SS Mona's Isle (1882)  SS (RMS) "Mona's Isle" (III), No. 76304, the third ship in the company's history to be so named, was a paddle steamer which served with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company until she was purchased by The Admiralty in 1915. "Mona's Isle" was constructed by Caird & Co. at Greenock and was launched on Tuesday, 16 May 1882. Caird & Co. also supplied her engines and boilers. Length 330'7"; beam 38'1"; depth 15'1". "Mona's Isle" had accommodation for a crew of 56, and was certificated to carry 1,561 passengers. Her engines developed 4,500 i.h.p. which gave her a service speed of 18 knots. The engines were quite remarkable for their day. The oscillating engine had slowly developed from low pressure jet condensing with all the demerits that salt water intake involved, to higher pressure surface condensing that was the forerunner of the turbine circulating system. These were the first high-pressure engines of this type to be adopted by the Steam Packet Company. They worked at a boiler pressure of 90 p.s.i. The stroke was 90 inches with the high-pressure cylinder 65 inches in diameter and the low-pressure cylinder 112 inches. The low-pressure cylinder was said to be larger and heavier than any other fitted to a paddle steamer. "Mona's Isle" was said to be the largest, best appointed, and most expensive steamer in the company's history up to that time. Exceptionally fast in her day, she could reach Liverpool from Douglas in only 3hr. 55min. She was the first of five rather similar paddle-steamers added to the fleet between 1882 and 1889. On Thursday 19 June 1884, "Mona’s Isle" suffered a mechanical failure; one of her cylinders and a piston rod being damaged. Departing Liverpool at with approximately 250 passengers embarked, "Mona’s Isle" cleared the Victoria Channel and set a course bound for Douglas. She passed the "Tynwald", which was engaged in accompanying yachts racing in the Mersey, at which reported her to be making good speed. When approximately mid-channel the mechanical failure to her machinery occurred, forcing her Master, Capt. McQueen, to come to anchor and await the arrival of assistance. As there was no wireless communication at that time, anxiety was caused in Douglas as the scheduled time of arrival of the "Mona’s Isle" passed, requiring the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company to contact their Liverpool office to ensure that she had departed on time.