1. Construction

2. Design

3. Career
    Excursion steamer  Troopship  Minesweeper 

4. Salvage of the Sussex

5. Loss
    Casualties  Bravery awards 

6. References

Construction

In October 1901 the Caledonian Steam Packet Company invited tenders from six of the Clyde shipyards to build a replacement for the paddle steamer Meg Merrilies. On 29 October 1901 they accepted an offer made by John Brown & Company of Clydebank to build the ship for £19,572,^[3] and the keel was laid in Clydebank on 19 December 1901.^[4] The minutes of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company for 4 February 1902 record that: {{cquote|It was agreed, subject of the approval of Her Grace, the Duchess of Montrose, that the new steamer should be named Duchess of Montrose.^[3] }}Duchess of Montrose was launched on 8 May 1902^[4] and achieved the contracted speed during trials on 4 June 1902.^[3]

Design

Career

Excursion steamer

Initially employed on the Ayr station,^[4] she went on to service both the Gourock and Wemyss Bay routes^[5] before being used for general railway connections further upstream.^[6]

Troopship

On 15 February 1915, along with Duchess of Argyll and Duchess of Hamilton, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a troopship and spent the first few months of her service ferrying troops from Southampton to France. It is reported that she initially arrived in Southampton in her Caledonian Steam Packet livery but was soon repainted naval grey.^[7]

Minesweeper

In May 1915 she was given the pennant number PP585 and converted into a minesweeper by Lieutenant Commander W G Rigg. This work involved having the end of her saloon cut away to main deck level and replaced with minesweeping equipment. From 14 July 1915 she was stationed at Dover under the command of Lieutenant Alexander Duff Thomson Royal Naval Reserve and from April 1916 she was stationed at Dunkirk.^[7]

Salvage of the Sussex

Between 1 and 3 January 1917, {{PS|Duchess of Montrose}}, {{HMS|Myrmidon|1900|6}}, {{HMS|Nepaulin}}, {{HMS|Redcar}}, {{ship|HMT|Security}} assisted in the salvage of the steamer {{SS|Sussex|1900|2}} after she struck a mine near the West Dyck shoal on her way to Dunkirk from Sydney, each ship receiving a portion of the salvage money.^[8]

Loss

On the morning of Sunday 18 March 1917, Duchess of Montrose left Dunkirk harbour and at 9am began sweeping close to the Gravelines Buoy. She recovered five mines (from Barrage 248 laid by the U-Boat UB-12 ^[9][16]) before stopping for low water.^[10] Around an hour after she resumed sweeping, Duchess of Montrose hit a mine amidships, broke in two and sank in less than a minute.^[10] Her wreck lies at {{Coord|51|03|N|2|07|E}}^[11][12]

Casualties

Thirty-one of the crew of Duchess of Montrose are reported to have been rescued,^[10] but twelve men were lost in the sinking.^[13]

Nine of those lost have no known grave and their names are recorded on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.

• Norman MacDonald is buried at Dunkirk Town Cemetery (Grave Ref: I.I.7) ^[14]
• Cyril Hambly Panther is buried at Lewisham (Hither Green) Cemetery ^[15]
• Donald John MacLennan is buried at Scarp Burial Ground^[16]

The grave of William Earnest Sparkes is located at Dover (St James's) Cemetery; he is reported to have died of heart disease on 8 July 1917, four months after the sinking.^[17]

Bravery awards

Lieutenant Alexander Duff Thomson RNR received the Distinguished Service Cross on 2 July 1917 for minesweeping operations carried out in Duchess of Montrose between 1 June 1916 and 31 March 1917. His citation read: {{cquote|His zeal and attention to duties are above the average, and I have had personal experience of his coolness and resource. He was blown up in P.M.S. Duchess of Montrose and 10 days afterwards, as soon as a ship could be found for him, he was again sweeping in the area in which he was blown up.|20px|20px|The London Gazette, 29 June 1917^[18][19]}}

References

• Taledanda
• Tale (disambiguation)
• Taleemul islam college of rabwah
• Taleemul Islam College of Rabwah
• TAL effector
• TAL effectors
• Tale for a Deaf Ear
• Talega Canyon
• Talegalo De Wallace
• Talegalo Maleo
• Talegaun
• Taleggio (BG)
• Taleggio (disambiguation)
• Taleghani
• Taleghani Ave
• Taleghani Metro Station
• Taleghan solar hydrogen energy system
• Taleh District
• Taleh Shahsuvarly
• Taleh va Barfak
• Taleh va Barfak District
• Taleigão
• Tale in the Darkness
• Tal-El
• Talemaitoga Tuapati