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Liverpool & Douglas Steamers Ltd
Mr S W Higginbottom of Liverpool was one steamship entrepreneur determined to wrest a share of the lucrative Isle of Man trade from the incumbent Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. He invested in well tried second hand tonnage, including Ireland, the longest paddle steamer built for trade within UK waters, from the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company. When bought in 1899 she was only fourteed years old, but she was sent for scrap after the 1900 season. She was replaced by the appropriately named Calais-Douvres, renamed Mona, the eleven year old ferry from the South Eastern & Chatham Railway which, on recent establishment, was rationalising its fleet 

The company's operations came to an abrupt end in 1902 on Higginbottom's death in 1902. Mona was bought by the Isle of Man SP from the liquidators in 1903



Above : Mona in service in her Isle of Man Steam Packet colours with distinctive paddle-box logo after being purchased from the liquidators of Higginbottom's company.
Photo : wikipedia - Public Domain


Ireland (1899-1900)
Built in 1885 by Laird Bros at Birkenhead
366.3 ft : 2049 GRT
Engines Oscillating 102 x 102 in.
Built for the City of Dublin SP Co
Sold to Liverpool & Douglas Steamers Ltd in 1899.
Scrapped in 1900

Lily (1900-1902)
Built in 1880 by Laird Bros at Birkenhead
300 ft : 1175 GRT :
Engine : Triple Expansion 44, 70 and 108 x 78 in - originally oscillating until replaced in 1890
Purchased from the London & North Western Railway in 1900
Scrapped in 1905

Violet (1902)
Built in 1880 by Laird Bros at Birkenhead
300 ft : 1175 GRT :
Engine : Triple Expansion 44, 70 and 108 x 78 in - originally oscillating until replaced in 1890
Purchased from the London & North Western Railway in 1902
Purchased from the London & North Western Railway in 1900
Mona (1901-1902)
Built by in 1889 by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engg at Govan.
324.5 ft : 1065 GRT.
Engines : Compound diagonal 59 and 106 in x 72 in
Built for the London, Chatham and Dover Railway as Calais-Douvres
Sold to Liverpool & Douglas Steamers in 1901
Sold by the liquidators to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co in 1903
Scrapped in 1909



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