Her Majesty – The ship that sank twice in two different centuries

Today is the 81st anniversary of the Southampton Blitz, a two-day period over November 30th and December 1st, 1940 when 712 bombs fell on the Hampshire city.

It was during those raids on December 1st that Her Majesty, a 325 ton, 56.4m paddle steamer owned by Red Funnel sank as a result of the Luftwaffe raids. But that night was not the first time that Her Majesty had sunk, the vessel that was to become Red Funnel’s first car carrier, had previously sunk not only in a different century, but also in a different millennium.

Her Majesty was a compound diagonal 135 nhp paddle steamer, the third in a trio of similar ships after Princess Beatrice and Princess Helena, built by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd at Whiteinch in Glasgow. She was launched on May 9th, 1885 and was taken over from the builders on June 3rd, when she ran the measured mile in Stokes Bay with a mean speed of 12.05 knots, entering service with the Company three days later under the command of Captain James Short.

Her Majesty was an active member of the Steam Packet empire following her entry into service. On July 23rd, 1887 as part of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Fleet Review, the Company put on a special steamer from Cowes to Spithead for passengers to watch the display of fireworks and illumination of the fleet. Princess Beatrice was hired by Hickie, Borman and Co., shipping agents of Southampton, "... and the Princess Helena by members of the Whitehall Club and the Carisbrooke [was] chartered to convey members of the St. George's Club, Hanover Square and their friends (ladies included)." The Albert Edward was secured by a private party at Lymington and the Sovereign was chartered by the Union Steamship Company for attendance on their steamers. Her Majesty took excursions from Southampton whilst Prince Leopold worked from Portsmouth. Whilst on August 15th that year the new pier at Alum Bay was opened by Her Majesty when commanded by Captain Short and with 420 passengers on board, she landed there for the first time.

Barclay, Curle & Co’s paddle steamer was a common sight in Southampton docks with the Hampshire Advertiser describing the scene on September 6th, 1889 - "Friday must have been a trying day… in the Docks. The Union steamship Moor and the Hamburg American liner Augusta Victoria each sailed on their respective voyages during the day. Their passengers were conveyed to Southampton by special train and thence to the steamers, which were lying in the river, by the Isle of Wight saloon packets Her Majesty and Princess Beatrice, and the tug Alexandra. All was bustle, but not confusion. Every man knew his place, what to do, and how to do it. Gangs were hauling, tugging, and heaving in all directions. Work was all round quietly, but quickly, proceeding, and a great deal was accomplished in a remarkably short space of time. A truly animated and busy scene to the relief of those actively engaged in it..."

Her Majesty was also actively involved in the departure of General Booth, head of the Salvation Army, on his colonial tour from Southampton on July 25th, 1891. Princess Helena, Albert Edward, Alexandra and Her Majesty accompanied General Booth in the Sovereign down Southampton Water to The Scot. There were 865 people on board Her Majesty, 810 on Princess Helena, 546 on Albert Edward, 472 on board Alexandra and 481 on the Sovereign.

Almost seven months later, on February 12th, 1892 General Booth would return to the Empress Dock and his port of his departure. Seven of the Company's ships, "all gaily dressed with bunting" formed part of the welcoming party. General Booth's family, his chief of staff, officers, cadets and the press embarked on Hercules, under the command of Capt. H. Cockett. The Oxford and Reading members of the Army embarked on board Alexandra, commanded by Capt. W. Holford. The Weymouth, Dorchester, Poole and Boscombe contingents were accommodated on Her Majesty under the command of Capt. Beazley; the Plymouth, Exeter, Yeovil, Eastbourne and Brighton contingents were carried by the Prince Leopold under the command of Captain C. Cottrell. The Southampton representatives were carried by the Sovereign with Capt. C.W. Cockett whilst the soldiers and officers from London were assigned to the Prince of Wales with the mate Mr. Groves in charge and the International Headquarters staff embarked on board the Solent Queen. The Hercules acted as flagship, Captain W. Short, commander of the Prince of Wales, being on board as commodore of the flotilla.

On August 28th, 1891 Her Majesty, rather appropriately carried royalty when Prince and Princess Henry of Prussia who had been on a visit to the Queen at Buckingham Palace returned to Southampton for their trip to Germany on the Norddeutscher Lloyd steamer Elbe. The Prince and Princess were taken to the Elbe by Her Majesty.

Her Majesty was not the luckiest of vessels in Red Funnel’s fleet. On December 17th, 1885 having left Cowes for Ryde and Portsmouth just after midday she collided with Menelaus, a quarantine hulk moored off Fish-house Creek near Ryde in dense fog. The steamer lost a boat, her sponson and her paddle box was damaged. The Menelaus received slight damage. Her Majesty completed the passage to Ryde and her passengers were transferred to another steamer for Portsmouth and she returned to Southampton for repairs.

