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-
-
- Harland
and Wolff Standard Motorships
-
- Page
1 - The Belfast SS Pioneers
-
-
- Coast Lines
had been acquired by Lord Kylsant's Royal Mail Steam Packet group
in 1917. The pioneering large passenger motorships of the Royal
Mail group, including ships for White Star, Union-Castle and
Royal Mail itself, are well known. In 1929, the Belfast SS Co
received the first of three 3700ton Harland and Wolff motorships,
the Ulster
Monarch,
displaying
a cut down version of the standard two-funnelled outline. The
second and third ships were delivered in 1930, and were named
Ulster
Queen
and Ulster
Prince.
They were the world's first diesel cross-channel ships, and a
fourth ship smaller ship, the Innisfallen, was delivered for the
City of Cork SP Co.
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- The design
was developed over the next 17 years through nine further ships,
all with just a single funnel. Arguably what was a pioneering
design in 1929 was rather outdated by the time of the last ship
in 1957. That two of these ships are still in service in 1999
shows how well they were built, now owned by the same company
following the takeover of Royal Olympic (Orpheus, ex-Munster (1948) by Louis Cruise Lines (Princesa Amorosa,
ex-Scottish
Coast
(1953).
Only one of the initial trio returned to Belfast SS service after
WW2, the Ulster
Monarch.
She was scrapped in 1966.
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- The 13 ships
in chronological order, with links to their respective pages:-
- 1929 Ulster
Monarch (Belfast SS) - This Page
- 1930 Ulster
Queen (Belfast SS) - This Page
- 1930 Ulster
Prince (Belfast SS) - This Page
- 1930 Innisfallen
(City of Cork SP) - Page
2
- 1936 Royal
Scotsman (Burns & Laird) - Page 3
- 1936 Royal
Ulsterman (Burns & Laird) - Page 3
- 1937 Leinster
(British and Irish) - Ulster Prince - Page 4
- 1938 Munster
(British and Irish) - Page 4
- 1947 Innisfallen
(City of Cork SP) - Page
2
- built by Wm.Denny
- 1948 Leinster
(British and Irish) - Page 4
- 1948 Munster
(British and Irish) - Page 4
- 1953 Irish
Coast (Coast Lines) - Page 3
- 1957 Scottish
Coast (Burns & Laird) - Page 3
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-
- Coast Lines Pages:-
- Belfast
SS History - Overview of the Liverpool-Belfast night boats
- Belfast
SS Motorships - Detailed history of the Liverpool-Belfast motorships - this page!
- Belfast SS Car Ferries
- Coast
Lines
- Header Page
- P&O
Ferries
- H&W
Motorships Page 1 - Belfast SS
- H&W
Motorships Page 2 - City of Cork SP Co
- H&W
Motorships Page 3 - Burns & Laird Line
- H&W
Motorships Page 4 - B&I SP Co
-
- References:-
- The B&I
Line:
by Hazel P.Smyth - Gill & Macmillan 1984
- Across the
Irish Sea:
by Robert Sinclair - Conway Maritime 1990
- Irish Passenger
Steamship Services - Volumes 1 & 2: by D.B.McNeil - David & Charles
1969
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-
-
-
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-
-
- Ulster Monarch
- (Belfast
SS: 1929-1966)
-
-
- In 1929,
the Belfast SS Co received the first of three 3700ton Harland
and Wolff motorships, the Ulster Monarch, displaying a
cut down version of the standard two-funnelled outline. The second
and third ships were delivered in 1930, and were named Ulster Queen and Ulster Prince. They were the world's
first diesel cross-channel ships, and a fourth ship smaller ship,
the Innisfallen, was delivered for the
City of Cork SP Co.
-
- Ulster
Monarch,
was delivered with a light grey hull, but the colour proved to
be impractical and was later replaced with black. The fornt of
the boat deck beneath the bridge was originally open, but was
soon enclosed with wooden-framed windows. In 1938, a blue band
was added to the traditional red and black Belfast SS funnel,
to make them to same as the new Burns & Laird colours applied
to the first two standard motorships added to that fleet. There
was talk of amalgamation of the two fleets at the time, but nothing
came of it. The black hull was applied around the same time.
Ulster Monarch was the only one of the trio to return
after WW2. Ulster
Prince
was wrecked at Nauplia in Greece in April 1941, whilst trying
to evacuate UK troops. She was destroyed the following day on
25th April 1941 by Stuka dive bombers. Ulster Queen was running the Liverpool-Belfast
service alone in 1940 when she ran aground of Maughold Head on
the Isle of Man on 28th February. She was not refloated until
27th March whne she was taken to Belfast for repairs. She was
then requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted into an auxiliary
anti-aircraft cruiser. HMS Ulster Queen was substantially modified with the
removal of her boat deck and one funnel. Armour plating was added
to the hull sides and she had been armed with six 4.0in guns
plus smaller AA weapons. The conversion was successful and she
was purchased outright by the Admiralty. HMS Ulster Queen served with the Russian
convoys, in the Mediterranean and in the Far East before being
paid off on 1st April 1946. The modifications were too substantial
to return her to passenger service, and she was sold for scrap.
-
- Ulster
Monarch's
funnels reverted to red and black after the war, and shortened
funnels were installed to reduce top weight. This class was renowned
for rolling in high seas. Ulster Monarch was the only
one of the initial trio which returned to Belfast SS service
after WW2. She was scrapped in 1966.
-
- Complete history of Ulster Monach
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-
- An
early official Belfast SS card of Ulster Monarch, with
original light grey hull, and before windows were added on the
forward boat deck.
