PS Waverley (1899)

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PS Waverley (1899) was a Clyde-built paddle steamer used for passengers and excursions on the River Clyde from 1899 to 1939. Built for the North British Steam Packet Co. by A. & J. Inglis at Pointhouse, Glasgow, she was launched on 29 May 1899 and entered service on 10 July 1899, capable of carrying about 1,500 passengers. In 1902 ownership moved to the North British Railway, and in 1923 to the London and North Eastern Railway.

Like many Clyde steamers, Waverley was requisitioned during war. She served as a minesweeper in World War I from 1915 to 1920, returning to civilian service in 1920. In 1923 she was modernized, with improved shelters on the promenade deck and updated passenger areas.

As passenger numbers on the Clyde fell, she left regular service in 1939. At the start of World War II she briefly helped with evacuations before the Royal Navy took her as the lead ship of the 12th Minesweeping Flotilla, based at Harwich on the east coast. On 28–29 May 1940, during Operation Dynamo to evacuate Dunkirk, she spent hours trying to tow a beached ship, HMS Oriole, when German bombers attacked. A bomb struck her port side, causing a 6-foot hole, and she sank near Kwint Bank Buoy with the loss of two crew and about 150 troops; around 158 survivors were rescued.

A replacement PS Waverley was launched in 1946.