From paddle steamer to screw steamer to wrecked steamer

SS Xantho was a river steamer built in 1848 by the Denny Shipbuilding Company, based in Dumbarton, Scotland. For its first 12 years, Xantho operated as a pleasure steamer by Anstruther and Leith Steam Shipping Company, ferrying passengers across the sheltered Firth of Forth estuary between Leith and Aberdour. 

Great ambition 

In 1870, the 22-year-old paddle steamer was purchased by scrap metal dealer, Robert Stewart. He ambitiously, but inexpertly, converted Xantho to a screw steamer. All the machinery was moved to the back of the ship and the steeple engine was replaced with a more powerful twincylinder, high-pressure, horizontal trunk engine.  

A year later, Charles Broadhurst purchased Xantho and brought it to Western Australia. He planned to use Xantho to connect his diverse fishing interests and, in the off season, operate it as a coastal tramp steamer. 

Inevitable failure 

Xantho’s construction was unsuitable for Western Australia’s climate and sea conditions, and in a remote colony, the high-pressure engine could not be maintained as required. Stewart had also installed the trunk engine on the wrong side of the ship, which meant Xantho’s engine, operating in reverse, degraded even faster. 

With both engine and vessel operating well outside their intended use, it’s not surprising the vessel was lost in West Australian waters after only seven, short months. 

 Platter presented to John Smith in 1849 for his work with the Anstruther and Leith Steam Shipping Company, with mention of Xantho. Michael McCarthy 

 Model of Loch Lomond, a paddle steamer built by Denny Shipbuilding Company in 1845. Prior to the alterations by Robert Stewart, PS Xantho would have looked similar to Loch Lomond. CSG CIC Glasgow Museums and Libraries Collections, T.1956.10.g