Builders: Barrow Shipbuilding Co Ltd 1875
Propulsion type: Paddle simple oscillating
Owners: Isle of Man Steam Packet Co Ltd
Service dates: 1875 - 1906
Tonnage: Gross 1031
Comments:
The second "Ben" originally had two funnels, as shown here, but when she was reboilered in 1884 she was given four funnels, in two pairs, fore and aft of the paddle boxes. She was launched on 6 May 1875 and was the largest steamer built for the IOMSP Co at that time. She did not reach her contract speed and was capable of only 14 knots, a speed that was not much improved when reboilered. Apart from a collision in the Crosby Channel in August 1901 she had an otherwise uneventful career and was broken up at TW Ward's in Morcambe in the late summer and autumn of 1906.
I am grateful to Ron Meredith-Jones for supplying the above image of Ben-my-Chree (II). Ron's Great Grandfather was briefly manager of the Barrow shipyard and this picture comes from his time there, circa 1880-81.
For a close up of the paddle box section of the picture, please click here.