Mona's Isle (II)
Mona's Isle was built by Tod and McGregor Ltd, Glasgow, at a cost of £10,673. She entered service with the Steam Packet Fleet in June 1860.
Mona's Isle is important in the history of the line, as she was the first vessel to be fitted with oscillating engines, which were also manufactured by Tod and McGregor Ltd. Until 1860 the Company had always used the side-lever engine so favoured by Robert Napier & Co. The oscillating engines possessed a number of advantages over the side-lever, as it occupied less space and had fewer working parts. There was no requirement for a connecting rod, and the upper end of the piston rod was fitted with a bearing which worked directly on to the crankpin. The cylinder was placed vertically under the crankshaft and could pivot through a small arc, permitting the rod to follow the movement of the crank.
When launched, Mona's Isle had a registered tonnage of 339 tonnes (GRT), and with an i.h.p. of 600. This gave her a speed of approximately 12 knots.
Read more about this topic: Ellan Vannin (ship)
Famous quotes containing the word isle:
“It is so rare to meet with a man outdoors who cherishes a worthy thought in his mind, which is independent of the labor of his hands. Behind every man’s busy-ness there should be a level of undisturbed serenity and industry, as within the reef encircling a coral isle there is always an expanse of still water, where the depositions are going on which will finally raise it above the surface.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)