London, Chatham and Dover Railway: Ships
Note: This is a sub-section of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
‘Cross-Channel and Coastal Paddle Steamers’ by George Frank Burtt
LONDON, CHATHAM AND DOVER RAILWAY, DOVER-CALAIS ROUTE,
The L,C, & D,R, in 1862 secured the contract for the conveyance of mails between Dover and Calais, They also ran, in connection with their railway system, a non-mail passenger service at different hours to the mail service and did a considerable cargo traffic.
The L,C, & D,R, Company were one of the most progressive of cross-channel ship owners, maintaining a high standard of speedy and comfortable ships. Every consideration was given to the eliminating of the effects of bad sea crossings, which were experienced on no other British cross-channel service more than on the Dover- Calais route. This was due to the many currents and the narrowness of the Channel,
From the naval architect’s and marine engineer’s points of view, the fleet contained steamers of marked originality, although they did not always produce the effects desired by their designers.
Of the old historic Cinque Ports, Dover is the only one which has remained permanently accessible to the largest types of modern shipping,
Amongst the steamers taken over for the time being by the L.C. & D.R. from Mr. Churchward were the SCOUT, GARLAND, UNDINE, JUPITER, PIONEER, PATHFINDER and PRINCE FREDERICK WILLIAM, but that soon had working on the service five new smart little packets as follows (see image for full table):-
The first two, and probably all five, had down to the order of Mr. Churchward, but completed before his contract terminated.
Within the next two years four more were added, as follows (see image for full table):-
On the 13th December, 1865,at about 11.30 p.m.,the night being dark and hazy, the SAMPHIRE, when crossing from Dover to Calais, was run into by an American barque named the FANNY BUCK and was badly damaged, several passengers being drowned. Both vessels had to be towed back into Dover. The barque had her bows stove in and her stem and bowsprit carried away. The Board of Trade inquiry turned on whether the FANNY BUCK had shown proper lights, and ultimately it was found that she had not. Nevertheless, the captain of the SAMPHIRE was censured for driving his ship too fast on a murky night. His certificate was not suspended, as it was recorded that he had behaved very gallantly by leaping into the sea in an attempt to rescue a passenger - a foreign count - who, in his excitement, jumped or fell into the water.
E. Le Breton Martin in “From Sail to Steam” records a cross-channel race which took place in March, 1865, from Dover to Calais between the FRANCE and an 800- ton twin-screw steamer, the MARY AUGUSTA. The FRANCE, at that time, was reputed to be the fastest cross-channel boat. The race was won by the MARY AUGUSTA, which made the double run—without entering Calais harbour—in 2 hours 45 minutes 10 seconds, a turn of speed unequalled by any previous screw boat.
These vessels, although not in any way comparable with the magnificent turbine driven boats of to-day, were regarded at that time as extremely fine and were no doubt a very great improvement on the earlier boats. With the exception of the last two they were straight stemmed as against the clipper stems of their predecessors. They had two pole masts and two very tall funnels, which being well raked gave a distinct impression of speed. They were very soundly constructed and engined and it was remarkable the manner in which they retained their sea-worthiness and speed. Excluding the SCUD, which was loaned to the Belgian Government in 1863 for a time and finally withdrawn from service in 1866, all of them continued in regular service for thirty years, and even when they had earned a well deserved retirement took their turn in all weathers with the much larger VICTORIA class of the eighties and the DOVER class of the nineties. During the last few years of their life they were regarded as "stand bys," but it was not until the re-organisation of the services on the fusion of the L.C. & D.R. and the S.E.R., which provided a considerable surplus tonnage, that they were sold to the shipbreakers. The MAID OF KENT was sold in 1898, the others all followed in 1899, excepting the FOAM which remained until 1901.
It is safe to say that no cross-Channel packets on this, or any other, route did such excellent and reliable work over such a length of time and proved so economical to run as did these splendid little pioneers of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
Even at the present time. A natural dread of crossing the Channel deters many people from visiting the Continent, and to even a greater degree prevents many of our Continental neighbours from visiting Great Britain. Sixty or seventy years ago, with the small boats then employed, the crossing of that narrow strip of water was an even greater deterrent.
The route between Dover and Calais, although the quickest crossing, was frequently the roughest, on account of weather vagaries and fast running tides—the general effect of the narrowness of the Straits of Dover.
Schemes for the construction of a submarine tunnel have appeared in the public Press periodically during the past fifty years; but from one cause or another - political or financial - they get no nearer fruition.
