Builders: Clydebank Engineering & Ship Building Co Ltd, 1899
Propulsion type: Paddle compound diagonal
Owner: London Brighton & South Coast Railway Co
Service dates: 1899 - 1929
Tonnage: Gross 443
Comments:
This charming picture comes from a 1903 postcard sent from Portsmouth. It shows Duchess of Fife backing away, with the smaller Stirling Castle (271 grt) to the right. Used mainly for the railway connection from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight, she also undertook Round the Island cruises and sailed on excursions to Bournemouth, Swanage and Brighton. She had a good turn of speed, operating at around 16 knots on excursions, which made her popular with her passengers. She seems to have had an uneventful career although lasted only until 1929, when she was sold at the end of the season for scrapping on the continent.