That the steamship should become for the sportsman what for some time the sailing vessel had been was a natural prophecy. Even if steam were not to oust the simpler craft, at least both might sail the seas together without let or hindrance. But, of course, the old prejudice asserted itself again in yachting just as we have so frequently through the pages of this book seen that it did in the evolution of the purely commercial and experimental ships.

The pioneer of the steam yacht was undoubtedly the late Mr. Assheton Smith, of Tedworth, near Andover. A man of substantial means, a keen sportsman, who was well-known among both hunting and yachting men, he was rather more far-sighted than his contemporaries, and considerably less prejudiced. He had owned a number of sailing yachts, was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron, and had it in mind to extend the encouragement of the sport also to vessels using steam. But to the select and conservative minds of the Royal Yacht Squadron this was by no means a happy suggestion, and they promptly showed their resentment by passing a resolution on May 5th, 1827, to the effect that since a material object of the club was to promote seamanship and improvements of sailing vessels to which the application of steam-engines was inimical, no vessel propelled by steam should be admitted into the club, and that any member applying a steam engine to his yacht should cease to be a member. As the late Mr. Montague Guest, in his history of the Royal Yacht Squadron, remarked, this prejudice was no doubt caused by the objectionable vomits of smoke which contemporary steamers in that locality were wont to emit, so that the fair shores of Southampton Water were polluted, and distant objects completely obscured. Smith was taunted with the remark that in wishing to introduce the steam yacht he was intending to make a connection between business and pleasure, and this insult stung him so severely that he eventually resigned his membership.

In August of 1827, the Northern Yacht Club offered at their regatta a twenty guinea cup, to be awarded to the swiftest steamboat, and so far as I am able to ascertain this was the first occasion when steam craft ever raced against each other under such conditions. Several steam vessel owners sent in their entries for the race, and after an exciting contest for three hours round a marked course, a paddle-ship, named the Clarence, won. This is especially interesting, inasmuch as that boat had been engined by the famous Robert Napier to whom we referred earlier in this book, and in more ways than one this success led to considerable success. The incident attracted the attention of Assheton Smith, who, although he was then fifty years old, was fired with enthusiasm over the possibilities of the new sport. He had already had five sailing yachts built for him, and after resigning from the Royal Yacht Squadron, wrote to Napier asking him to come south to his place near Andover. Neither had met before, and the upshot of the northerner’s visit was that he was commissioned to build a steam yacht, the cost of which came to £20,000, Napier being given a free hand in regard to her entire construction. A recent writer has seen fit to remark that “no account exists of the first steam yacht built by Mr. Smith,” so that it may be worth while to add that this vessel was named the Menai, that she was built in the year 1830 and delivered at Bristol. She measured 120 feet long and 20 feet wide, her tonnage being 230, and her nominal horse-power 110. She was, of course, a paddle-wheel craft and driven by Napier’s double side-lever engines, of which we have already explained the detailed working. Those who wish to see what this first historic steam yacht was like can examine a model of her in the Glasgow Art Galleries.

The Menai turned out a great success, and so pleased was her owner, that he commissioned Napier to build him another boat, which was named the Glowworm, a vessel of 300 tons and 100 horse-power. She was made ready by 1838. Until Smith was eighty years old the connection thus formed between the two men was continued, and during the period of twenty or thirty years Napier built quite a fleet of steam yachts for his patron. The Glowworm was followed by the Fire King in 1839—this being a 700-ton ship and the biggest of them all. Afterwards came at different dates three Fire Queens (in honour of Queen Victoria, who had come to the throne since the first steam yacht had been launched), the Jenny Lind, and the Sea Serpent; the latter about 1851. The Fire King was designed with hollow water-lines, and was a vessel possessing considerable speed. Before her trials were run, Smith issued a public challenge in Bell’s Life that she would run against any steamer then afloat, from Dover Pier to the Eddystone Lighthouse and back, for 5,000 guineas, or even higher stakes if desired. One of the three Fire Queens was the fastest vessel of any kind at that time, and possessed the exceptional speed of 16 knots. This was the third vessel of that name, and was built in 1846, her tonnage being 300 and her horse-power 120. She was driven by steeple engines which actuated a screw, and the Admiralty thought so much of her that they purchased her as a packet. Smith, however, did not like the screw, and his next ship reverted to the use of paddle-wheels.