- The
Liverpool-Belfast route was marketed as the Ulster Imperial Line,
which continued until after WW2.
-
-
- Another
official Belfast SS card of Ulster Monarch, with original
light grey hull.
- The
boat deck beneath the bridge was protected with windows at an
early stage - compare with the card above.
-
-
- The
blue version of the official Belfast SS card of Ulster Monarch
shown above.
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-
- An
official Belfast SS card of a single first class cabin on Ulster
Monarch.
-
-
- An
W.E.Walton photographic card of Ulster Monarch, with original
light grey hull.
- The
colour proved to be impractical and was later replaced with black.
- An
early card - the boat deck beneath the bridge is not yet protected
with windows.
-
-
- An
official Belfast SS colour card of Ulster Monarch.
- In
1938, a blue band was added to the traditional red and black
Belfast SS funnel, to make them to same as the
- new
Burns & Laird colours applied to the first two standard motorships
added to that fleet. There was talk of
- amalgamation
of the two fleets at the time, but nothing came of it. The black
hull was applied around the same time.
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- An
official Belfast SS postcard of Ulster Monarch.
-
-
- A
postwar official Belfast SS colour card of Ulster Monarch,
after funnels reverted to red and black.
- The
Ulster Monarch was the only one of the trio to return
to Belfast SS service after the war.
-
-
- Another
postwar official Belfast SS colour card of Ulster Monarch,
after funnels reverted to red and black.
-
-
- An
interesting card of Ulster Monarch, with a Dublin boat
astern, at Liverpool Pier Head.
-
-
- Another
postwar official Belfast SS colour card of Ulster Monarch.
- This
shows the shortened funnels applied to reduce top weight. This
class was renowned for rolling in high seas.
-
-
- A
late official card of Ulster Monarch, with later small
funnels.
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-
-
-
-
- Ulster Queen
- (Belfast
SS: 1930-1941)
-
- Ulster
Queen
was running the Liverpool-Belfast service alone in 1940 when
she ran aground of Maughold Head on the Isle of Man on 28th February.
She was not refloated until 27th March whne she was taken to
Belfast for repairs. She was then requisitioned by the Admiralty
and converted into an auxiliary anti-aircraft cruiser. HMS Ulster Queen was substantially modified
with the removal of her boat deck and one funnel. Armour plating
was added to the hull sides and she had been armed with six 4.0in
guns plus smaller AA weapons. The conversion was successful and
she was purchased outright by the Admiralty. HMS Ulster Queen served with the Russian
convoys, in the Mediterranean and in the Far East before being
paid off on 1st April 1946. The modifications were too substantial
to return her to passenger service, and she was sold for scrap.
-
-
- An
early official Belfast SS card of Ulster Queen, without
widows on the forward boat deck.
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-
- An
official Belfast SS card of Ulster Queen, with original
light grey hull.
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-
- An
official Belfast SS card of Ulster Queen - colour &
font variation on the card above.
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-
- W.E.Walton
photographic card of Ulster Queen
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- An
W.E.Walton photographic card (on a painted sea) of Ulster
Queen, with original light grey hull.
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-
- An
unidentified photographic card of Ulster Queen, with the
light grey hull already showing signs of wear.
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-
- A
different copy of the photographic postcard above of Ulster
Queen.
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-
- An
unidentified photographic card of Ulster Queen.
- All
three sisters served with distinction and reliability during
WW2. Ulster Queen was heavily converted to a fighter
- direction
ship, and did not return to commercial service after the war.
She was laid up, and eventually scrapped in 1950.
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-
- Photographic
postcard of Ulster Queen on the Mersey.
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- Photographic
postcard of Ulster Queen on the Mersey.
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- Photographic
postcard of Ulster Queen with black hull, on the Mersey.
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- Photographic
postcard of Ulster Queen with black hull, on the Mersey.
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- Photographic
postcard of Ulster Queen with black hull, on the Mersey.
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- Photographic
postcard of Ulster Prince on war service.
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- Photographic
postcard of Ulster Prince on war service.
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-
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-
-
- Ulster Prince
- (Belfast
SS: 1930-1941)
-
- Ulster
Prince
was wrecked at Nauplia in Greece in April 1941, whilst trying
to evacuate troops. She was destroyed the following day on 25th
April 1941 by Stuka dive bombers.
-
-
- An
official Belfast SS card of Ulster Prince, with original
light grey hull.
-
-
- An
official Belfast SS card of Ulster Prince, with original
light grey hull.
-
-
- An
W.E.Walton photographic card (on a painted sea) of Ulster
Prince, with original light grey hull.
- Ulster
Prince was
lost during the evacuation of Greece in 1941.
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-
- An
unidentified photographic card (BSS official?) of Ulster Prince.
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-
- Photographic
postcard of Ulster Prince with black hull.
- Location
unknown (it looks neither like Liverpool nor Belfast!)
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-
- Photographic
postcard of Ulster Prince with black hull and "Burns
& Laird" funnels, on the Mersey.
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-
- 1937
Ulster Prince (Belfast SS)
-
- This
ship was transferred to Belfast SS after WW2, to run the service
alongside Ulster Monarch, the only survivor of the original
trio. She was built as the Leinster in 1937 - Follow
this link for her history.
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-
-
-
-
- Coast
Lines
- P&O
Ferries
- H&W Motorships Page 1 - H&W
Motorships Page 2
- H&W Motorships Page 3 - H&W
Motorships Page 4
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