Origins of the Manxman by Adrian Sweeney

        The Fenella and Tynwald of 1936

On the 16^th of December 1936 two sister ships slipped down the slipways together at Vickers Armstrong, Barrow. Named Fenella and Tynwald they were the latest packet steamers built for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and they were of a brand new design, great thought having been given to the comfort of passengers especially during the winter.

On the 8^th of February 1955 a ship, which to the untrained eye would have appeared the same, was launched from the yard of Cammell Laird at Birkenhead. Named Manxman she was the final example of the steam, passenger only, Manx packet steamer.

In between those dates there had been the Second World War, the sinking of the Fenella and the Tynwald and the post war building of five more ships which once again followed the design of the original pair. The Manxman was the culmination of the design of the post war packet steamer which had its roots before the conflict began.

 Replacements Needed.

At a board meeting of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company on the 7^th November 1935 it was reported to the Board that during a routine inspection of the boilers of the steamer Ramsey Town it had been found that there was a serious crack in the central combustion chamber of the port double ended boiler. The Ramsey Town had been built for the Midland Railway in 1904 and her original name had been Antrim; she had been bought by the Steam Packet in 1928, continuing their post First World War policy of buying second hand tonnage despite the fact that in 1927 they had taken delivery from Cammell Lairds of the Ben-My-Chree, their first post war new build. The Ramsey Town was bought primarily to use on the many secondary services the Company ran in those days and to be used as extra capacity on the main routes in peak periods.

 Despite her secondary status in the fleet the Board were worried by this piece of news. The Board of Trade would only allow a continuation of her passenger certificate if the boiler pressure was reduced from 185 lbs per sq. inch to 170 lbs per sq. inch. It was considered imperative that the repairs were carried out as the Company would need the vessel the next summer, especially at peak periods, and therefore Cammell Lairds at Birkenhead were authorised to carry out the repairs at a cost of £700. However, the Chairman, Mr. G Fred Clucas reminded the Board that even with these repairs the ship would have to be withdrawn at the end of the 1936 season and it was therefore essential to plan a new build now to replace her. He also pointed out that between 1934 and 1942 no less than 7 ships would be nearing the end of their useful lives, the results of “….the purchase of second hand ships to carry on our services after the war”. It was decided that as this was not a full Board meeting and the English directors were not present, they would need to be consulted about such an important matter.

Before the next full meeting could be convened however the Chairman raised the matter of fleet replacements again at a meeting in Douglas on the 21^st November 1935 and he emphasised the necessity of having a new ship for 1937. It was notable that two other board members, Mr. Waddington and Mr. Dodd urged the Company to look into the possibility of diesel propulsion for any new vessel, the first occasion that this question was raised in Imperial Buildings. The Chairman however was against this stating that diesels were unsuitable “for vessels in our service”.

 New Building Programme.

On the evening of the 11^th December 1935 the full board of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company met at the Victoria Hotel Barrow and the main item on the agenda was the fleet replacement programme. The Chairman had already circulated a memorandum outlining the necessary building programme from 1935 to 1951. According to the Marine Superintendent, Mr. Kelly, six of the present fleet would soon have to finish service – the Ramsey Town in 1936, the Peel Castle in 1939, the Mona in 1939, the Manxman, the Snaefell and the Rushen Castle all in 1940.

The only way of coping with this situation, according to the Chairman was to dispose of some of the vessels prior to these dates and endeavour to extend the lives of some of the others. The Board agreed that the Board of Trade ultimatum as regards the Ramsey Town’s passenger certificate was very serious and the Chairman stressed the need to give serious consideration to “…..placing an order for two ships of 1,700/1,800 passenger capacity, to be ready for the season 1937.” This would enable the disposal of the Ramsey Town to go ahead in 1936 followed by the Peel Castle in the spring of 1938. After 1938 the Chairman suggested that the Company sell Manxman and Rushen Castle and replace them with one ship capable of carrying 2,600 passengers. As for the 1937 ships, the Board was informed that money was available for one now and money would be available for the second vessel by her delivery date in the early summer of 1937. He thought it would then be possible for a new build every two years “provided we continue to place £100,000 to depreciation every year.”  The Board looked at the provisional plans drawn up by the Superintendents which provided for a vessel which could replace the Ramsey Town in the summer and “….be very serviceable in the winter time”.

