SS Mabel (1882)

SS Mabel was a small cruise ship launched in 1883 and owned by James Hornsby, proprietor of the Loch Maree Hotel, that provided tourists a tour of landlocked Loch Maree, Scotland.[2][3] Mabel also served as a small passenger ferry between Poolewe (Tollie Bay pier 57.7416°N 5.5815°W / 57.7416; -5.5815 ) and Kinlochewe (Rhu Noa pier 57.6285°N 5.3430°W / 57.6285; -5.3430), which connected visitors arriving by coach from Achnasheen railway station.[2][4]

A model of "SS Mabel" at Gairloch Museum.
History
Name"Mabel"
OwnerLoch Maree Hotel
Ordered1882
BuilderT.B. Seath & Co.[1]
Launched1883
Out of service1911
FateUltimate fate unknown
General characteristics
Length13.7 meters
Propulsion1 × single-screw propeller

Hornsby sold Mabel to David MacBrayne, whose steamship operations covered all of west Scotland, in 1887.[5] MacBrayne promoted the vessel as a tourist attraction and it served until 1911, when it was moored up beside Loch Maree Hotel.[2][6]

In 1913 the vessel was beached near to the hotel, where it remained until about 2000.[1][7]

A model of Mabel can be seen in the Gairloch Museum,[6] however some photos show the Mabel with slight differences: the model and some photographs show the vessel with tiller steering, while another image, undated, seems to show passengers at the stern of the ship with a crew member at the wheel on an open bridge.[8]

Passengers joining a small steamboat from a low pier
SS "Mabel" at Tollie Bay, north-west end of Loch Maree, 1905

References
  1. "The steamer "Mabel" on a slipway at Talladale, Loch Maree, 1927". Am Baile - Highland History and Culture. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  2. "New Circular Route on Loch Maree". Bradshaw's Monthly Continental Railway, Steam Transit, and General Guide, for Travellers Through Europe. Bradshaw's. July 1887. p. 704.
  3. Baddeley, Mountford (1884). "The Northern Highlands and Islands". Time & Fare Tables. London: Dulau and Co. p. xv.
  4. Sheet 20 Ross & Cromarty (Map). 1:126,720. Edinburgh: John Bartholomew. 1902.
  5. Deayton, Alistair (2014). "David MacBrayne: 1879–1905". MacBrayne Ships. Stroud, England: Amberley. ISBN 9781445635828.
  6. "SS Mabel". Gairlochmuseum. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  7. "MHG52224 - MABEL: LOCH MAREE - Highland Historic Environment Record". her.highland.gov.uk. The Highland Council. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  8. "SS "Mabel" on Loch Maree". Am Baile - Highland History and Culture. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
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