In 1844 the Royal Yacht Squadron began to climb down gradually from their haughty position of serene isolation, for in that year they showed some slight recognition of the steam yacht by resolving that “no steamer of less than 100 horse-power should be qualified for admission into, or entitled to the privileges of the Squadron,” and in 1853 the last objection to the steam yacht was withdrawn by the rescinding of all rules which prohibited her use. Thereupon a number of the Royal Squadron members had auxiliary engines fitted to their sailing craft, but by 1856 there were not more than a score of steam-engined yachts as against seven or eight hundred sailing ones. In 1868 a unique race, which excited some derision at the time, was run between Lord Vane’s steam yacht Cornelia and Mr. Talbot’s Eothen. During the early ’eighties many of the non-racing yachts flying the Squadron’s colours, and used solely for cruising, were either purely steam or auxiliary steam yachts. By 1883, out of 2,000 yachts no fewer than 700 were steam, which had cost originally two and a half millions sterling. To such an extent had this new development of the sport gone ahead that it was even seriously suggested by the Field that ordinary cruising would be extinguished by the steam yacht. During the ’eighties the number of English steam yachts multiplied in all parts of the Kingdom owing to several causes. The improvements which had been going on, as well in the making of marine engines as in yacht building and designing, were assisted by the more economical consumption of coal which was now possible. But the sport of steam-yachting is entirely, by reason of its nature and its costliness, confined to the rich man. Apart altogether from the advantages which steam gives in that it renders the yacht independent of calms and tides, yet it carries with it especially a social feature. The influence of Cowes week, the dispensing of hospitality, and the privilege of enjoying a floating home anything but bereft of the highest comfort, must be reckoned as among the potent factors of an extent equal to, if not greater than, the sheer delight of voyaging from one port to another. Many steam yachts spend their time within the comparatively sheltered waters of the south coast of England, or the west coast of Scotland, perhaps running out to the Riviera in December or January. But a few, such as Lord Brassey’s celebrated Sunbeam, go round the world, penetrate to the Arctic circle, cross the Atlantic, and go east through the Suez Canal.

For a long time the steam yacht naturally enough retained most of the features of the sailing yacht. I say naturally, not merely because steam was still distrusted, and, therefore, canvas was retained, but because beauty of form and symmetry are demanded more in the steam yacht than in the steamship designed for commercial purposes. For the creators of steam yachts were rather yacht-architects than steamship-designers. We have only to quote the admirable work of such men as St. Clare Byrne and G. L. Watson to emphasise this point. Indeed, with the exception of the Triad, so recently added to the fleet of steam yachts, and to which we shall refer fully in due course, the lines and general appearance of the steam pleasure vessel is far more “yachty” than perhaps one might have imagined would be the case, having regard to the differences which have sprung up in the appearance of the commercial steamship. The illustration on page 271, which is typical of the steam yacht about the year 1890, shows how markedly the influence of the clipper sailing ships of the ’sixties was at work. The gilding at the bow, the figure-head, the fine entrance, and the bowsprit have existed long after the latter was required for setting a jib at the end of it. As a rule, the schooner rig has prevailed, though some ocean-going steam yachts are rigged as barques, ships, and barquentines. For long voyages between distant ports the retention of the sail as a saving of the limited coal supply is but natural, and also for the purpose of steadying the ship in a sea-way.

