TSS Duke of Connaught

History
Name	Duke of Connaught
Namesake	Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Owner	1902–1923: London and North Western Railway 1923–1934: London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Operator	1902–1923: London and North Western Railway 1923–1934: London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Route	1902–1930: Belfast – Fleetwood 1930–1934: Hull – Zeebrugge
Builder	John Brown & Company
Yard number	353
Launched	20 August 1902
Out of service	1934
Fate	Scrapped 1934
General characteristics
Tonnage	1,680 gross register tons (GRT)
Length	315 ft (96 m)
Beam	38.2 ft (11.6 m)
Speed	20 knots

TSS Duke of Connaught was a passenger vessel operated jointly by the London and North Western Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway from 1902 to 1922.^[1] In the LYR-LNWR naming system, she was named for Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1850–1942), a younger son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

History

The Duke of Connaught was built at Cammell Laird, as part of a fleet of seven ships delivered by the company between 1892 and 1909. She operated on the Fleetwood-Belfast route and passed into the hands of the LNWR in 1922 and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. In 1921 she was re-boilered by Vickers. The Duke of Connaught remained on the Fleetwood-Belfast route until 1930 when she was transferred to the Hull to Zeebrugge service. She sailed between Hull and Zeebrugge in the summer, returning to the Fleetwood-Belfast service for the winter months. In the early 1930s she also sailed on cruises, such as the one advertised for 13–17 June 1931 in which she sailed from Fleetwood to Stromness, Aberdeen and Hull. The Duke of Connaught was scrapped in 1934.^[2]

References

1. Railway and Other Steamers, Duckworth. 1962
2. ""Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway - Services from Fleetwood and Belfast"".^{[permanent dead link‍]}