In 1906 the LYR bought her outright and transferred her to their summer service from Hull to Zeebrugge, returning to the Irish Sea in winter.

[2] Ordered by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR), Duke of Clarence was built at Laird Brothers, Birkenhead,[1] as the first of seven ships that they delivered between 1892 and 1909.

[4] The Zeebrugge service was suspended during World War I and the Admiralty requisitioned her for use as an armed boarding steamer, stationed in the Channel approaches and later on the Northern Patrol.

[3][5] In the early hours of Tuesday 6 November 1894, whilst making passage from Belfast to Fleetwood, Duke of Clarence ran down and sank the steam trawler Albatross, whilst Albatross was engaged trawling on the Bahama Bank to the northeast of Ramsey, Isle of Man.

[6] Albatross was operating in coordination with Lady Loch, commanded by Captain William Shimmin, (Edward Shimmin's brother),[6][7] with the two vessels separated by approximately half a mile, forming part of a fleet of 30 other trawlers fishing in the area of the Bahama Lightship.

[6] Lady Loch hastened to the scene and upon arrival found Duke of Clarence stationary with two of her lifeboats engaged searching for survivors.

[6] Captain Edward Shimmin had managed to save himself by climbing aboard Duke of Clarence,[6] two further sailors, Robert Kelly (second engineer) and deck hand Thomas Turner, had managed to take hold of two empty fish boxes and were subsequently picked up by the lifeboats.

Captain Shimmin, Kelly, and Turner were landed at Fleetwood and subsequently made their way back to the Isle of Man via Liverpool.

[7] As a consequence of the collision Duke of Clarence sustained slight damage to both sides of her bows but was still able to resume her schedule the following night.