Builders: Barclay Curle & Co Ltd Glasgow 1885
Propulsion type: Paddle, compound diagonal
Owner: Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co
Service dates: 1885 - 1940
Tonnage: Gross 325
Comments:
Shown here early in her career disembarking passengers at Southampton, Her Majesty was similar in design to Princess Beatrice and Princess Helena, all three being built by Barclay Curle within a five year period, with Her Majesty the largest of the trio. On 13 February 1896, she was sunk after a collision with the liner Paris after the latter's telegraph system failed to respond to an order to go astern. She was raised, repaired and ready for service again within 11 months, all at the Paris' owners expense. Fitted with electric light in 1908, she survived further mishap and served as a minesweeper during the Great War. After returning to passenger service she was converted in 1927 for use as a car carrier, by having her after deck saloon removed, giving space for 18 cars, which were manually moved around by use of skids under their wheels. In the latter years of her service she was used as a tender to the large liners and her career ended on 1 December 1940 when she was sunk again, this time during an air raid. Whilst she was later raised she was too old and outdated for reconditioning and was scrapped at Southampton.