PS Comet II sinks off Gourock with heavy loss of life
- When
- 1825
- Where
- Kempock Point
- Episodes
- 1
On 21 October 1825, the paddle steamer Comet II collided with the steamer Ayr off Kempock Point, Gourock, Scotland, resulting in the loss of 62 lives. The vessel was built by Henry Bell following the wreck of the original Comet in 1820. The collision occurred in the early hours, with the first impact striking the paddle of the Comet.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Henry Bell, a Scottish engineer, had the paddle steamer Comet built in 1812, and the vessel began a passenger service on the River Clyde. After the original Comet was wrecked in 1820, Bell constructed a replacement vessel named Comet II. The new ship collided with the steamer Ayr in 1825, leading to significant loss of life.
Collision and Loss. In the early hours of 21 October 1825, the Comet II was run into by the steamer Ayr within sight of Gourock. The collision occurred off Kempock Point, with the first stroke hitting the paddle of the Comet. The disaster resulted in the death of 62 people, marking a significant maritime tragedy in the region.
Geographical Context. Gourock is a town in the Inverclyde council area, formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in west Scotland. The incident took place within sight of this town, specifically off Kempock Point, where the steamer Ayr ran into the Comet II in the early hours of 21 October 1825.
People involved
- Henry Bell · Builder of Comet II
- Ayr · Steamer involved in collision
Sources
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.