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Southampton Docks and Steamers.

By Bert Moody, Taken from,150 years of the LSWR book.

On this page you will find the history of the London & South Western Railway and two of its steamers,the Alberta and the Lorina.

In the early 1840's the railway companies in Britain were not permitted by law to own steamers,so at first the LSWR endeavoured to get the two main steam operators to merge,but when this failed the directors went ahead and formed the South Western Steam Navigation Company, their first steamer being appropriately named the SOUTH WESTERN.(Pictured on the about vessels page).
In 1894 the LSWR offered facilities for troopships and eventually the port became the principal port for peace time trooping. Between the wars the trooping season lasted from September to April each year.
During world War One Southampton became the number one embarkation port for Europe and to quote just one day in September 1914, 'one hundred loaded trains were run into the Docks with 565 officers, 30,627 men, 4,626 horses, 72 guns, 707 vechiles, 377 cycles, and 502 tons of general cargo.

The outbreak of war in 1939 ssaw the elimination of many of the regular shipping services, although a small number of passenger ships where used to caryy troops too France.

Alberta steamer.1900-1941.
The Alberta,ordered by the L&SWR Company to replace their Stella,which was wrecked on the Casquets on 30th March 1899.Built by John Brown & Company,Ltd.,Clydebank,and completed in May 1900. In 1908 the forward end of the promenade deck was plated in. She had a gross tonnage of 1,242 and fitted with twin screws driven by two sets of 4 cylinder triple expansion engines. She spent most of her life on the Southampton too Channel Islands service until 1929,the following year she was sold to Inglessi & Son of Samos. She was sunk by the German airforce at Salamis on 23rd April 1941.

The Lorina.1918-1940.
The Lorina,first steamer built by W.Denny & Bros.Ltd.,for the LSWR. Ordered in 1914,the war delayed the work and she was not completed until August 1918. Gross tonnage of 1,504, and was fitted with twin screws driven by two sets of single reduction geared turbines. She was on the Channel Islands too St.Malo service. She was sunk by German dive bombers at Dunkirk on 28th May 1940 whilst recuing troops from the beaches.