Photo of the month: May 2016


Duchess of Hamilton at Girvan 29 April 1967 CRSC Roy Hamilton CollexctionSteamer calls at Girvan stopped when war was declared in 1939, and it was not until 29 April 1967 that the next call was made — on a CRSC charter of Duchess of Hamilton from Gourock via Ayr and Ailsa Craig.

As Ayr excursion steamer in the 1930s, the ‘Hamilton’ made regular visits to the Ayrshire town during the early years of her career. The 1967 charter was one of CRSC’s greatest successes, drawing a capacity crowd in the days when the Caledonian Steam Packet Company charged a modest fee and Ian McCrorie, CRSC’s cruise supremo at the time, could depend on substantial public support to make up numbers.

This was the last year in which Captain Fergus Murdoch, legendary postwar skipper of the ‘Hamilton’, was in command, and he handled the narrow entrance to Girvan Harbour with characteristic aplomb. No further steamer calls were made there until Waverley started making regular visits in the ‘preservation era’ under the command of Captain David Neill.

Duchess of Hamilton at Girvan 29 April 1967 CRSC Roy Hamilton Collection

Duchess of Hamilton at Girvan on 29 April 1967 – copyright CRSC Roy Hamilton Collection