page_title: SS Mona's Isle (1882)
section_title: Service life
hierarchical_section_title: SS Mona's Isle (1882) / Service life
caption_attribution_description: English: SS Mona's Isle aground at Scarlett Point
context_page_description: SS Mona's Isle (III), No. 76304, the third ship in the company's history to be so named, was a paddle steamer which served with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company until she was purchased by The Admiralty in 1915.
context_section_description: Mona's Isle was said to be the largest, best appointed, and most expensive steamer in the company's history up to that time. Exceptionally fast in her day, she could reach Liverpool from Douglas in only 3hr. 55min. She was the first of five rather similar paddle-steamers added to the fleet between 1882 and 1889.
  On Thursday 19 June 1884, Mona’s Isle suffered a mechanical failure; one of her cylinders and a piston rod being damaged. Departing Liverpool at 13:05hrs with approximately 250 passengers embarked,  Mona’s Isle cleared the Victoria Channel and set a course bound for Douglas. She passed the Tynwald, which was engaged in accompanying yachts racing in the Mersey, at 14:30hrs which reported her to be making good speed. When approximately mid-channel the mechanical failure to her machinery occurred, forcing her Master, Capt. McQueen, to come to anchor and await the arrival of assistance. As there was no wireless communication at that time, anxiety was caused in Douglas as the scheduled time of arrival of the Mona’s Isle passed, requiring the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company to contact their Liverpool office to ensure that she had departed on time. This was duly confirmed and the King Orry, under the command of Capt. Gill, was coaled and despatched in order to locate the Mona’s Isle and give assistance. 
  At 23:15hrs the Mona’s Isle was located by the King Orry, which then took her under tow and proceeded to Douglas. Passage was slow, and it was not until 05:00hrs the following morning that the two vessels arrived in Douglas; where many people had stayed on the Victoria Pier all night, anxious to receive news.
  Whilst out of commission, the King Orry replaced the Mona’s Isle on the Liverpool schedule, and in turn she was replaced on the Fleetwood schedule by the Fenella.
  In 1895 Mona's Isle was fitted with electric lighting, the consideration being £600.
  Mona's Isle was structurally damaged in heavy seas in 1885. On passage from Douglas to Liverpool damage was done to one of her paddle wheels and they were later strengthened, with a set of new composite floats fitted in 1886.
  In September 1892 she went aground at Scarlett Point, Castletown, while rounding the south of the Island, homeward bound from Dublin. She was fast aground for two days, and was re-floated after assistance from Tynwald, her passengers having previously been landed onto the rocks by way of a rather precarious ladder from her bows. 
  A contemporary report stated:-
  "On the night of Tuesday, 6th September 1892, the Isle of Man Steam Packet steamer Mona's Isle ran ashore, during thick fog, between Poolvaish and the Stack at Scarlett whilst carrying some three to four hundred passengers. The vessel was under the command of Capt. Ruthven and had been returning from a day sailing to Dublin. The passengers were all very collected under the circumstances. Mr Horsham, a coastguard, heard the fog horn of a steamer blowing. When the fog lifted he discerned the whereabouts of the steamer by the signals she was sending up. He immediately fired the rocket signal and in a few moments the crews of the lifeboat and the Castletown Rocket Brigade appeared. The Rocket Corps cart, under the command of the Rev. E Ferrier, was got out and at about quarter to twelve was close to the wreck. When the Rocket Corps got there they found that a number of the passengers had safely landed by means of ropes and ladders. The Captain did not at first seem inclined to communicate with the Rocket Corps however a little later it was decided to take the passengers off. Using rockets a hawser was made fast and by two o'clock 102 people had been landed by breeches buoy. The lifeboat was close by but she was unable to render any assistance.
  At about quarter past nine the IOMSP Co vessel, Tynwald, came steaming round Langness and dropped anchor about half a mile from the shore, in the vicinity of the Mona's Isle. The lifeboat, which had hung about all the time, also to a kedge anchor some hundred yards from the ship, kept a cable drawn taut to keep the ship steady when the tide rose. The wind at
caption: Tynwald attempts to tow Mona's Isle off the rocks at Scarlett Point.
exif: {}