Earl of Zetland

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

Earl of Zetland passing the Symbister Ness Lighthouse. This is a copy of a JD Ratter postcard which is date stamped 1905

The new Earl of Zetland passing Symbister Ness Lighthouse 1939.
Photo by Shetland Museum and Archives.

Some ports of call had no pier, so the goods and passengers were transferred using 'Flitboats' from shore to 'Earl'. Photo from c1935

The first ship to bear the name Earl of Zetland was a steamer built by J. Fullerton of Paisley in 1877, for the Shetland Islands Steam Navigation Company, and was taken over by the North Company in 1890. In 1886, she was one of the ships searching in vain for several days for the drifting smack Columbine, with only the old lady Betty Mouat onboard. This ship continued to serve the North Isles, with occasional other trips to the Pentland Firth service, until 1946. She was renamed Earl of Zetland II in 1939 because a new ship was expected, but the outbreak of war meant that she remained in service until the war was over.
In October 1941, she was attacked and bombed by a German JU 88, but the bombs missed, and only a few bullet holes in her funnel, after the machine gunning, was the only damage. She was sold to a Panamanian company in 1946, re-named 'Anal' and was later used to run illegal immigrants to Palestine. She was broken up at Haifa in 1950.

The second Earl of Zetland was built by Hall Russell, Aberdeen in 1939, and was first in service at Lerwick on 14th August 1939, but due to the outbreak of war she was transferred to the Pentland firth service. She continued on the North Isles service until the introduction of the inter island ro-ro car ferries, and was withdrawn from service in 1973.

Sold to an oil survey company, the "Earl" was renamed "Celtic Surveyor", before being converted to a floating pub, and returning to her original name Earl of Zetland, moored at various places like Canary Wharf in London, Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne and today at Royal Quays, North Shields on the River Tyne.