PS Admiral Moorsom (1860)

History
NamePS Admiral Moorsom
NamesakeAdmiral Robert Moorsom (1760–1835), Royal Navy officer
OwnerLondon and North Western Railway
OperatorLondon and North Western Railway
Port of registryUnited Kingdom
RouteHolyhead, Wales - Dublin, Ireland
BuilderBarclay Curle, Glasgow, Scotland
Yard number83
LaunchedSeptember 1860
FateSunk in collision 15 January 1885
General characteristics
Tonnage794 gross register tons (GRT)
Length219.3 ft (66.8 m)
Beam30.2 ft (9.2 m)
Draught15.1 ft (4.6 m)

PS Admiral Moorsom was a passenger paddle steamer operated by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) from 1860 to 1885.[1]

History

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Admiral Moorsom was built by Barclay Curle of Glasgow, Scotland, and launched in 1860. She may have been named after Vice-Admiral Constantine Moorsom, who was the LNWR director responsible for steamships, or after his father Admiral Sir Robert Moorsom (1760–1835), an officer of the Royal Navy who served in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

On 15 November 1862, she collided with RMS Ulster in the Irish Sea off Holyhead, Anglesey and was severely damaged. RMS Ulster towed her in to Holyhead.[2] She was run into by the American sailing ship Santa Clara in the Irish Sea off Arklow, County Wicklow, on 15 January 1885 and sank. Twenty-five people were rescued by Santa Clara and five by the steamship Falcon, but five people were lost. Admiral Moorsom was on a voyage from Dublin to Holyhead, Anglesey.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ Railway and Other Steamers, Duckworth, 1962
  2. ^ "Shipping Intelligence". Liverpool Mercury. No. 4611. Liverpool. 20 November 1862.
  3. ^ "Supposed Loss Of A Steamer". The Times. No. 31346. London. 17 January 1885. col E, p. 6.
  4. ^ "Terrible Collision Off Holyhead". The Times. No. 31347. London. 19 January 1885. col C-E, p. 6.