In the early days the steam yacht was usually of the type which has one flush deck. But to-day she varies to the same extent as the sailing yacht. Topgallant forecastles, quarter decks, bridge-houses, awning decks, shade decks, spar decks, and many other features have been added. Three masts have given way to two, and now only one is being retained, and that merely for signalling purposes or for wireless telegraphy. Formerly, the steam yacht was a long, narrow creation carrying a considerable quantity of ballast, but to-day she is given greater beam, and in many points is coming far more under the sway of the ocean steamship than ever she has in the whole of her history. The accommodation is being modified and improved, and the elemental features are undergoing a change. Whereas the older types carried their dining and drawing-rooms below, nowadays these, as well as the state-rooms, are, whenever possible, placed on the main deck. Much more room is afforded for promenade by the adding of deck upon deck, and a noticeable characteristic of the modern steam yacht is the extent to which the deck-house and pilot-house have been carried. Like their bigger sisters, the steam yachts of to-day are fitted with every thought for comfort. Electric light, refrigerating plant, exquisite decorations, heating apparatus, search-lights, and a thousand other details go to swell the long bill which has to be paid for the private steamship.

The old square stern inherited from the Dutch, through the British Navy of yesterday, and, finally, through the royal yachts, is modified nowadays from a clumsiness to resemble more nearly the counter of the smart sailing yacht. Ample overhang at bow and stern gives both increased deck space and makes a drier ship, and at the bows this additional room is advantageous for working the anchors. As compared with the liner, the yacht has far more opportunities of showing what a graceful creature the ship really is: for she has not to rush across seas at break-neck speed, nor has she to waste her internal space with accommodation for cargo and mails. She need not clutter up her decks with clusters of derricks, but go about her easy work in a quiet and dignified manner, not forgetting to look pretty all the time. And yet she is able nowadays, by reason of her size, to carry large enough quantities of water, coals and stores to last her for lengthy voyages, independent of the shore. The question of speed is subservient to fuel-endurance, and to get her owner and his guests to their destination with the least degree of discomfort is of far greater import than to set up new steaming records. She is a good sea-boat, for she is not harassed by the limitations as to the distribution of weights which have to be studied so closely in the case of the liner. The single-screw is giving way to the twin-screw, and the triple-expansion engine is usually adopted, with its absence of any great vibration.

The steam yacht, has, however, found out the advantages of the turbine, and the first to be fitted thus was the Emerald, built on the Clyde in 1902 for Sir Christopher Furness. She has a Thames measurement of 797, and is propelled by three separate propellers, with their individual shafts actuated by three sets of turbine machinery. Her speed is about 16 knots on an exceptionally low coal consumption, and she showed her ability by crossing the Atlantic in the year following her birth. The recent adaptation of the Parsons turbine for moderate speeds, already discussed, will doubtless pave the way for a much more general adoption of this form of propulsion in the yacht. Otherwise speed in the steam yacht is a doubtful advantage, for with reciprocating engines there is demanded a greater amount of space which could be better used for extra cabin room. Water-ballast and bilge-keels are used to a large extent, and steel has long since proved its worth for the making of the hull as well as many other features of the ship. Now that the engines of a steam yacht have proved themselves to possess that reliability which was for a long time not conceded, the need for sails, except for steadying the ship, or, as already mentioned, for long ocean voyages, has disappeared. It is much more common to see a steam yacht given the rig as seen in the illustration on page 275, with stay-sails and try-sails, than the yards and gaff-sails of yesterday. Indeed, one might go so far as to assert that the retention of the two masts is based on appearance more than with a view to utility.

