PS Pioneer (1905)

PS Pioneer was launched in 1905. She was of a light design with small paddle wheels. Thus her paddle boxes did not protrude above the promenade deck.
History
Name	PS Pioneer (1905–1945) HMS Harbinger (1945–1946)[1]
Owner	David MacBrayne Ltd[1]
Builder	A. & J. Inglis, Pointhouse, Glasgow[1]
Launched	14 February 1905
Fate	Scrapped 1958
General characteristics
Tonnage	241 GRT[1]
Length	160 feet[1]
Propulsion	Paddle compound diagonal
Speed	14 knots

PS Pioneer was a Clyde-built paddle steamer launched in 1905, built by A. & J. Inglis at their Pointhouse shipyard for David MacBrayne.[1] She served as a passenger and mail ship between the Kintyre peninsula and the islands Islay, Jura and Gigha for over thirty years.[1] In 1939 she was moved to the Mallaig and Portree, Isle of Skye route, having been replaced by MV Lochiel.[2]

In 1943, after being laid up for a year, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and used as a Submarine Command HQ Ship at Fairlie, North Ayrshire.[1] In 1945 the Admiralty purchased her and renamed her HMS Harbinger, but the following year her sponsons and paddles were removed and she was used as a floating laboratory at the Isle of Portland base.[1]

Finally in 1958 she was sent to Rotterdam, Netherlands to be scrapped.[1]

References

1. Alistair Deayton (2013). Directory of Clyde Paddle Steamers. Amberley. ISBN 978-1-4456-1487-8.
2. Tom Lee. "Paddle Steamer Picture Gallery: PS Pioneer". Archived from the original on 15 August 2018.