The Alphabet Fleet was a fleet of vessels owned and operated by the Reid Newfoundland Company as part of the provisioning of the 1898 Railway contract between the Dominion of Newfoundland and the Reid Newfoundland Company. The vessels were named after places in Scotland, the native homeland of Sir Robert Gillespie Reid, founder of the Reid Newfoundland Railway Company.
The ships were employed as coastal vessels to service the remote communities of the island and the coast of Labrador to operate a mail and passenger service to those communities. These vessels literally became the lifeline to these communities and were depicted in many paintings and folk songs of the country, even long after it became a province of Canada.
As possible modeling subjects for those who like modeling coastal boats I thought it would be nice to place a list of the various vessels here. Although I have not seen them, I am told that plans still exist for all of these ships. If by chance you do locate them please let us know so we can let others know where to find them. They are listed below, naturally, in alphabetical order. It should be noted however the the Bruce, was built before the Argyle.
SS Argyle
Year registered: #13 in 1900 at St. John’s, NL
Official number: 111147
Place constructed: Glasgow, Scotland
Builder: A. & J. Inglis
Year constructed: 1900
Owner: Reid Newfoundland Co.
Length: 155 ft.
Width: 25 ft.
Depth: 13 ft.
Gross tonnage: 439
Net tonnage: 342
Registered tonnage: 199
Disposal: Sold to the S.S. Argyle Steamship Co. in 1941. Lost near Cuba on July 14, 1946.
SS Bruce
Year registered: #55 in 1897 at St. John’s, NL
Official number: 106391
Place constructed: Glasgow, Scotland
Year constructed: 1897
Builder: A. & J. Inglis
Owner: Reid Newfoundland Co.
Length: 237 ft.
Width: 33 ft.
Depth: 19 ft.
Gross tonnage: 1154
Net tonnage: 11041
Registered tonnage: 343
Disposal: Lost off Louisburg, Nova Scotia on March 4, 1911
The SS Bruce was replaced by the SS Bruce II
SS Clyde
Year registered: #16 in 1900, St. John’s, NL
Official number: 111148
Place constructed: Glasgow, Scotland
Year constructed: 1900
Builder: A. & J. Inglis
Owner: Reid Newfoundland Co.
Length: 155 ft.
Width: 25 ft.
Depth: 13 ft.
Gross tonnage: 439
Net tonnage: 342
Registered tonnage: 199
Disposal: In 1948 the S.S. Bruce was sold to Crosbie and Co. She was lost at Williamsport, White Bay, NL on December 17, 1951.
SS Dundee
Year registered: #121 in 1900 at St. John’s, NL
Official number: 113007
Place constructed: Glasgow, Scotland
Year constructed: 1900
Builder: A. & J. Inglis
Owner: Reid Newfoundland Co.
Length: 155 ft.
Width: 25 ft.
Depth: 13 ft.
Gross tonnage: 439
Net tonnage: 199
Registered tonnage: 342
Disposal: Stranded and lost on Grassy Island near Carmanville, Newfoundland December 25, 1919.
SS Ethie
Year registered: #123 in 1900 at St. John’s, NL
Official number: 113009
Place constructed: Glasgow, Scotland
Year constructed: 1900
Builder: A. & J. Inglis
Owner: Reid Newfoundland Co.
Length: 155 ft.
Width: 25 ft.
Depth: 13 ft.
Gross tonnage: 440
Net tonnage: 344
Registered tonnage: 202
Disposal: Lost on December 11, 1919 at Martin’s Point, Bonne Bay, NL.
SS Fife
Year registered: #134 in 1900 at St. John’s, NL
Official number: 113019
Place constructed: Glasgow, Scotland
Year constructed: 1900
Builder: A. & J. Inglis
Owner: Reid Newfoundland Co.
Length: 155 ft.
Width: 25 ft.
Depth: 13 ft.
Gross tonnage: 439
Net tonnage: 343
Registered tonnage: 201
Disposal: Lost at Twin Islands, Northern Peninsula, NL on November 17, 1900 on her maiden voyage.
SS Glencoe
Year registered: #1 in 1900 at St. John’s, NL
Official number: 111142
Place constructed: Glasgow, Scotland
Year constructed: 1899
Builder: A. & J. Inglis
Owner: Reid Newfoundland Co.
Length: 208 ft.
Width: 30 ft.
Depth: 17 ft.
Gross tonnage: 767
Net tonnage: 682
Registered tonnage: 336
Disposal: Sold for scrap in June of 1959 at Sorel, Quebec.
SS Home
Year registered: #142 in 1900 at St. John’s, NL
Official number: 113024
Place constructed: Glasgow, Scotland
Year constructed: 1900
Builder: A. & J. Inglis
Length: 155 ft.
Width: 25 ft.
Depth: 13 ft.
Gross tonnage: 439
Net tonnage: 343
Registered tonnage: 200
Disposal: Stranded at Jersey Harbour, Fortune Bay, NL November 18, 1952.
These were the initial vessels of the Alphabet Fleet. More were added later, but these were the core of the Fleet. You will note that A & J Iglis of Glasglow Scotland had quite a busy shipyard in 1900 having built six of the vessels that year alone.
source: world wide web
