tonnage would continue to be built well into the 20th century. In the late 1880s, cross-channel paddlers were capable of service speeds of up to 20 knots, and in 1893 the Belgian Marine Administration’s ‘Marie Henriette’ attained 22.2 knots on her trials.
An extract from from"Victorian and Edwardian Maritime Album".