Builders: J & G Thompson Ltd, Clydebank 1893
Propulsion type: Paddle compound diagonal
Owners: Glasgow & South Western Railway
Service dates: 1889 -1917
Tonnage: Gross 306
Comments:
This card comes from the collection of Dr Joseph Griffin. Dr Griffin was born just outside Glasgow, trained as a GP and moved to Stevenston on the Ayrshire coast, where he spent much of his leisure time cruising around the Firth of Clyde. As a young man he enjoyed frequent trips "Doon the water" and was an enthusiast on everything to do with Clyde steamers. He passed away recently aged 75 and I am grateful to his son Derek for allowing me to show the card here.
Minerva and her sister Glen Rosa were built for all year round service from Ardrossan in the winter and excursions in the Firth in summer. Launched on 6 May 1893, Minerva was a sturdy ship who sported a raised foredeck to aid seaworthyness in the heavy winter seas. Whilst a small vessel, she was sturdy and capable of over 17 knots. She was requisitioned by the Admiralty in the Great War and whilst sailing out of Malta as an auxiliary patrol vessel she was captured by the Turks in 1917. After the war she was returned to the Admiralty who sold her to Turkish owners for service as a ferry boat on the Bosphorus. She was broken up in 1927, or thereabouts.