Builders: Willoughby Bros, Plymouth 1892
Propulsion type: Paddle, compound 4 cylinder
Owners: Llandudno & Carnarvon Steamboat Co Ltd, North Pier Steamship Co (Blackpool) Ltd, Blackpool Passenger Steamboat Co Ltd
Service dates: 1892 - 1921
Tonnage: Gross 147
Comments:
PS Belle was a small steel built steamer and was originally, if briefly, named Belle of Llandudno. She seems to have done very little, if any, sailing on the Welsh Coast and is soon reported as sailing from Blackpool to Southport as PS Belle. This picture is not a commercial one and shows her relatively early in her career as she still has her mainmast, which was soon removed. Unusually, she had no saloon accommodation, but had short promenade decks forward and abaft her engine house, the decks being supported by stanchions, as can just be seen in the above picture. There was great competition on the Lancashire Coast and in 1895, her manager, Mr Thomas Seed, and others formed the North Pier Steamship Co (Blackpool) Ltd to which her ownership was transferred. Competition continued and in due course this company was absorbed into the Blackpool Passenger Steamboat Co Ltd. PS Belle was not thought to be very popular, possibly due to the lack of saloon facilities, but she lasted until 1921 when she was sold for breaking up at Bowness-on-Solway.