A map showing the main LB&SCR ferry routes in 1888

The London Brighton and South Coast Railway operated a number of cross channel ferry services, between its ports of Shoreham, Newhaven and Littlehampton to Dieppe, Honfleur, and Jersey. The profitable Newhaven-Dieppe service was operated in conjunction with the French Western Railway (Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest).

After 1880 the railway became a partner with the London and South Western Railway to form the South Western and Brighton Railway Companies Steam Packet Service (SW&BRCSPS) which bought out the existing operators between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.[1]

In 1884 the Isle of Wight Marine Transit Company started a rail freight ferry link between the Hayling Island Branch Line at Langstone and the Bembridge branch line at St Helens quay. To provide the link the rail ferry Carrier, designed to carry railway trucks, was moved from Scotland. The project was unsuccessful and despite being acquired in full by the LB&SCR in 1886 ended in 1888 [1][2]

Ships

Ships operated by the LB&SCR and (after 1863) Chemin de Fer de l'Ouest were:

Ship Launched Tonnage (GRT) Notes
Alexandra 1863[3] 325[3] Sold in 1883 to C Daniel, London.[3]
Arundel 1900[4] 1,067[4] Built Denny & Co. Dumbarton.[5][5] Fitted out as a troopship 1914.[6] Scrapped 1934.[4]
Ayrshire Lassie 1839[3] 169[3] Bought in 1851 from J Southern, Liverpool. Sold later that year.[3]
Bordeaux 1865[3] 419[3] Sold in 1890 to Bull & Co Ltd, Newhaven.[3]
Brighton 1847[3] 273[3] Sold in 1850 to Italy.[3]
Brighton 1878[3] 531[3] Collided with Dieppe Pier and sank January 1893.[7] Salvaged and sold out of service in 1893.[3]
Brighton 1903[4] 1,129[4] Built Denny & Co. Dumbarton.[8] Fitted out as troopship and then an ambulance ship.[6] Sold 1930 for conversion to a private yacht, renamed Roussalka.[4] Wrecked 25 August 1933.
Brittany 1882[4] 605[9] 2500 hp.[10] Sold to Liverpool and Douglas Steamers Ltd in 1902. Scrapped at Preston in June 1904.[9]
Brittany 1910[4] 618[11] Sold to London and South Western Railway in 1912, renamed Aldershot in 1933, sold to Italy in 1936 and renamed Hercules. Torpedoed on 24 November 1941 by HMS Triumph at Heraklion Harbour, Crete.[11]
Calvados 1894[4] 570[4] Cargo vessel, built Denny & Co. Dumbarton.[5] Sold in 1901 to General Steam Navigation Co Ltd, renamed Alouette.[4]
Culloden 1845[3] 250[3] Bought in 1851 from Denny Bros. Sold back to them the same year.[3]
Dieppe 1847[3] 123[3] Sold in 1849 to Bermuda.[3]
Dieppe 1855[3] 270[3] Out of service c1870.[3]
Dieppe Was run into by Victoria and sunk at Dieppe on 18 December 1881.[12]
Dieppe 1905[4] 1,210[4] Built Denny & Co. Dumbarton.[5] Used as military transport 1914, later a hospital ship and troopship.[8] Sold 1933 for conversion to a private yacht, renamed Rosaura.[4]
La France 1899[4] 729[4] Became troopship 1914.[8] Scrapped in 1923.[4]
London 1853[3] 341[3] Sold in 1860 to Italy, renamed Generale Garibaldi.[3]
Lyons 1856[3] 244[3] Scrapped in 1885.[3]
Lymington 1882[13] 204[13]
Mayflower 1866 69[14] Purchased from the Solent Steamship Co Ltd in July 1884. Scrapped 1910[14]
Manche 1897[4] 978[4] Sold in 1913 to Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, renamed Le Verdon.[4]
Marseilles 1864[3] 32[3] Sold in 1885 to Jones, Liverpool.[3]
Menai 1830[15] 235[15] In service 1844-48.[15]
Newhaven 1847[3] 123[3] Sold in 1849 to Aberdeen, Leith, Clyde & Tay Shipping Co Ltd.[3]
Newhaven 1911[4] 1,655[4] Became troopship 1914.[16] Scrapped in 1947.[4]
Normandy 1882[4] 2500 hp.[10] Sold to Liverpool and Douglas Steamers Ltd in 1902. Sold to Red Funnel Line in 1903, scrapped in 1909.[4]
Normandy 1910[4] 618[17] Sold to London and South Western Railway in 1912. Torpedoed on 25 January 1918 and sunk off Cape La Hague.[17]
Orleans 270[3] In service 1856, Scrapped 1878.[3]
Paris 1852[3] 238[3] Wrecked in 1863 off Jersey.[3]
Paris 1875[3] 488[3] Resold in 1888 to builders.[3]
Paris 1888[3] 785[3] Designed William Stroudley,[5] built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, 3500 hp.[10] Sold in 1912 to the Shipping Federation.[3]
Paris 1913[4] 1,774[4] Became minelayer 1914.[16] Bombed and sunk at Dunkirk in 1940.[4]
Prince Arthur 1896[3] 578[3] Sold in 1901 to the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, renamed Deal.[3]
Rothesay Castle 1837[3] 180[3] Purchased in 1851 from Roxburgh, sold to Denny Bros. in the same year.[3]
Rouen 1853[3] 260[3] Out of service c1868.[3]
PS Rouen 1888[4] 785[4] 900[10] Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, 3500 hp.[10] Sold in 1903 to Barrow Steam Navigation Co Ltd, renamed Duchess of Bucchleugh.[4]
Rouen 1912[4] 1,656[18] Became auxiliary scout 1914, torpedoed 1916, salvaged and employed as a military transport.[16] Scrapped in 1949 at Dieppe.[18]
Seaford 1892[5] 997[4] Designed John Biles, built Denny & Co. Dumbarton.[5] Sank off Newhaven after collision with SS Lyon.[4]
Seine 1891[4] 808[4] Sold in 1906 and renamed Celia.[4]
PS Solent 1902 161[19]
Sussex 1896[4] 1,565[4] Designed John Biles, built Denny & Co. Dumbarton.[5] Became troopship 1914, torpedoed 1916, and salvaged.[16] Sold in 1920 to Greece, renamed Aghia Sophia.[4] Scrapped in 1921 following fire damage.[20]
Tamise 1891[4] 953[4] Scrapped in 1913.[4]
Trouville 1894[3] 570[3] Cargo vessel, built Denny & Co. Dumbarton.[5] Sold in 1901 to the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, renamed Walmer.[3]
Versailles 1921[4] 1,903[4] Scrapped in 1945.[4]
Victoria 1878[3] 531[3] Wrecked at Varengeville-sur-Mer, Seine-Inférieure, France on 13 April 1887 with the loss of 19 of the 90 people on board.[3][21]