Almost two years later, on November 24th, 1889, Her Majesty was lying alongside Portsea Pier at about midnight when she was hit by a barge that drifted in the hard wind. The collision staved in one of the plates on the port quarter. Captain Bulmore was on deck at the time and once the damaged plate was shored up from the inside the vessel was taken to Southampton. The barge which was damaged in the bow cleared away on the drift of the tide.

These two collisions should have been a premonition, for on February 13th, 1896, which strangely given events was a Thursday and not a Friday, Her Majesty was sunk in collision with America Line’s liner Paris in the Empress Dock. Having been hit she filled rapidly and sank with only 4 or 5 feet of her funnel being above water. Two days after her sinking, the directors of the Company held a meeting and accepted from the International Steam Navigation Company, the owners of the liner, "a bond for a considerable amount in damages, pending the settlement of actual liability for the disaster."

The sunken paddle steamer was raised on March 12th, 1896 and towed from the Royal Pier to Fay and Co’s., yard in Northam for repair prior to being placed on service again. On February 22nd, 1897, a year and nine days after being sunk, Her Majesty carried out official trials and after successful completion was placed on commercial service between Southampton, Cowes, Ryde and Portsmouth in the first week of March.

Her Majesty’s resurrection enabled her to have a career covering three different conflicts. On January 11th, 1900, Princess Henry of Battenberg, Governor of the Isle of Wight inspected the Yeomanry volunteers from the Island who had been accepted for service with the Imperial Yeomanry in the Second Boer War in South Africa. The inspection took place outside the Town Hall in East Cowes, before the troops led by Captain Seely, marched onto Carisbrooke and Her Majesty where their chargers and baggage were already waiting with assembled crowds singing 'Rule Britannia' and 'Auld Lang Syne.'

On April 23rd, 1917, Her Majesty and Princess Beatrice were requisitioned by the Royal Navy for the First World War. Given Admiralty numbers 554 and 555 respectively and each fitted with a single 3-pound gun, they served as minesweepers in the English Channel and Irish Sea as part of the Auxiliary Patrol. Her Majesty would remain in service until June 24th, 1919 when she was returned to the Company having been reconditioned after ending her service as a minesweeper.

Following reconditioning, Her Majesty remained on passenger service until September 10th, 1927, when she began the second phase of her career with the Company, rather aptly on its 66th birthday. Red Funnel had carried carriages and vehicles on its vessels for some time, accommodating them on the open foredecks of the steamers. Following the end of the First World War and the growth in car ownership, Red Funnel decided to convert Her Majesty to a car carrier, rather than just a paddle steamer that took cars. In this guise she was able to carry approximately 18 cars and became the first vehicle ferry that the Company would operate heralding the start of a tradition that would remain until today.

It was a car and to be fair a bi-plane that was to provide one of Her Majesty’s strangest stories of her fifty-five-year service. On June 22nd, 1936, Gracie Fields and Her Majesty were tendering the 83,423-ton French liner, Normandie. Her Majesty was secured alongside the liner and a motor car belonging to Cardiff MP Arthur Evans was being swung out on the Normandie's gantry. As this was happening a Blackburn Baffin biplane torpedo bomber, being flown by Lt. G.K. Horsey RN from RAF Gosport, did a close 'beat up' of the liner and struck the gantry causing the car to fall onto the liner's rails leaving half the car overhanging the sea. Horsey then managed to land the biplane on the liner's fore deck. Nobody was injured and the pilot made his way to the bridge to be welcomed aboard by the master, Captain Pugnet. As no lifting gear was available, the liner sailed with the biplane in situ.

Ironically, Her Majesty did not serve in the Second World War, but it would be this conflict that would lead to the end of her service with Red Funnel and the addition of her name to the roll of honour that included Princess Mary and Stirling Castle from the First World War and Gracie Fields and Sir Bevois from the Second as vessels that would not return to service from the conflicts.

On December 1st , 1940  in the midst of the Southampton Blitz, Her Majesty was sunk in a German air raid whilst alongside Platform Wharf, the Company's repair jetty. The same night the workshop and offices at the wharf were destroyed along with the catering store at 16 Bugle Street, the site of what is now Red Funnel’s Head Office. Her Majesty was sold as she lay partly submerged at Platform Wharf.

Unlike events forty-four years earlier, Her Majesty would not be salvaged, reconditioned and returned to service. Instead, the reign of the forerunner of what is today’s vehicle ferry service between Southampton and the Isle of Wight ended abruptly as she became a victim of the deadliest bombing that Southampton saw during World War Two.