Fully alive to the difficulties associated with this particular crossing, the Chatham Railway Company sought to overcome them by the use of boats of special construction. The first of these experimental boats was the CASTALIA, owned by the English Channel Steamship Co. and built by the Thames Iron Works of Blackwall from designs by Captain T, W. R. Dicey. She had two half-ship hulls, held firmly parallel, with space behind them for the paddle wheels. The engines, which were on the diagonal arrangement, were constructed by J. & A. Blyth of London. There were 4 cylinders 47.25 in. diameter and 60 in. stroke of piston. The boilers were placed between the sides of the ship and the engines. There were four funnels, two on each side, and two pole masts. The collective engine power was 250 n.h.p. The extreme length was 290.5 feet, extreme breadth 60 feet, depth 14.2 feet, and draught 6 feet. Tonnage: gross 1,533, net 687.
The CASTALIA'S career, unfortunately, was neither long nor satisfactory. Her slow speed of eleven knots, due to insufficient engine power, and the unpleasant motion set up by the waves breaking between the hulls, resulted in her being withdrawn from service. She was sold to the Metropolitan Asylums Board for use as an Isolation Hospital for infectious diseases, being converted by R. & H. Green of London.‡ As a hospital she was opened for patients in June, 1884, and was moored in that part of the Thames known as the Long Reach in company with the old line of battle ship ATLAS and the frigate ENDYMION.
A second attempt to combat the Channel waves was made in 1875, when Earle’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Company launched at Hull the BESSEMER. This steamer had a complete ship’s hull, and in the centre of her length was slung a large swinging saloon controlled by a hydraulic arrangement worked by skilled labour, the idea being to keep the saloon always on a level, irrespective of the movements of the ship’s hull. The saloon and apparatus were from the designs of Mr. Henry Bessemer who intended the saloon to be proof against transverse and longitudinal oscillation, but as built the system was limited to counter transverse oscillation only. The ship was tried at sea in January, 1875, and obtained a speed of 18 m.p.h. The swinging saloon proved a failure from the first, with the result that the BESSEMER was soon withdrawn from service, although still shewn in Lloyd’s Register of 1879, when she was owned by W. Sugden of Hull.
She had four paddle wheels, two on each side of her hull, fore and aft, thus reverting to the plan of Bell’s COMET of 1811. Both pairs of feathering float wheels were 30 feet in diameter and were placed 106 feet apart, centre to centre. Each pair of wheels had two sets of oscillating engines of 4,000 i.h.p. made by the same builders as the hull. The cylinders were 80.25 diam. and a 60 in, piston stroke, the boiler pressure was 30 lb. per sq. in.
She was a curious looking craft, being a double-ender with bows at both ends built very low, two upright funnels and two pole masts. The illustration gives an excellent idea of her appearance. She was 349.6 ft. long, 40.2 ft. beam, and 19. i ft. deep. The BESSEMER was of 1886 gross tonnage and 727 net.
As the vessel was very large and had a light draught of water, it was built double-ended so as to go in and out of a narrow harbour without the necessity of turning round. The swinging saloon—about 86 feet long—was placed in the centre of the ship. The engines and boilers had to be arranged fore and aft of the saloon, and this in turn necessitated the two pairs of paddle wheels being placed more than 100 feet apart. Considerable doubt was expressed at the time as to the practicability of two pairs of wheels propelling at the same speed and also as to the constant loss of power by the aft pair, due to the disturbance of the water caused by the fore pair.
Mr. E. J. Reed, in his paper read at the Institution of Naval Architects, in March, 1875, records that when the ship was making her preliminary trials—on three occasions on considerable runs—and when both engines were doing their best, the difference between the revolutions of the engines did not exceed two. A peculiar feature of this ship was the low ends, Mr. Bessemer’s idea being that, as soon as the ship got into a heavy sea, it would roll over the low ends, and the pitching would be considerably lessened.
From the report of the run from the North to the Thames, the BESSEMER encountered very heavy seas, enough to cause larger vessels to roll and pitch, but this was not noticeable in the BESSEMER.
The mechanism for the operation of the saloon was hydraulic, and this same power was applied to the steering and capstan gear. On two occasions, due to unskilful operation of the steering gear, the ship collided with the pier at Calais.
