Glasgow has given the world many things, especially in terms of engineering and ship-building, and one of these was Europe's first successful steam-powered passenger service which ran between Helensburgh, Glasgow and Greenock in the early 1800s. The ship which ran this route was called Comet, a paddlesteamer launched from Port Glasgow in 1812.
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#glasgow #glasgowhistory #shipbuilding #helensburgh #henrybell
The Comet had been designed by Henry Bell, one of the great pioneers of steamship development, and the surprisingly small cast-iron cylinder from its original steam engine is now on display in the Riverside Museum in Glasgow (photo on the left). PS Comet was wrecked near Oban on the West Coast of Scotland in 1820, but was soon replaced by the PS Comet II. In 1825, Comet II sank after colliding with another ship, killing 62 of its 80 passengers.
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@thisismyglasgow The Charlotte Dundas, predecessor to the Comet, operated briefly on the Forth and Clyde Canal but was discontinued as she was too fast!
“Lord Dundas, Governor of the Proprietors of the Forth and Clyde Navigation commissioned William Symington to build a steam-propelled towboat for the canal in 1801. Charlotte Dundas was successful but short-lived due to fears that backwash from the boat would damage the canal.”
BTW they’ve found the wreck of Comet ll
https://blog.historicenvironment.scot/2023/12/henry-bell-helensburgh-and-the-comet/
This Is My Glasgow
Peter Brown