Peninsular Steam Navigation Co

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=185 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="040b9c00dduajq.jpg"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="70" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 76 WIDTH="66"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="76" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="66" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Falmouth Packets</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Edmund Dummers Packet Service"><U><B>Dummer's Packets</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Post-Office Packets</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Royal Navy Packets (1823 1850)"><U><B>Admiralty Packets</B></U></A><B> (sail)</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="H.M.Paddle Steamers "><U><B>Admiralty Steamers</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Branch Packets "><U><B>Branch Packets </B></U></A></div> <div> (to all of the above)</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Packet Routes"><U><B>Falmouth Packet Routes</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Steam Contractors</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cunard"><U><B>Cunard</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id82.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Peninsular Steam Navigation Co"><U><B>P&O</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Royal Mail Steam Packet Co"><U><B>RMSP</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Other Routes</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Other Packet Routes Europe"><U><B>Harwich</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Other Packet Routes Europe"><U><B>Dover</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Other Packet Routes Europe"><U><B>Holyhead</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Packet Commanders"><U><B>Packet Commanders</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Post Office Packet Agents"><U><B>Packet Agents</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="GPO PMGs Secretaries"><U><B>GPO</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The American Post Office"><U><B>American Post Office</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://website.lineone.net/~wavecrest/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://website.lineone.net/~wavecrest/"><U><B><IMG SRC="2074b320.png" border=0 width="75" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <B>The Red Duster</B></div> <div> <B>(British Merchant Navy)</B></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Falmouth Packet Archives 1688-1850</B></FONT>    |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Falmouth Packet Archives 16881850"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Packet Commanders"><U>Packet Commanders</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Edmund Dummers Packet Service"><U>Edmund Dummer's Packet Service</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PostOffice Packets"><U>Post-Office Packets</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Royal Navy Packets (1823 1850)"><U>Royal Navy Packets (1823 -1850)</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="H.M.Paddle Steamers "><U>H.M.Paddle Steamers </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cunard"><U>Cunard</U></A>   |   <B>Peninsular Steam Navigation Co</B>   |   <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Royal Mail Steam Packet Co"><U>Royal Mail Steam Packet Co</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id84.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Passengers (Various)"><U>Passengers (Various)</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id154.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hotels"><U>Hotels</U></A></div> <div> Peninsular Steam Navigation Co</div> <div> [Please Note: Like most of the other pages on this website, there is much more content waiting to be uploaded... if you are searching for any reference in particular, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="mailto:falmouth.packet.archives@dial.pipex.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:falmouth.packet.archives@dial.pip"><U>just ask</U></A></FONT>!]</div> <bR> <div> The use of hired steamers between Falmouth & Gib. commenced in September 1837, with the <I><B>Don Juan </B></I>leaving Falmouth 4/9/1837 under the command of Lt. Ingledue. Shortly after leaving Gibraltar she struck rock in fog and was wrecked, without loss of life or the mails. </div> <bR> <div> <I>City of Londonderry</I> joined<I> Iberia</I>, <I>Tagus</I>, <I>Braganza</I>, <I>Ocean, Soho,</I> <I>Emerald Isle, Neptune</I> and <I>Liverpool </I>on this route which connected with H. M. Steam packets still operating in the Mediterranean. A three year contract was reported as offered by The Peninsular Steam Navigation Company to the Admiralty at a rate of £29,600 per annum. These <B>paddle steamers</B> provided much improved passenger facilities.</div> <bR> <div> Reports in the <I>Falmouth Packet</I> (FP) seem to convey an underlying sense of local resentment* at the loss of the packet service to Southampton and Liverpool, Falmouth being eclipsed by steam, afloat and by railways ashore, and the need for larger passenger capacity.</div> <div> [ * see<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id80_no_regrets.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Royal Mail Steam Packet Co"><U> FP 1842</U></A></FONT> ]</div> <bR> <div> FP 14/10/1837 reported  " on Sunday 8th October, Steamer <I>Tagus</I> - Lt. Fryon<B> in charge of the mails</B> - overran the port (Falmouth) in consequence of Fog (with 40 passengers on board)"   </div> <bR> <div> FP 3/3/1838: Put back Wednesday (28/2) <I>City of Londonderry </I>Steamer, Ingledue, for Lisbon & the Med. mail, with damage to machinery and leaky.  