PS Eleanor (1873)

History
Name	1873–1881: PS Eleanor
Namesake	Possibly Eleanor Moon
Owner	1873–1881: London and North Western Railway
Operator	1873–1881: London and North Western Railway
Port of registry
Route	1873–1881: Holyhead - Greenore
Builder	Robert Stephenson and Company
Launched	28 May 1873
Out of service	1881
Fate	Stranded 27 January 1881
General characteristics
Tonnage	917 gross register tons (GRT)
Length	252.9 ft (77.1 m)
Beam	30 ft (9.1 m)
Draught	15.7 ft (4.8 m)

PS Eleanor was a paddle steamer cargo vessel operated by the London and North Western Railway from 1873 to 1881.^[1]

History

She was built by Robert Stephenson and Company for the London and North Western Railway in 1873. She may have been named after Eleanor Moon (1847–1859), the eldest daughter of the company's then chairman, Richard Moon, and was built specifically for the Greenore route that Moon had championed.^{[2]: 340, 342, 482}

She ran aground on 27 January 1881 at Leestone Point, Kilkeel, Ireland^[3] during a dense fog. The railway attempted to salvage her but severe gales in the following weeks completed her destruction.^[2]: 341 Within the year, the railway company had replaced her with a new paddle steamer of the same name, Eleanor.

References

1. Railway and Other Steamers, Duckworth. 1962
2. Braine, Peter (2010). The Railway Moon: some aspects of the life of Richard Moon 1814-1899, Chairman of the London & North Western Railway 1861-91. Taunton: pmb publishing. ISBN 9780956529008.
3. Patton, Brian (2007). Irish Sea Shipping. Kettering: Silver Link Publications. pp. 178–84. ISBN 978-1-85794-271-2.