Paddle steamer · 1841–1856 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom
Princess Royal
The inquiry held at Stranraer after the Princess Royal was lost cleared her master, Captain McChlery, but the Privy Council for Trade disagreed with its finding. It faulted him for steaming at 14 knots through thick fog near the land and for relying on a newly adjusted compass, and although he kept his master's certificate he was made to bear the cost of his own defence.
An iron paddle steamer built by Tod & MacGregor of Glasgow in 1841, she was bound from Liverpool to Greenock in 1856 when she struck Craig Laggan Rocks south of Corsewall Point in fog. Everyone aboard got ashore, and the steamer Herald carried them on to Greenock. Salvors recovered most of her general cargo, but weeks of bad weather broke her in two and she was declared a total wreck.
Parts of her paddle box frames remain on the east side of the rocks.
- Type
- Paddle steamer
- Year built
- 1841Tod & MacGregor
- Lost
- 1856
- Depth
- 10 m
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway, United KingdomNorth Channel
Deeper than 16 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost 1856 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom.
Bound from Liverpool to Greenock with 140 passengers and 32 crew, she struck Craig Laggan Rocks in fog at about 3:30am on 28 May 1856. Everyone reached a beach safely. A refit costing £6,000, with a new boiler, had only recently been completed; salvors brought most of her general cargo ashore at Stranraer, but she could not be refloated, and in late July she broke in two.
Built 1841 by Tod & MacGregor; 15 years in service. Lost 1856.
Condition of the Wreck
Intactness
What remains of her, parts of the paddle box frames among it, is on the eastern side of the Craig Laggan reef. When she was declared a total wreck her machinery remained in shallow water; the outcome of any later salvage is not known.
Notable Features
- Boilers
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 9° | 7.9° | 7.5° | 8.2° | 9.9° | 12° | 13.8° | 14.6° | 14.5° | 13.5° | 12.2° | 10.4° |
Additional Details9 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Builder
- Tod & MacGregor
- Propulsion
- Steam
- Loss date
- 1856
- Latitude
- 54.9751° N
- Longitude
- 5.1875° W
- Water body
- North Channel
- War grave
- Not recorded
- Protected
- No
- Permit required
- No
Sources and VerificationEvery fact on this page traces to a published source.
- Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore, NRHE)inspire.hes.scot · Official record5 facts
- UK Hydrographic Officedatahub.admiralty.co.uk · Official record3 facts
- NOAA / NASA JPL MUR SST v4.1coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov · Institution or archive1 fact
- Scottish Shipwrecksscottishshipwrecks.com · Secondary source10 facts
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Historic Environment Scotland.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right.
- JPL MUR MEaSUREs Project. GHRSST Level 4 MUR Global Foundation Sea Surface Temperature Analysis (v4.1). PO.DAAC. https://doi.org/10.5067/GHGMR-4FJ04
A further 5 fields were derived from the wreck’s recorded position rather than taken from a source.
Licences and credits for the open data used on this site are on the Attribution page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Princess Royal?
Princess Royal is the wreck of a paddle steamer, off Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom, at 10 metres. Princess Royal was lost in 1856.
How deep is the Princess Royal?
Princess Royal lies at approximately 10 metres, North Channel, Dumfries and Galloway.
How did the Princess Royal sink?
The cause of the loss of Princess Royal is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1856.