Sailed from this port 19/2 with the <B>Peninsula & Indian mails</B>, when, in sight of Cape Finnisterre, she encountered a tremendous gale to the S.W. which veered to N.W. with still greater fury.  Although near Vigo, found it impossible to round the Cape and was actually blown a contrary course.  The damage was so great and injury to her boilers so extensive, Capt. Ingledue was deemed to make the best of his way back to Falmouth. We were informed by a passenger, but due to the Captain and but for the extraordinary exertions of himself & his crew, the vessel and all on board must have perished. [ Passengers listed were: Messrs. Salvador, Hickey, Henderson, Hely and Captain Malcolm (RN ?)] </div> <bR> <div> FP 5/5/1838: <I>City of Londonderry,</I> steamer arrived 1st May, from Gib. with Indian Mails dated 1st March. Sailed from Gib. 13 April, Cadiz 14th, Lisbon 17th, Vigo 21st & Corunna 28th April, for which place she was obliged to bear up owing to stress of weather and want of coals.</div> <bR> <div> FP 12/1/<B>1839</B>: The last week has given rise to circumstances of the highest importance to the interests of the town & port of Falmouth. Our readers are aware that the PENINSULAR STEAM COMPANY - who are the contractors for the conveyance of the mails to & from LISBON & the Med., have for many months been devising every possible scheme to induce the Government to cooperate with them to effect the removal of that branch of the Post-Office department from hence to Plymouth.</div> <div> On Monday January 7th,1839, instead of the usual arrival of the steam-vessel for the purpose of receiving the mails, a letter was received by their agents here acquainting them that in consequence of the unsafe anchorage in Falmouth harbour and the delay experienced in shipping the necessary supply of coals, they had directed the vessel to proceed to Plymouth for that purpose, and afterwards to call at Falmouth to collect the (outward) mails.</div> <div> <B>For the past 17 months this duty has been performed without a single hour delay by Capt. Plumridge, Superintendent of H. M. Packet Establishment.</B></div> <div> FACT: The steam vessel, as ordered by the Directors, reached Plymouth, caught in a gale of wind, which scarcely ruffles this harbour, is driven upon the hard mud, un-ships her rudder & requires all the help the Dockyard can furnish and arrives in Falmouth just 36 hours after she ought to have left it !</div> <div> Some of us will remember the continually occurring accidents & delays & detentions of the sailing packets when they were a short time removed hence to Plymouth and warn such will be the fate of the steamers if the company persist in carrying into effect a plan, at once expensive & injurious to themselves and wholly mischievous for this public service.</div> <bR> <div> The Secretary of the Admiralty is largely concerned in the welfare of the company, as well as politically interested in confirming all possible advantage upon Plymouth.  <B>The people of Bristol, Plymouth or Southampton are justified in trying to obtain the advantages the packet establishment confers.  WE should awake from the drowsey insensibility, the people of Cornwall from the apparent indifference to which they appear to regard the approaching crisis. </B> </div> <div> [Refs also to the Railway from Falmouth versus Channel steamers, for mail, see database: <I><B>Braganza</B></I> & <I><B>Meteor</B></I> steam Packets].</div> <bR> <bR> <div> FP 5 September,<B>1840:</B> The splendid Steamship <I>Oriental </I>arrived from Southampton, in a most noble manner, <B>steamed into her berth among the packet ships to await her mail for Alexandria </B>[with (Egyptian overland) mails for <B>India</B>]<B>.</B> </div> <div> 70 passengers, 30 cases of dispatches, a Detachment of the 77th Regiment and a company of the Royal Artillery and considerable treasure - drew 16 1/2 ft.  She is due to return to Falmouth, 10 days quarantine, thence to Liverpool.  Replies by Steamer<I> Liverpool </I>and alternate [services, with these two vessels].  </div> <div> Lt. S. Tancock (1828) [Hancock ?] had charge of the mails and was accommodated in the <B>Forward doghole berth</B> to Alexandria.  He remonstrated and was rehoused... [later Admiralty insisted the Pacific & Oriental Steam Company provide the (Navy) Officer in charge of the mails, accommodation adjacent to the mail storage area - later specified to be near the gangway on deck level accommodation.] </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> FP24/110/<B>1930:</B> The Falmouth Packets.</div> <div> To the Editor of the Falmouth Packet.</div> <div> Sir, </div> <div> The smart little ships renowned for fast sailing as Falmouth Packets, were succeeded by lines of steamers; the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's ships running to the West Indies and south America;  the Peninsular and Oriental to ports in the Iberian Peninsula, the Mediterranean and the East.</div> <bR> <div> <B>One of my forbears designed and built the S.S.</B><I><B> Iberia</B></I><B> and several other vessels for the latter.</B>  I have a portrait of the ship making for the harbour at Gibraltar. At a later date, Messrs. Maudslay, Sons and Field, in conjunction with our firm, lengthened one of the R.M.S.P. Steamers at their works in London.  </div> <bR> <div> The hull was cut into two parts, and these, resting on ingeniously constructed slipways, were drawn apart, leaving a gap, which was filled in by building a new portion.  Messrs. Maudslay replaced the engines, and the ship ran successfully for many years after.</div> <bR> <div> The Falmouth Packets were built with beautiful lines and the passing of these swift-sailing, yacht-like ships, is to be regretted.  If a rich man would have one built and sailed, it would gladden the eyes of many besides.  Such a vessel could be made to pay her expenses while the owner had all the pleasure given by a comfortable yacht.  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>