The St George Steam Packet Company – also referred to as the Liverpool and Isle of Man Steam Packet Company or the St George Steamship Company – was a privately owned maritime transportation company incorporated in 1821. In the early 1840s the business was acquired by the Cork Steamship Company.Journal of The Manx Museum, Monday, June 01, 1942; Page: 18Journal of The Manx Museum, Friday, January 01, 1971; Page: 32
Company operations Establishment The St George Steam Packet Company commenced operations in 1822. Formed the previous year, the company secured the services of the shipbuilders Thomas Wilson of Liverpool who constructed several powerful steamers for the company, one of which was the RMS St George. Further additions to the fleet followed, such as her sister ship, the RMS St. Patrick, however the St George rapidly won a reputation for comfort and speed. For a time the St George was placed on the company's Liverpool – Douglas schedule, but was subsequently transferred to the Liverpool – Dublin operation.
The best known of the early steamer concerns operating to the Isle of Man was the St George Company. Whilst it is important in relation to the foundation of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, it had little to do with the early development of Manx services and compared with David Napier and the Mersey and Clyde Steam Navigation Company. The St George Steam Packet Company could best be described as a group of companies. At this time individual steamers tended to have different owners and often had their own operating titles; however some shareholders owned shares in numerous steamers and in such a manner and by using the same shipping agents in each port a group was built up.
Operation & rivalries The brand new steamer St George was placed on the Liverpool – Douglas – Greenock station on Tuesday 25 June 1822, in direct competition with Napier's City of Glasgow. Each ship sailed on the same days at the same time. A month of furious racing ensued: both ships were equally matched. However, as David Napier had two other ships on the station and was the established operator, the two concerns soon came to an agreement whereby the St George was transferred to the Liverpool – Dublin – Tenby – Bristol route in agreement that Napier would not place a steamer on that route. Apart from one call in 1827, the St George did not reappear at Douglas again until 1830. The company still maintained their operation to the Isle of Man and from April 1825 a thrice weekly service was being operated by either the Prince Llewellyn or the St David in addition to a service which was operated to North Wales.
From July 26, 1826, the Kingstown operated a service from Dublin to Douglas; in advertisements this ship actually operated under the name of the St George War Office Steam Packet. The service ceased at the end of September which at that time, with the onset of winter gales, was normal practice. The Kingstown resumed operations to the Isle of Man from July 1827 when she was placed on the main Liverpool – Douglas thrice weekly schedule. The company were trying to obtain the mail contract between the two ports and in addition to this advertised a service for light cargo.
The St David which was fairly small and slower than her rivals was offered for sale in the spring of 1828, however no interest was expressed in a purchase and she resumed plying to Douglas in April of that year. Although she was operated by the St George Group (see establishment) at this time her sailing notices appear under the name of John Watson, 19 Water Street, Liverpool, and the St George Steam Packet Offices are listed as being at 21, Water Street. This fact is important as it may be seen as a reason as to why the vessel came into disrepute, due to subsequent lack of investment and poor maintenance, this being one of the primary factors which would lead to the establishment of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in 1830.
In 1828 the St David operating under the agency of John Watson on behalf of the St George Company secured the mail contract to the Isle of Man. The St David was able to tailor its service as opposed to the Scottish packets which called at Douglas en route from the Mersey to the Clyde and thereby provided only an indifferent winter service. The St David, because Douglas was her destination, not merely a port of call, could therefore suit her sailing times to the tides and so enter Douglas Harbour and therefore did not have to ferry her mail and passengers ashore – which in rough winter conditions could be an arduous and exhausting undertaking. Thus the St David became highly popular on the Island, as all winter she provided a regular, reliable weekly service, except for one week in October 1828, when the company replaced her with the unsuitable Satellite.
In the spring of 1829 the St David increased her service to thrice weekly. However, by this time no investment was being made in the vessel and maintenance on her was poor, with the company showing a reluctance to have her overhauled. By August the lack of regular maintenance could no longer be ignored and complaints began to be made about her unreliability and the irregularity of the mail service. During a spell of bad weather some work was undertaken, but by the end of September things had become so bad that the St David had to be withdrawn from service in order to undergo a complete overhaul.
No steamer was available to replace the St David and consequently the company resorted to chartering Mersey Ferries in order to operate the schedule, which were highly unsuitable to such an undertaking. The ferry Abbey caused particular discomfort, a contemporary report stating: "She'd not even a bed or pan, or bucket for the sick."