The following yards were to be invited to tender for the order:

Vickers Armstrong at Barrow

Cammell Laird at Birkenhead

Denny Brothers of Dumbarton

Fairfield Shipbuilding Company of Govan

Harland and Wolff of Belfast.

The vessel to be tendered for was to be a twin screw geared turbine vessel capable of carrying 1700/1800 passengers with a service speed of:

a) 21 knot

 b) 20 knots.

The yards were also asked to quote for two sister ships to be built at the same time and to advise the Company on the possibility of diesel engines replacing steam.

 Decision Time!    

By the time of the next full board meeting of the Steam Packet held in Douglas on the 25^th February 1936 all the shipbuilders asked to quote had done so. Significantly however, none of them had quoted for a ship with diesel propulsion, all expressing the opinion that… “ internal combustion engines are not suitable for cross channel ships of high speed on account of noise, vibration and cost of maintenance.” The lowest tenders were from Vickers and Cammell Lairds. Vickers had proposed a ship measuring 310 feet by 47 feet by 18 feet whereas Lairds proposed a vessel 1 foot narrower at 46 feet with less draught at 17 feet 6 inches. Both yards quoted for water tube boilers though Vickers did say that if the vessel had cylindrical boilers it could reduce the beam by 1 foot. The details of both yards tenderings were as follows:

One Ship 21 knots.                     Vickers Armstrong.                                              Cammell Lairds.

Original Tender                                               £208,000                                                          £211,000

With Oertz Rudder                                                £190                                                    In the Tender

Steam Hydraulic Steering Gear                             £320                                                                 £300

                                                                          -------------                                                     -------------

                                                                        £209,010                                                            £211,300

                                                                          -------------                                                         -------------

Two Ships 21 knots.                                     £407,100                                                              £412,500

                                                                             £380                                                       In the Tender

                                                                             £640                                                                  £600

                                                                            ----------------                                                  -----------------

                                                                       £408,120                                                          £413,100

The Steam Packet Board expressed surprise that the costs were more than they had expected but it was agreed that the Vickers dimensions were the ones that were necessary, as was a speed of 21 knots and Babcock and Wilcox water tube boilers. It is recorded in the minute books that telephone conversations were held with both Companies before a decision was reached – to invite the representatives of Vickers Armstrong to Douglas the next day, Wednesday 27^th February. The meeting, in Imperial Buildings, commenced at 4 pm and the first thing the Steam Packet Chairman asked for was a reduction in the costs of the proposed vessels. Much discussion and negotiation ensued and eventually the Vickers representatives, after speaking to their Managing Director by telephone, said they were authorised to reduce the tender to £407,100 for the pair. Still the Steam Packet held out for a reduction to £405,000 but Vickers resisted and said they could go no lower. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company then made a formal order with Vickers to build the two ships, the second to follow not more than two months after the first.

 What Shall We Call Them?

