Black and white photograph Showing 'st Magnus' (Iii), View Shows Port Side Of Vessel

Images(7)

ST. MAGNUS

Shipbuildervessel built by Hall, Russell & Company, Limited (Aberdeen, Scotland, 1864 - 1992)

Owner North of Scotland & Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company

Date20 May 1924

Object NamePASSENGER AND CARGO VESSEL

MediumSTEEL

ClassificationsShip

Dimensionslength 240 7/12' x breadth 36 1/12' x depth 18 1/12'
Gross Tonnage: 1530 ton

Object numberABDSHIP002390

Keywords

About MeYard: Hall, Russell & Co.
Yard Number: 683
Official Number: 144819

Fate: Scrapped 1960.

Propulsion: Steam
Description: Passenger and cargo vessel with 2 decks, combined poop and bridge deck 158', forecastle 69', cruiser stern.

Owners:
1924:North of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland Steam Navigation Co.

General History:
Routes: Leith/Aberdeen - Orkney/Shetland

Gordon Donaldson explained that ST. MAGNUS was by far the largest ship yet built for the North Company, designed to accommodate the increasing number of Summer passengers, the whole of the boat deck being available for 1st class passengers. A large part of the passenger accommodation could be sealed off in Winter. She was the last ship in the fleet to be built with a ladies’ cabin and the 2nd class accommodation was in the traditional forecastle. Donaldson commented that she was an old-fashioned ship even when built, although on the whole she lacked the beautiful profile of some earlier ships. However, the Press and Journal, in reporting her launch on 20 May 1924 proclaimed that she was a handsome addition to the fleet, its largest and finest vessel and splendidly equipped. The dining saloon and smoking room were finished in polished hardwood with spring sofas. The 1st class staterooms had spring matresses. Propelling machinery was a set of triple expansion steam engines of 1600 horse-power, with steam from two single ended boilers working at 200 lbs per sq. in. powering a single manganese bronze propellor. An Aspinall governor kept the engine revolutions steady in stormy weather. She ran trial on 17 July 1924 on a 6 hour voyage along the Kincardineshire Coast, achieving a speed of 13.7 knots on the measured mile at Aberdeen, comfortably above the 13 knots contracted for. Donaldson claims that the service speed was 11 knots to economise on coal.

Between 1924 and 1939 ST. MAGNUS was in Summer (usually May-October) on the weekend run Leith-Aberdeen-Kirkwall-Lerwick. For example, the schedule for July 1930 showed her Northbound sailings leaving Leith on Monday mornings and Aberdeen 7pm and Thursday 2pm. This was advertised as a 5 day cruise, £7 10s from Leith, £7 from Aberdeen, to include accommodation and meals aboard. In August 1925 a delay was made in Kirkwall on the Northbound journey to enable passengers to see the Orkney capital. This illustrates the importance of the tourist trade. A very different trade was to take gutting girls from the North East to Shetland for the herring season (usually June-August). Exceptionally in 1930, after the wreck of ST. SUNNIVA, she was on the direct run Aberdeen to Lerwick. Usually she was laid up between October/November and May until 1937, when she was used in Winter on the weekend and direct run. In April and May 1939 she relieved ST. CLAIR on the Aberdeen-Lerwick direct run to enable that vessel to be overhauled (and presumably surveyed) to prepare her for the Summer passenger trade.

Service delays could be caused by various factors, usually weather related. For example, in July 1935 fog obliged her when Southbound to anchor off Auskerry, a small island South of Stronsay in Orkney, and she was 24 hrs late arriving at Kirkwall. In December 1937 she was 24hrs late arriving in Aberdeen from Kirkwall due to high winds and heavy seas. Very early in her career, in September 1924, she stopped off the Orkney Island of Eday to rescue the crew of the schooner KATHLEEN ANNE stranded on Green Holms.

One of her most notable masters was Capt. Donald Macmillan, appointed to ST. MAGNUS in 1937 on the promotion of Capt. Leask to ST. CLAIR. Capt. Macmillan was her master during her World War II service to the islands, which was the reason for his award of MBE in 1946. ST. MAGNUS was taken over by the Admiralty on 31 August 1939 and became guardship and accommodation ship for examinator service at Kirkwall. On 18 April 1940 it sailed from Aberdeen in convoy with 300 men and ammunition and stores to take part in the Norwegian campaign. The ship was returned to the North Company in August 1940. An exceptional wartime call was at Fraserburgh in July 1940, having aboard 350 passengers returning from the Shetland herring curing stations.

ST. MAGNUS rescued two British airmen between Leith and Aberdeen on 11 October 1940. ST. MAGNUS was twice attacked by enemy aircraft; first off Tod Head on 1 April 1941. The aircraft hit by ship's gunners and was losing height as it made off. The second attack occurred on 20 October 1942 5 miles southwest of Fair Isle.

From 1946 ST. MAGNUS was on the indirect service, leaving Leith on Monday and returning on Saturday until the introduction of ST. NINIAN in 1950, when she returned to the weekend run. She now worked also in Winter, although the weekend run then terminated at Kirkwall. In 1956 she was converted to oil burning and had a new shorter funnel fitted. Donaldson’s view was that this did not improve her appearance.

ST. MAGNUS could not be held alongside Kirkwall Pier on arrival from Aberdeen in the great storms of early February 1953. Waves were breaking over it and several hawsers carried away. With some passengers still aboard Capt. Stout had to reverse out. It took 45 minutes to turn it round and much longer to reach the shelter of Shapinsay. With two anchors down it rode out the storm behind Helier Holm for 24 hours.

Sale notice in 1960 indicated she had a Steam IIA Certificate for 387 passengers and 37 crew. 170 1st class passengers could be accommodated in cabin berths and 52 on saloon sofas. There were 58 cabin berths for 2nd class passengers. Speed was about 12 knots and oil consumption 21 tons in 24 hours. Conversion to oil burning and alterations to passenger accommodation had cost about £65,000 in 1956. Price asked was £50,000, with delivery at the end of the summer season.

Sources: Gordon Donaldson (1978), 'Northwards by Sea' (Edinburgh, Paul Harris), pp. 43-4, 127-8; Orkney Herald, 23/07/1924, 05/08/1925, 22/08/1928, 03/07/1935, 02/06/1937, 15/01/1946; Press and Journal, 21/05/1924, 08/06/1935, 13/12/1937, 25/1/1950; Scotsman, 14/07/1930, 13/06/1931; Evening Express, 19/04/1939; Fraserburgh Herald, 30/07/1940, Dundee Courier, 01/10/1924; Orcadian, 05/02/1953 [All newspaper extracts accessed from British Newspaper Archive, https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk, 05/05/2022 or A.W. McRobb scrapbook in the Aberdeen Maritime Museum].

Note: triple expansion engine by Hall, Russell with 20", 33½" and 56" cylinders, 36" stroke, 200lb. boiler pressure, 250 NHP