The Isle of Man Weekly Advertising Circular described her as: "A handsomely modest twin-screw steamer, with a long poop deck and complete arrangements made for a large number of passengers, either day or night.

[citation needed] Her work demonstrated that high steam pressure with compound engines, having a higher piston speed than would have been practical in a paddle steamer, gave her greater economy in performance.

[8] A mixture of easterly storms in the Irish Sea, which hampered operations from Ramsey, combined with fog in the River Mersey during early January 1883, resulted in severe disruption.

[13] The Fenella was required to sail for Liverpool, and returned to the island early in the hours of Friday 16 March, with gold bullion totalling £200,000 on board.

Even though she was not directly involved in the war, Fenella had a number of close encounters with floating mines but was never hit; the minesweepers worked day and night to keep the approaches to Liverpool open, and although there were casualties, they were relatively few.

The Bonnie Princess then arrived from Liverpool[18] and so the Fenella cast off the pontoon and proceeded to swing prior to coming to anchor in the part of the straights known as the Swellies.

[17] Captain Thomas, however, continued to make for the Anglesey shore, which brought the Fenella into a dangerous situation as the Prince Arthur was laying alongside the Menai Bridge Pontoon.

[17] During the course of this, the Satanella had got herself into a dangerous position behind the pontoon, but after approximately thirty minutes she managed again to get a line to the Fenella and proceeded to take her under tow towards the Caernarfon shore.

[17] When word of the Fenella′s plight reached the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company′s headquarters in Douglas, SS Tynwald was despatched to bring back Fenella′s passengers.

[18] A lawsuit subsequently was filed on behalf of Earnest Latham against the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, and the hearing was held at the High Court of Justice (Admiralty Division) on Monday, 8 December 1884.

[17] What the court had to decide was whether Satanella had rendered by its actions an act of salvage, or, as was the argument in the case of the defence, that she had merely engaged in assistance to Fenella by giving her a tow.

[17] Captain William Thomas was then called on behalf of the plaintiff, who testified that he was en route from Caernarfon to Beaumaris when he saw Fenella, which was stranded on the Half Tide Rock.

Mylchreest wanted to take her was particularly perilous, more so due to the fact that the Fenella did not have steam and it would therefore fall on the Satanella to position both vessels into the small bay between the piers; a hazardous area peppered with rocks and boulders, and where there were night rafts loaded with timber moored.

Thomas continued, that after about half an hour they managed to get back into a position to lend further assistance, and it was then he heard several voices call that they (the Fenella) were sinking fast.

[17] Under cross-examination from Mr. Myburgh, First Officer Woods insisted that no orders were given to the Satanella to port her helm at any time and the tow took the Fenella’s head towards the bridge, which was the wrong way.

[17] Dr. Phillimore, on behalf of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, then contended that the services rendered by the Satanella were no greater than those agreed to be carried out for the sum of £4.

[17] That the fact was clear, in the situation which developed, that a state of a consideration of £4 could not be upheld; and therefore the question arose of what sort of payment would be considered fair for the services rendered.

[17] Mr. Justice Butt concluded by stating that the £200 lodged before the Court by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company could not be considered as adequate recompense, and that he was awarding £300 in favour of the owners of the Satanella, plus costs.

According to a witness, Mr. Tom Wood, two passengers returned to the deck, (Mr. John Mc Combe and a young woman, Miss Janie Clucas), who joined three men believed to be the victims, sitting on the covered seat.

Wood then stated that a wave crashed over the port beam of the Fenella with such force that it swept away the seat, dispersing its occupants, with the result that Mc Combe and Miss Clucas were washed up opposite the saloon door.

No exact eyewitness account exists regarding the loss of the passengers, but Wood stated that he did not see anything of the other occupants again, saying that he thought they’d taken shelter in another part of the vessel, and that it never occurred to him that they may have been washed overboard.

Another passenger on board, Mr. Wightman (referred to as a commercial traveller), stated during the course of an interview with the Mona’s Herald that he was on the deck at the time when the incident occurred.

When Quayle failed to arrive back at his father’s house that Monday night, it was assumed by the family that he had decided not to take passage as a consequence of the weather.

This led to further rumour circulating, and subsequently leading to the discovery of another two missing persons.Both White and Scarrat were what was described at that time as commercial travellers and were from Warrington and Tranmere respectively.

[23] On 7 March the badly decomposed body of a man, subsequently identified as that of Frederick White, was also picked up by the crew of a Fleetwood fishing boat.

[36] Over subsequent weeks the Fenella performed tender services to the Royal Holland Line ship, Gelria, when the latter called at Douglas on 15 July 1929, and ferried a company of the Boy's Brigade to the Isle of Man from Workington on Wednesday 7 August.

On Wednesday 21 August Fenella became the first Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessel to operate from the Irish port of Donaghadee, when she brought 500 day-trip excursionists to Douglas.

[37] In some quarters it was hoped to retain the Fenella along with the Mona's Queen so that they could form part of the forthcoming Centenary Celebrations scheduled for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in 1930.

As she departed the Double Corner, it was reported that she had flags flying from her masts and received rousing salutes from her steam packet sisters and the steamer Glen Strathallan, with the Fenella duly returning the compliment.

[41] After several hours the men were rescued by the steamer, City of Lyons,[41] and the lifeboat was then cast adrift, subsequently ending up being washed ashore at Barmouth.