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Emerald (steam yacht)

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For other ships with the same name, see Emerald (disambiguation) and Beryl (disambiguation).

History
United Kingdom
Name
  • 1902: Emerald
  • 1913: Beryl
Owner
Port of registry
BuilderA Stephen & Sons, Linthouse
Yard number397
Launched12 October 1902
CompletedApril 1903
Identification
Fategutted by fire, 1913
General characteristics
Typesteam yacht
Tonnage694 GRT, 472 NRT
Length211.7 ft (64.5 m)
Beam28.6 ft (8.7 m)
Depth16.95 ft (5.17 m)
Decks2
Installed power
  • 1903: 230 NHP
  • 1909: 315 NHP
Propulsion
Sail plan2-masted schooner
Speed13 knots (24 km/h)

Emerald was a steam yacht that was launched in Glasgow in 1902 for the shipbuilder, shipowner, and politician Sir Christopher Furness. She was an early example of a yacht powered by steam turbines. By 1909 she had been modified, with a triple-expansion engine replacing one of her turbines. In 1912 Christopher Furness died. James Burns, 3rd Baron Inverclyde acquired the yacht and renamed her Beryl. In 1913 she was gutted by fire. She was sold and converted into a coal hulk, and survived as such until at least 1917.

Emerald

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Alexander Stephen and Sons in Linthouse, Glasgow built Emerald as yard number 397. She was launched on 21 October 1902,[1] and completed in April 1903. Her length was 211.7 ft (64.5 m), her beam was 28.6 ft (8.7 m), and her depth was 16.95 ft (5.17 m). Her tonnages were 694 GRT, 472 NRT, and 757 Thames Measurement. She had three screws, each driven by a Parsons steam turbine. The combined power of her three turbines was rated at 230 NHP,[2] and gave her a speed of 13 knots (24 km/h). She had one funnel, two masts, and was rigged as a schooner. Emerald's first owner was Christopher Furness, who registered her in West Hartlepool. Her United Kingdom official number was 115147, and her code letters were TWNF.[3]

Reciprocating engine

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By May 1909, J. Samuel White of Cowes had replaced the steam turbine on her middle propeller shaft with a three-cylinder triple-expansion engine. The combined power of her reciprocating and turbine engines was rated at 315 NHP.[4]

Beryl

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Furness died in November 1912. Lord Inverclyde acquired Emerald, renamed her Beryl, and registered her in Glasgow.[5] In December 1913 she was moored in Rosneath Bay. Five days before Christmas, she was burnt out by fire. The Glasgow Herald reported: "Fire broke out in the after peak, spreading so quickly through the inflammable interior that before any substantial help could be brought to the scene, the vessel was a mass of flames, and practically beyond hope of saving." It was alleged that suffragettes caused the fire by arson. However, no evidence was presented, and no-one was charged with any offence.[6]

By 1915 the Ardrossan Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company had acquired Beryl.[7] She was used as a coal hulk at Gare Loch.[6] The Ardrossan Company was still registered as her owner in 1917.[8]

See also

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  • TS Vanadis – another steam yacht whose middle turbine was replaced with a triple expansion engine

References

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  1. ^ "Emerald". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  2. ^ Yacht Register 1904, ELS.
  3. ^ Mercantile Navy List 1904, p. 133.
  4. ^ Register of Yachts 1909, EMI.
  5. ^ Register of Yachts 1913, BER.
  6. ^ a b McIntyre, Alistair; Fullarton, Donald (30 December 2017). "Did Suffragettes set fire to yacht?". Helensburgh Heritage Trust. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  7. ^ Mercantile Navy List 1915, p. 62.
  8. ^ Mercantile Navy List 1917, p. 63.

Bibliography

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