The St David arrived back on station on 24 November, and once more began to provide a reliable although slow service in all weather, however this was to no avail. The hiatus as a consequence of her overhaul, coupled to the unreliable service offered by the replacements, had driven the Manx population to despair. The autumn of 1829 marked a turning point in sea operations between Liverpool and Douglas. If the company had of obtained a suitable relief steamer from another part of the St George Group and given the St David a thorough overhaul the trouble with the service would not of arisen, and it is possible that the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company would not have been formed.
By the early part of 1830 it was widely known that a rival company was being formed to undertake competition. In late May the Prince Llewellyn replaced the St David for a week – no chances were being taken this time, now that a rival boat (the Mona's Isle) was under construction. By early June the main St George Company seems to of taken over the service, as notices appeared asking debtors of the St David to settle up; the affairs of her company were being cleared up.
The St George again started operating on 21 June 1830, and continued on the schedule until replaced by the Sophia Jane which arrived from Portsmouth on 1 July and operated the usual thrice weekly schedule.
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company With the formation of the Mona's Isle Company in 1830, which would later become the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, stern competition was offered to the St George Company who at the time were operating their steamer Sophia Jane between Liverpool and the Isle of Man. Unlike previous ships which served the Isle of Man the new company's vessel, Mona's Isle, was not constructed primarily to carry cargoShips of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (Fred Henry, 1977) p.7 and was very well appointed for the carriage of passengers.
With their vessel Mona's Isle, the remit of the new company was to open up the Liverpool – Douglas service and to beat the opposition.
On Monday 16 August Mona's Isle sailed for Liverpool. The Sophia Jane under the command of Lieutenant John Tudor, R.N., sailed at the same time and reached Liverpool one and a half minutes ahead. On Wednesday 18 August a similar race took place back to Douglas with a similar result. But on Friday 20 August, returning from Liverpool, Mona's Isle came in 40 minutes ahead. The pattern was established and Sophia Jane was regularly beaten, on one occasion in a gale, by over three hours.
The early defeats were probably caused by the fact that Mona's Isle's new engine took time to run in and full speed was not attainable at first. Mona's Isle, however, had proved herself capable of travelling between Liverpool and Douglas in eight hours at a speed of .
The St. George Company engaged in a price-cutting war, offering single steerage fares for as low as 6d one way. So fierce had become the rivalry that when it became known that the Mona's Isle had gone on a trip to Bangor, the Sophia Jane was sent there to race her back to Douglas. The mail was put on the Ormrod which was so unskillfully navigated that her first landfall was St Bees Head. She finally reached Douglas in pouring rain with 200 people, nearly all on deck, after 22 hours at sea.
The St George Company withdrew the Sophia Jane and re-introduced their largest and fastest steamer, the St. George on 22 September 1830. However, Mona's Isle won the first race largely because of the astuteness of Capt. William Gill. Seeing a south-westerly gale developing, he had the coal and cargo moved to the windward side of the vessel, to prevent the windward paddle lifting out of the water.
By October 1830, Mona's Isle had established herself as the principle steamer between Liverpool and Douglas.
A letter to the Editor of the Liverpool Mercury stated:-
Loss of the St George On Friday 19 November 1830, under the command of Lieutenant John Tudor R.N., the St George arrived in Douglas from Liverpool with mail and passengers.The Manks Advertiser. Tuesday, November 30, 1830
Once her passengers and mail were unloaded, the St George proceeded to take her anchorage in the vicinity of Conister Rock using the fixed chain cable which had been secured for the task. The night was stormy, with strong gusts of wind from the southwest which increased in ferocity as the wind backed to the southeast on the morning of 20 November. At 05:00hrs the chain cable holding the St George began to give way and she began to drive in between the Pollock and Conister rocks.
Steam had been kept up during the night, with the crew at their stations, but the force of the sea together with the ship's proximity to the Conister Rock meant she struck the rock before any attempt to back her out could prove successful. The St George struck the rock violently, immediately filled and settled down forward, with her head to the land and lying almost broadside to the most ruggered part of the rock.
Lieutenant Tudor immediately ordered distress signals to be made as well as the foremast to be cut away with a view to forming a raft so as that when the dawn came they might be rescued by boats from the lee side of the vessel, but this was found to be impractical. From his home at the Fort Anne Sir William Hillary observed the disaster taking place and immediately made for the pier in order to initiate a rescue. Together with Lt Robinson (RN), William Corlett (agent for the St George Steamship Company), Issac Vondy his coxswain, and a volunteer crew of 14 Sir William set out to render assistance.