The following interesting account is taken from the “ Illustrated London News ” for 15th May, 1875:- " THE BESSEMER SALOON STEAMER. The new steam-ship with the suspended saloon, invented by Mr. H. Bessemer to prevent sea-sickness to passengers across the Channel, made the trip from Dover to Calais, on Saturday last, with above 200 passengers on board. She started from the Admiralty Pier soon after eleven o’clock, under the command of Captain Pittock. There was some mist and rain at that hour, but it soon cleared off, and the sea was very smooth. The wind, too,, was favourable, so’ that there was really no opportunity for proving the reputed peculiar advantages of this vessel. The hydraulic- power apparatus designed to keep the swinging saloon in a horizontal position was not used at all, and the saloon remained fixed in the hull of the ship. But as to the spaciousness and convenience of all the accommodation for passengers, those on board, who came by special invitation, were fully satisfied. The run over to Calais was performed in just an hour and a half. Unfortunately, as the vessel was entering Calais harbour, she ran against one of the wooden piers, and did it much damage, but was herself little the worse. The following is Admiral Spencer Robinson’s account of the mishap:- “Calais harbour is formed by two projecting piers, whose distance apart is 50 ft. less than the length of the Bessemer. On the left of the spectator, looking inshore, is the pier alongside which the Bessemer has to find her berth, between 500 and 600 yards from the pierhead. As both these piers are, for a considerable distance from their extremities, constructed of open-work resting upon piles, the tide passes through the openings freely, and at the time of the Bessemer’s approach was running strongly from the right-hand pier to the left. The ship approached the entrance, according to custom, obliquely, keeping as close to the right-hand pier as possible (the tide setting strongly to the left), put her helm a-port as soon as the pier-head was passed, and turned quickly and perfectly into the fair way between the piers. It seemed as if a ship which had made so sharp a turn so satisfactorily would not have found it difficult to keep in the fair way, or as much on either side of it as those in charge of her should think desirable; but, whether the ship’s helm was not put over to starboard soon enough, or from some other cause, the ship’s head never paused in turning towards the right-hand pier, and, as far as I could see, though the rate of collision, which occurred about 250 the the and feet of the wreck she steamed slowly over to her berth on the opposite side unharmed. I have no doubt that the tide, which I scribed as setting strongly from the right-hand pier to the left, operated with very unequal strength at the outer end (or stern of the ship) from what it did at the inner end or bow of the ship, and would naturally render the steering of any ship so placed a matter of considerable difficulty. No ship will steer unless she has way on her, and way enough to counteract the accidental movement of the water across the line of her path. Whether the ship had sufficient way, or whether the helm was put over to starboard at the right moment, I cannot say ; I was not in a position to see or know what passed with reference to these points. I ought to have mentioned earlier that the wind, moderate in strength, was blowing obliquely from the right-hand pier to the left, and was acting, therefore, so far as it had any effect, to turn the outer end or stern of the ship towards the left-hand pier. I have not sufficient local knowledge for my opinion to be absolutely conclusive; but, notwithstanding what has happened, it is my conviction that whenever there is water enough the Bessemer can be taken into Calais Harbour without an accident.”
THE CALAIS-DOUVRES (I).
The third and last experimental boat built to promote the comfort of cross-Channel passengers appeared in 1877, when Hawthorn, Leslie & Company built at Newcastle another double-hull vessel, the EXPRESS, later to be renamed CALAIS-DOUVRES - a peculiarly suitable name for a twin ship. She differed from the CASTALIA in having two complete hulls: though separated, they were kept together, parallel to each other, by strong wrought iron girders.
She was 302 feet long, 60 feet beam and had engines of 600 n.h.p. The gross tonnage was 1924 and the speed 13 knots. The paddle wheels were placed between the two hulls.
The CALAIS-DOUVRES created a sensation when she was first taken to Dover by her builders, and for a time was very popular with travellers. She took up her running from Dover to Calais in May, 1878, and was by far the largest vessel in the cross-Channel service. She was withdrawn in 1887, as her speed was too slow for the day services and she was too large and cumbersome for night work. For a long time she lay at Tilbury, and was finally sold to a firm of coal merchants and ended her days as a hulk in the Thames.
From the illustration, it will be seen that the CALAIS-DOUVRES—for a freak ship—had a handsome appearance, which could hardly be said of either the BESSEMER or CASTALIA. She had four masts and four funnels; all upright, due to her being a double-ender.