One of the most extraordinary steam yachts ever built was the Livadia, of which a capital model is illustrated opposite page 276. She was built in 1880 by Messrs. John Elder & Co. for the Russian Admiralty. Her unusual design was based on the idea of a circular floating battery invented by John Elder in the ’sixties, and reintroduced by Admiral Popoff ten years later. From a technical paper read some years ago by her builder, we gather that she was constructed in accordance with Admiral Popoff’s designs to give 14 knots per hour. In case of her failing to come up to the required standard, the Russian Admiralty were to be allowed to reject her. Previous to her actual building, elaborate experiments took place with a model, and both before and after the appearance of the ship she was subject to considerable criticism, some of which, no doubt, was owing to the radical departure from accepted custom. Her builder described her as being turbot-shaped with a super-structure which contained the Imperial apartments and the accommodation for suite and crew. After her trials, she sailed from the Clyde to Brest in fine weather. Thence she crossed the Bay of Biscay, and the bad weather which had sprung up increased to a gale of exceptional violence, which also afforded the most conclusive test for her steadiness. It was found that she was wonderfully endowed with the latter virtue, and that although she had been designed for service on the Black Sea, she was able to take the seas of the Bay in a most satisfactory manner. The height of the waves was adjudged by the experts on board as being from twenty to twenty-five feet, but the receding formation of the turbot had the effect of dividing the wave against itself. In no case did the waves succeed in reaching the keels of the ship’s boats hung in davits 22 feet above the load-line, and although the table was loaded with candelabra and other easily capsizable articles, the ship never lurched so as to send them moving. It is true that when she put into Ferrol, owing to the exhaustion of the crew, two of the thirty-seven cells on the external rim of the turbot were damaged, yet this did not vitiate the general principle of her construction. She was driven by three propellers and three independent engines, and was easily handled. During the gale she only required one man at the wheel. She displaced nearly 4,000 tons, measured 235 feet in length, 153 feet in extreme width, and drew only 6½ feet.

Perhaps the one conspicuous example where the steam yacht has been designed not by a yacht architect is in the case of the steam yachts possessed by the Royalty of this land, and it is a matter of regret that some of the worst and most old-fashioned traditions should be perpetuated in what one would have expected to have been the most up-to-date and efficient steam craft afloat. There has ever been displayed in the royal steam yachts far more of the Admiralty influence of yesterday than of the modern factors at work in yacht-design. Grace and delicacy have been avoided for a kind of clumsy impressiveness, and the worst features of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries naval architecture are retained with a surprising obstinacy. The heavy quarters and counter, the tasteless display of external carving and gold leaf have had to make a pretence of affording what should have come spontaneously from the beauty of the vessel’s own lines. The Victoria and Albert, launched a few years ago, is especially expressive of the defects which she ought never to have exhibited. And the latest English royal yacht which was launched in 1907, has but little character that is superior to her predecessor. This Alexandra will be seen at her trials in the illustration facing page 278. True, the heavy quarters have been very much modified, but in any assemblage of steam yachts or modern ocean-going steamships, she stands out less owing to her inherent beauty, than for the impression of solidity which she conveys. The Alexandra has a registered tonnage of 2,157, and is driven by three turbines.

The illustration of the Sagitta, facing page 280, is of particular interest, for when she appeared in the summer of 1908, she was the largest steam yacht ever built on the south coast. Constructed by Messrs. Camper and Nicholson for the Duc de Valençay, she has a Thames measurement tonnage of 757, and on her trials showed a speed of 15·2 knots, which was 2·2 knots above that contracted for. Steam yacht building has more usually been the work of the northern yards. Two of her features are especially noticeable as showing a divergence from the stereotyped design of the steam yacht. Firstly, the three, and even two, masts, have gone altogether, and only one is retained, in a most unusual position, for signalling purposes. Secondly, her stern goes right away from the accepted clipper-bow-plus-bowsprit end, although the yacht-like overhanging counter is retained. In matters of this nature personal taste will enter quite independent of the demands put forward by naval architecture, but it can scarcely be said that this hybrid arrangement makes for beauty, for the nice balance which is so significant a feature of the ends of a yacht is here hardly possible. Much more acceptable is the design of the Triad, which, amid considerable adverse criticism for her originality, made her appearance in the summer of 1909. An interesting photograph of this novel yacht appears opposite page 280, but it conveys little idea of her size. With her two funnels, her straight stern and modified turtle-deck stern, she is a “whole-hogger” as compared with the compromise which the Sagitta represents. In the Triad the steam yacht breaks right away from accepted conditions and shows the first real approach to the contemporary ocean-going steamship. To some extent, no doubt, she exhibits some resemblance to the well-known German Imperial steam yacht, the Hohenzollern, but she is rather a deep-sea liner in miniature, capable of going anywhere, and performing practically any service which could be asked of her. She has been built on steamship lines by a firm which, I believe, had never previously constructed a steam yacht. Her size of 1,416 tons would alone make her interesting, but it is her business-like appearance which causes her to be especially noticeable. Her stem has come in for a good deal of criticism, some of which is doubtless justifiable, but not a little is obviously based on the fact that convention was thrown aside. It is claimed that the clipper-stem is not merely advantageous in regard to looks, but besides giving increased deck space where it is needed to work the anchors, permits of a generous amount of flare to protect the fore decks from water coming aboard. The older form also provides a useful “false” end in the case of a ship colliding, while, on the other hand, the straight stem possesses considerable merits for docking and berthing in a congested harbour.