The names for the two new vessels were discussed at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool at a Board Meeting on Friday 3^rd April 1936. One of the Directors, Colonel E. Gordon Thin proposed Fenella and Tynwald and this was seconded by Mr. Edgar. The Board thought the names to be most suitable and they were approved. Furthermore Mrs Clucas, wife of the Chairman was to be invited to launch the Fenella and Miss Thin, daughter of the Colonel was to be invited to launch the Tynwald. A few weeks later however a snag arose. A meeting on the 23^rd April, once more in Liverpool, was informed that the Board of Trade had accepted the Fenella but had rejected Tynwald on the grounds that there was already a vessel of that name registered in Douglas. The Board were unhappy to hear that this vessel was their own previous Tynwald, the third of the name, which had been sold to a Mr Cubbin of Douglas in 1933. He had not removed the vessel from the Douglas register, as had been agreed as part of the sale, so the Steam Packet decided to write to him urgently, demanding that he do so forthwith. However some weeks later the Steam Packet Board were to receive a letter from Mr Cubbin stating that he was unwilling to do this as it would involve him in considerable expense. He would have to replace the names on bow and stern and this would result in having to replace some of the plating on which the brass letters were attached as they were badly corroded. The Steam Packet asked him for estimates for these tasks which worked out at £362 plus a £10 survey fee. Mr Cubbin advised the Steam Packet that he would accept £215 from them if the Steam Packet would agree to move, at their expense, a spare shaft and two propellers belonging to his Tynwald from Cammell Lairds at Birkenhead to his own warehouse in Liverpool. He also wanted the Steam Packet to reimburse him the Board of Trade fee for changing the name of his vessel. As Mr Cubbin had paid the Company £500 over the shipbreakers price for the vessel in 1933 the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company agreed to his demands and later in the year Mr Cubbin renamed his vessel the Western Isles.

 Meanwhile there had been a slight design change for the new vessels. They originally had been designed to carry eight oar propelled lifeboats but after the Marine Superintendent had inspected the L.M.S. steamer Duke of York it was decided the Fenella and Tynwald would have, like the Duke of York, the newer Fleming lifeboats and thus would need only six.

 There had been developments also in the financing of the new steamers. The Midland Bank had offered the Steam Packet an overdraft facility at 21/2% as opposed to the current rate of 4%. The Company accepted the offer and indeed later the Bank reduced the interest again by a further ¼%.

Considerable trouble was gone to by the Company to make sure that the new vessels offered new standards in passenger comfort. By the 20^th August 1936 Vickers had informed the Steam Packet that the designs for the panelling, upholstery and furnishings were all ready for inspection and the Chairman plus other board members visited Barrow on the 26^th to have a look and approve the selections. The Board decided that although the two vessels were sisters they needed their own personalities, especially on the inside and therefore different designs were approved for each vessel for the sake of variety. By January 1937 the Company had approved the cabin outfits for both steamers and their cost.

While most attention was focused upon the building of the new vessels, the Board of the Steam Packet decided to sell the vessel whose boiler trouble initially had been the catalyst for the design and building of the first of the “Eight Sisters” which was of course to culminate in the Manxman of 1955. The Ramsey Town was put up for auction by C. W. Kellock and Co. the firm of shipbrokers most used by the Steam Packet at that time. The reserve price was £6,000 but she eventually went to T.W. Ward’s at the bargain price of £4,750.

Launch of the Twins.

 It had originally been hoped that the launching of the Fenella and Tynwald would have been in October 1936 but on the 27^th August Vickers had advised the Steam Packet that a delay in delivery of some of the stern frame castings would result in a delay. Initially they were then aiming for the 16^th November but by October Vickers had to advise a further delay and the 16^th December was confirmed as the definite date. Earlier in the year, in August, the Chairman had advised the Company that his wife’s health was not good and she may not, after all, be able to launch the Fenella. The Board had approved the suggestion that if that indeed was the case, then his daughter, Mrs. Walford would deputise.

 The launch arrangements were decided upon at a meeting in Douglas on the 21^st October 1936. The guests of the Company were to depart from Douglas on the 15^th December on the Mona at 10 am. They would arrive in Barrow at 2 pm and the launch of both vessels would take place at noon on the 16^th. After the after launch lunch and speeches the party would return to Douglas on the Mona at about 3 pm. The traditional gifts chosen by the ladies who would launch the ships were a diamond platinum watch chosen by Miss Thin (worth £45) and Mrs Clucas, who still hoped to be well enough to perform the ceremony, had chosen  a necklace of pearls from Wilson and Gill of Regent Street, London at a cost of £41.