SS Mabel (1882)

SS Mabel was a small cruise ship launched in 1883 and owned by James Hornsby, proprietor of the Loch Maree Hotel, that provided tourists a tour of landlocked Loch Maree, Scotland.

[2][3] Mabel also served as a small passenger ferry between Poolewe (Tollie Bay pier 57°44′30″N 5°34′53″W / 57.7416°N 5.5815°W / 57.7416; -5.5815 ) and Kinlochewe (Rhu Noa pier 57°37′43″N 5°20′35″W / 57.6285°N 5.3430°W / 57.6285; -5.3430), which connected visitors arriving by coach from Achnasheen railway station.

[2][4] Hornsby sold Mabel to David MacBrayne, whose steamship operations covered all of west Scotland, in 1887.

[5] MacBrayne promoted the vessel as a tourist attraction and it served until 1911, when it was moored up beside Loch Maree Hotel.

[1][7] A model of Mabel can be seen in the Gairloch Museum,[6] however some photos show the Mabel with slight differences: the model and some photographs show the vessel with tiller steering, while another image, undated, seems to show passengers at the stern of the ship with a crew member at the wheel on an open bridge.

Passengers joining a small steamboat from a low pier
SS "Mabel" at Tollie Bay, north-west end of Loch Maree, 1905