In 1812, the first paddle steamer to sail in European coastal waters
made its maiden voyage between Glasgow and Greenock. No longer was man
restricted to sail, but steam had shown the way. Since then, over 400
paddle steamers have plied the waters of the Clyde, some for a short
while, others to make a short transit up the Leven to Loch Lomond and
others for long and fruitful careers. For the first time, a truly
definitive record of the Clyde paddlers has been produced. Alistair
Deayton has used contemporary records from the Clyde Trustees and local
newspapers as well as the steamship operators and the shipyards to
produce a book detailing every one of the Clyde steamers from the Comet
of 1812 to the last surviving sea-going paddle steamer, PS Waverley. He
has created a list of all 419 paddlers that have sailed the waters of
the upper and lower Clyde on revenue-earning service.