The company also operated a number of ships on the Isle of Wight Portsmouth to Ryde service jointly with the London and South Western Railway.[22]

Ship Launched Tonnage (GRT) Notes
PS Duchess of Albany 1889 256 Scrapped in 1928.
PS Duchess of Connaught 1884 342[23] Scrapped in 1910.
PS Duchess of Edinburgh 1884 342[24] Scrapped in 1910.
PS Duchess of Fife 1899 443[25] Scrapped in November 1929 at Bolness.
PS Duchess of Kent 1897 399[26] Sold to New Medway Steam Packet Co Ltd in 1933 and renamed Clacton Queen. Sold to Mersey & Blackpool Steamship Co Ltd in November 1935 and renamed Jubilee Queen. Sold to Jubilee Shipping Co and then S B Kelly in July 1936. Scrapped in June 1937 at Barrow in Furness.[26]
PS Duchess of Norfolk 1911 381[27] Requisitioned by Royal Navy in 1916 as HMS Duchess of Norfolk. Returned to owners in 1920.[28] Sold in 1937 to Cosens & Co Ltd, renamed Embassy. Requisitioned by Royal Navy in 1939 as HMS Ambassador. Returned to owners in 1945, renamed Embassy. Scrapped in 1967 at Boom, Belgium.
PS Duchess of Richmond 1910 354[29] Struck a mine on 28 June 1919 and sank.[29]
PS Princess Margaret 1893 260[30]
PS Victoria 1881 366[31] Scrapped in 1900 at Bolness.[31]

References

  1. 1 2 Jordan, S (1998). Ferry Services of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. Usk: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-521-7.
  2. ↑ Acworth 1888, p. 105.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 "London, Brighton & South Coast Railway Company". The Ships List. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 "London, Brighton & South Coast Railway". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Marx 2008, p. 87.
  6. 1 2 Marx 2007, p. 56.
  7. ↑ Marx 2008, p. 91.
  8. 1 2 3 Marx 2008, p. 56.
  9. 1 2 "1079175". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Acworth 1888, p. 101.
  11. 1 2 "1105657". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  12. ↑ "Latest Shipping Intelligence". The Times. No. 30381. London. 19 December 1881. col E, p. 6.
  13. 1 2 "1085152". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  14. 1 2 "PS Mayflower". Tom Lee. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  15. 1 2 3 "Menai". Caledonian Maritime Heritage Trust. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Marx 2008, p. 57.
  17. 1 2 "1105656". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  18. 1 2 "5603404". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  19. ↑ "1114551". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  20. ↑ "Launched 1886: ss SUSSEX". Clydesite. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ↑ "Wreck of a Channel Steamer". The Times. No. 32046. London. 14 April 1887. col A, p. 10.
  22. ↑ "Isle of Wight Services, Page 1: LBCSR & LSWR Joint Fleet". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  23. ↑ "1087433". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  24. ↑ "1087432". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  25. ↑ "1110219". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  26. 1 2 "1108009". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  27. ↑ "5510305". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  28. ↑ "PS Embassy (ex Duchess of Norfolk)". Tom Lee. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  29. 1 2 "1128414". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  30. ↑ "41651". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  31. 1 2 "1084238". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 15 December 2009.

Sources

  • Acworth, W M (1888). "The London and Brighton Railway". Murray's Magazine. London: John Murray (July 1888).
  • Marx, Klaus (2007). Lawson Billinton: a career cut short. Usk: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-661-0.
  • Marx, Klaus (2008). Robert Billinton: an engineer under pressure. Usk: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-676-4.
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