MV Maid of Ashton (Hispaniola)

The Caledonian Steam Packet Company commissioned the MV Maid of Ashton, along with three sister ships - the Maid of Argyll, Maid of Skelmorlie and Maid of Cumbrae, in 1952. They were built to replace the company's old paddle steamer fleet that operated passenger ferry services around the Firth of Clyde and the Western Isles of Scotland. 162ft (49m) in length, with a beam of 28ft (8.5m), and weighing 508 gross tonnes, MV MAid of Ashton was built at the Glasgow yard of Yarrow & Company, and was launched on 17th February 1953. Licensed to carry 650 passengers her British Polar Company diesel engines were capable of maintaining a steady cruising speed of 15 knots. MV Maid of Ashton was the first of the new vessels to be completed and entered service for the CSPC in the May of that year.

The Maids were employed on most of the well-known passenger routes, including Wemyss Bay to Rothesay or Millport, Craigendoran to Rothesay, and Millport to Rothesay. However, the Maid of Ashton was probably most closely associated with the route from Gourock to Holy Loch. Although never considered sumptuous the Maid of Ashton was both practical and comfortable. She offered a tea-room and bar, where passengers could escape the icy cold winds of a Scottish winter, and pleasant promenade decks from which to view the magnificent scenery during a warm summer sailing.

The life of the passenger ferry during this period was always going to be a short one and, with the rapid growth in car ownership during the 1960s, it wasn't too long before the relatively modern Maids were considered obsolete. In 1972 the Maid of Cumbrae was the first to go, being converted to a car ferry, and within a year her three sisters were to follow. The Maid of Skelmorlie and Argyll were sold to a company operating in the Mediterranean, and the Maid of Ashton was converted into a restaurant ship at its new southerly base on the River Thames in London.

Renamed the RS Hispaniola she needed an extensive re-fit before commencing her new role, including some external modifications. Saloons were extended fore and aft on the main deck, and the promenade decks were enclosed. Now, permanently berthed on the Victoria Embankment, MV Maid of Ashton has just entered her 28th year as one of London's unique dining establishments. Thankfully, albeit quite ironically, she has lasted longer and been more successful in this new role than that for which she was originally built.