The idea of building this boat with a centre paddle wheel was not new, as the LONDON ENGINEER, 70 n.h.p., built and engined by Maudslay & Field in 1818, had this arrangement.
There were no further additions to the London, Chatham & Dover Railway fleet until 1882, when the Thames Iron Works built the INVICTA, a steel steamer of 1,197 gross tonnage, 312.3 feet long, 33.6 feet beam, depth 16 feet and a draught of 8.5 feet. Her indicated horse power was 4,000, with a nominal horse power of 700. The engines were built by Maudslay, Son & Field; they had oscillating cylinders 80 inches diameter and 78 inches stroke, with a boiler pressure of 30 lb. per square inch. The boilers had a total heating surface of 14,390 sq. ft., and a total grate area of 600. On trials, August 5th, 1882, she did 18.5 knots.
On one occasion, in April, 1888, owing to continuous heavy winds and the shifting of the sands, the INVICTA stranded off the French coast. Fortunately, she was got off without the slightest injury, despite having lain for several days on a lee shore, with a nasty sea breaking over her, and then being subjected to the dragging of five tugs.
In accordance with an Anglo-French diplomatic agreement to the effect that the mails should be carried jointly, the INVICTA was chartered in 1896 by the Northern Railway of France, flew the flag of the Republic, and was manned by French seamen.
The INVICTA was withdrawn from service in 1898 and broken up in 1899.
A remarkable development occurred with the placing of the VICTORIA on the Calais service. This steamer, launched in June, 1886, although of considerably less registered tonnage (1,052) was of 5,000 indicated horse power; her length was 309 feet, breadth 34 feet, and her speed 18 knots
The VICTORIA had a set of compound diagonal engines, having cylinders 58 inches and 104 inches diameter and 72 inch stroke. Steam was supplied by two double-ended and two single-ended cylindrical boilers, the steam pressure being 110 lb. per square inch. The total heating surface was 13,700 sq. ft. and 407 sq. ft. grate area. The VICTORIA was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Glasgow.
This vessel, like her successors, had double bows and was fitted with rudders at either end, so that she could turn more easily. This arrangement was necessary on account of the stormy character of the coast in the Straits of Dover at various periods of the year; it was also conducive to speedy turning of the vessel (with a consequent saving of passengers’ time), it being the practice at Dover and Calais to turn and enter stern first.
Like the INVICTA, the VICTORIA was loaned to the Northern Railway of France. She was withdrawn in 1904, sold to the Shipbreaking Company, Ltd., and dismantled.
In the following year - June, 1887 - the Fairfield Company built the EMPRESS, a steamer on similar lines to the VICTORIA, with a rudder fore and aft, but faster and larger. Her length was 324.6 feet, beam 34 feet 9 inches, depth 13 feet 5 inches, with a tonnage of 1,219 gross and 288 net. The EMPRESS on her trials had a speed of 20.4 knots, and her engines, which were compound diagonal, had cylinders 58 and 104 inches diameter with a piston stroke of 72 inches, and developed an indicated horse power of 5,000. The n.h.p. was 765.
Her fastest time between the two ports was 59 minutes 48 seconds. On a Board of Trade inspection trip from Gravesend to Dover in May, 1888, the EMPRESS made a continuous run at 18 knots. Her usual service speed was 19 to 19.5 knots.
In 1895, the Fairfield Company fitted the EMPRESS with new boilers. She then continued on the service until 1906, when she was broken up.
THE CALAIS-DOUVRES (II)
For the convenience of the English visitors to the Paris Exhibition of 1889, a new and up-to-date boat was built for this service by the Fairfield Company, who were also responsible for the engines. This boat, launched in April, 1889, was named the CALAIS-DOUVRES.
This vessel was a splendid specimen of cross-Channel marine architecture and engineering. Her internal accommodation and passenger arrangements were the same as in the EMPRESS. She was also of the same length as that boat, but somewhat broader, the EMPRESS being 64 feet overall and the CALAIS-DOUVRES 68 feet 6 inches overall, 36 feet beam, height between decks 8 feet 3 Inches and draught 8 feet 6 inches.
All the cabins were electrically lighted, and the promenade deck—which extended the whole length of the vessel—was similarly illuminated.
The CALAIS-DOUVRES had two sets of diagonal direct- acting compound engines, which developed 6,450 i.h.p. when the boilers were worked under forced draught.