The Triad measures 250 feet long, between perpendiculars, and 35 feet wide, and is equipped with twin-screw engines, which give her a speed of 16 knots. She has two double-ended boilers, and one auxiliary boiler for driving the electric installation when in port. Some of her minor features are sufficiently unusual to merit remark. Thus, for instance, the windlass on her forecastle is fitted with a special indicator which shows the amount of cable run out, and an arrangement something similar in principle to that mentioned as existing on liners is installed, whereby the engineer cannot easily make a mistake in carrying out the captain’s orders from the bridge. If the engines are going ahead the captain knows this by an electric lamp which shows red; if they are going astern the lamp shows green, the movement of the engines themselves indicating automatically. In matters of personal comfort this miniature liner is amply fitted. Besides the usual accommodation, she has dining-room, drawing-room, music-room, maids’ room and ample bedrooms, all upholstered and furnished with due regard to modern luxury.

It would be impossible within the limits of our subject to refer in detail to all those magnificent stately steam yachts which are afloat in European and American waters. Such vessels as the Vanadis, with her 1,233 tons (Thames measurement), triple-screws and triple turbines built in 1908; the well-known Ioland, built for Mr. Morton F. Plant of New York, by a Scotch firm; the Wakiva, twin-screw steam yacht, the Lysistrata, the Liberty, are representative of the magnificent fleet which has come into being so speedily, in spite of the chilly reception and opposition which greeted the steam yacht during the first half of the past century. The Liberty, something of whose internal comfort we shall show in another chapter, is of 1,571 tons, was launched in December of 1907, and is one of the most notable productions of recent years. She is spar-decked throughout, with magnificent lines and a handsome appearance, whilst retaining the more conventional stem-plus-bowsprit. She has exceptional accommodation, all connected by corridors and vestibules with no fewer than a dozen state-rooms for guests. She is driven by two sets of triple-expansion engines actuating twin-screws, which, to minimise vibration, are at a different pitch, and run at varying speeds. She can carry sufficient coal to allow her to cruise for 6,000 miles, and both in internal and external appearance is as handsome as she is capable.

With the capabilities of which the motor has shown itself to be possessed, the future of the steam yacht is perhaps a little uncertain. Economy would seem to indicate that the former has numerous merits in that it enables sail power to be utilised more readily, and thus may arrest the fashion which is advancing in the direction of steam. For long passages the extreme comfort which is now obtainable in the modern liner leaves no choice in the matter. To keep up a steam yacht for the usual summer season of four months is a very serious item of expenditure. If we reckon £10 per ton as the average cost—and this is the accepted estimate—it will be seen that such a yacht as the Wakiva, for instance, leaves but little change out of £10,000 per year, and for this expenditure most men would expect to get a very large return in the way of sport and travel. Whether or not a like proportionate return is made, at least in giving employment to thousands of shipbuilding and yacht-hands, this special branch of sea sport is deserving of the high interest with which it is regarded.