During her official trial over the measured mile at Skelmorlie, the maximum speed attained was 21.25 knots, and the average of several runs was 20.75 knots, with the engines running at 50 revolutions per minute. Her quickest recorded passage was 57 mins. = 22.63 knots. The high pressure cylinder was 59 inches diam. and the low pressure cylinder 106 inches by 6 feet stroke; the n.h.p. was 795. Steam was supplied by four 13 feet 3 inches diameter double-ended boilers, 16 feet 3 inches long and working at no lb. per square inch. The total heating surface was 13,674, and the grate area 374 sq. ft. The gross tonnage was 1,212 and the net 308.
Like the three previous boats, the CALAIS-DOUVRES had two funnels, one fore and one aft of the engines, and she was double-ended.
In 1900, she was sold to the Liverpool and Douglas Steamers, Ltd., and in 1903 was purchased by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, and re-named the MONA. She was broken up in 1909.
The illustration of the CALAIS-DOUVRES was taken when on her trials on the Clyde.
No further additions were made to the fleet of the London, Chatham & Dover Railway until 1896, when it was found desirable to withdraw the smaller and older boats. PETREL, FOAM, WAVE, BREEZE, SAMPHIRE, etc., from the night services and replace them by more commodious and faster steamers. The old boats were for some time kept in reserve and were only brought out in cases of real emergency.
Denny Brothers of Dumbarton secured the contract and built the three sister ships
These vessels were 280 feet long, 35 feet beam and 13.4 feet deep; they were of the double-ended type and were the first of the company’s steamers to be fitted with only one funnel. All three had a tonnage of 1,002 gross and 364 net, and triple expansion diagonal engines having cylinders of the following diameters:- 35.5, 52.5 and 76 inches, the stroke of the pistons being 72 inches.
Although built expressly for the night service, they found such favour with travellers that they were frequently used on the daylight passages. Their i.h.p. was 4,084 and n.h.p. 490 and their speed 19.65 knots.
These boats were very economical on fuel and consumed only about half the quantity of coal that had been usual with the previous steamers, although maintaining substantially the same speed. The port of registry of the CALAIS was Glasgow and of the other two boats London.
In 1911, the CALAIS was sold to a French owner, P. Hattemer of Boulogne, who named her Au REVOIR, and she was then used as a tender for transferring passengers to and from ocean liners that were too large to enter Boulogne harbour. She was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U.B. i8 in the English Channel on 26th February, 1916. This submarine, commanded by the notorious Steinbrinck, was subsequently sunk off Start Point on the Devonshire coast.
The DOVER was sold in 1911 to the Norwegian firm of Stavanger Skibs Ophugnings Akties, and dismantled, whilst the LORD WARDEN in the same year was purchased by the Dutch firm of shipbreakers, Naam Venn Scheep De Koophandel, and broken up.
As already mentioned, the INVICTA and the VICTORIA were loaned to the Northern Railway of France for the purpose of carrying a portion of the mails. At the desire of the French Government, it was arranged that the morning mail service should be worked by the French boats and the midday and night services by the boats of the L.C. & D. Railway. Orders were accordingly placed by the French company for the building of two new fast steamers to replace the INVICTA and the VICTORIA.
These vessels were built by the Societe des Chantiers de la Loire, the hulls being constructed at St. Nazaire and the engines at Indre. They were put on the service in September, 1898. These two ships were the last paddle steamers to be constructed for cross-Channel services by any company, and they were the only paddle steamers ever built by a French firm for cross-Channel work.
Named LE NORD and LE PAS DE CALAIS, they were very valuable acquisitions on the Dover-Calais service.
They were single funnel vessels and were the most handsome steamers that ran on this service. Their engines developed 8,000 horse power, which gave a speed of 21.5 knots, and in favourable weather they could accomplish the trip between Dover and Calais in the hour.
The length of these steamers between perpendiculars was 337 feet 8 inches, beam 35 feet 9 inches, and depth 14 feet 2 inches, whilst both were remarkable for their stability in bad weather. They were fitted with steering gear at both ends of the ship for manipulation in entering and leaving the harbours, and were driven by 3 cylinder triple expansion diagonal engines, the cranks working at 120 degrees. The diameter of the high pressure cylinder was 41.339 inches, the intermediate cylinder 59.055 inches and the low pressure cylinder 86.714 inches, the stroke of the piston being 88.583 inches. Their tonnage was 2,004 gross and 667 net and their port of registry Calais.
As evidence of the striking contrast between crossing the Channel in the modern steamer and in those of one hundred years ago. Sir Edward Blount - at one time chairman of the Western Railway of France - writes (in his memoirs) as follows: — "Nobody who has not personally experienced it can imagine the intolerable nuisances of the Channel crossing in the ’thirties. It was about 1828 or 1829 that I first travelled from London “ to Paris. The boat was met at Dover by a shoal of Custom House officers, who waylaid the wet, weary, and frequently sea- “ sick passengers. Examination in those days was carried to the “ length of bodily search. You were felt all over to see whether you had anything concealed on your person. Ladies were taken into a separate room and underwent the same investigation at the hands of a female attendant. This operation at Dover or Calais lasted from half-an-hour to one hour and a half, according to the number of passengers. The crossing frequently lasted eight hours. On landing, passports were severely scrutinized, to see whether they agreed with the description of the bearer, and if there was the slightest error, you were not allowed to proceed on the journey.”
The LE PAS DE CALAIS and LE NORD were fitted, when new, with water-tube boilers of the Lagraffel and d’Allest type, of a total heating surface of 16,146 sq. ft. and a grate area of 516 sq. ft., the steam pressure being 186 lb. But these boilers gave a certain amount of trouble, on account of the high rate of combustion at which they had to be worked in order to supply the required power. In 1911, therefore, they were given new water-tube boilers of the Solignac-Grille type, which were constructed partly at the Hellemmes works of the Chemin de Per du Nord and partly at the Ateliers et Chantiers de France at Dunkerque.
These new boilers, by reason of their lighter weight, involved an alteration in trim that was favourable to speed. The coal consumption was less, whilst there was a reduction of priming combined with a greater production of dry steam. This latter point was exemplified whilst the LE NORD was making the crossing on December loth, 1911. The condensation became interrupted owing to the inlet valve of the centrifugal circulating pump being out of the water in consequence of the rolling of the boat in a very heavy sea, and the steam of the low pressure cylinder, escaping by the lifting of the condenser safety valve, invaded the engine and boiler rooms. No priming in the boilers nor any shocks in the cylinders were observed, in spite of the rolling having reached 35 degrees from the vertical and the transverse positions of the boilers of the ship, the steam being discharged above the water level. With the former boilers this would have been impossible: and failure of the high pressure cylinder, with all the consequences involved, would very probably have resulted. The working of the boilers was resumed after about six minutes, although the stokers had begun to leave the boiler rooms, which were rendered uninhabitable by the escape of steam. This type of boiler enabled steam to be raised in about half the time of the former.
In the great Channel gale of January, 1902, to which reference is made in connection with the Dover-Ostend boats, all Channel services were more or less affected, especially so in the narrow channel between Dover and Calais. The LE PAS DE CALAIS, which had left Dover on the Friday night, was not able to enter Calais Harbour until 6 a.m. on the following morning. She made a bad passage across and arrived off Calais at 12.30 a.m., but the authorities would not allow the captain to attempt an entrance, and the vessel had to stand to sea. The powerful searchlights of the LE PAS DE CALAIS showed that very heavy seas were sweeping over the piers, so that it was impossible to distinguish the entrance to the harbour. The vessel cruised about in the gale all night and then, by skilful manoeuvring, was brought safely into port. The other services for the time being were transferred from Calais to Boulogne.
Both these vessels had the distinction of ramming submarines, though in very different circumstances. The LE NORD rammed and sank a German submarine during the Great War; but the affair of the LE PAS DE CALAIS was far more tragic. On May 26th, 1910, this steamer, soon after leaving Calais, was proceeding at full speed when the look-out suddenly observed the French submarine PLUVIOSE about a hundred yards ahead. Everything possible was done to avoid a collision but it was too late. The LE PAS DE CALAIS cut into the submarine, the fore part of which rose slowly up to an angle of forty-five degrees; and after remaining in that position for about ten minutes, the vessel suddenly disappeared beneath the waves, carrying with it the full complement of twenty-seven officers and men. It was surmised at the time that the PLUVIOSE was making a sham attack on the mail boat and intended to pass under it, but that after making a safe course at the moment of diving, it was carried out of its course by the currents and by a lamentable fatality rose just in front of the bows of the LE PAS DE CALAIS.
These two steamers ran until August, 1920, when they were sold to the Societe Anonyme de Gerance et d’Armement and about eighteen months later were broken up. Thus ended the use of paddle steamers on regular cross-channel services.