PS Lugard II

PS Lugard II was a British passenger ferry and paddle steamer that operated in Uganda during the early colonial period. Named after Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard, the vessel was specifically designed as a side wheel paddle steamer with a shallow draught to navigate the Victoria Nile and Albert Nile river systems.^[1]

History
British Empire
Name	PS Lugard II
Namesake	Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard
Operator	Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours (1946–48); East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (1948–67)[1]
Port of registry
Route	on the Albert Nile between Pakwach in Uganda and Nimule in Sudan, Victoria Nile
Builder	Fleming and Ferguson, Paisley, Scotland[1]
Yard number	731[1]
Completed	1946[1]
In service	Early 1900s
Out of service	1967[2]
General characteristics
Type	Paddle steamer as a passenger ferry[1]
Tonnage	350 GRT[1] or 380 tons[2]
Length	180 feet
Beam	33 feet
Draught	Shallow draught
Installed power	Steam
Propulsion	side paddle wheel
Capacity	28 1st Class passengers / 20 2nd class passengers

Background

The vessel was named in honor of Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard, who served as Military Administrator of Uganda from 26 December 1890 to May 1892. During his time in Uganda, Lugard conducted extensive explorations around the Rwenzori Mountains, reaching Lake Edward and mapping significant portions of the territory. He also visited Lake Albert and was instrumental in early colonial administration of the region.^{[citation needed]}

Design and Construction

Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours (KURH) ordered Lugard II to replace its only side wheel paddle steamer, PS Lugard, that had been in service since 1927.^[3] PS Lugard II was designed as a side wheel paddle steamer, a configuration chosen specifically for the challenging navigation conditions of Uganda's inland waterways. The shallow draught design allowed the vessel to operate effectively on the Victoria Nile and Albert Nile, where water levels could vary significantly and where conventional deep-draught vessels would be impractical. Fleming and Ferguson of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland built Lugard II in 1946.^[1] She was delivered via Kisumu in Kenya. Therefore, she would have been a "knock down" vessel; that is, she was bolted together in the shipyard at Paisley, all the parts marked with numbers, disassembled into many hundreds of parts and transported in kit form by sea to Mombasa and then by rail as far as Kisumu.^[1]

Operational History

The vessel operated during the early period of British colonial development in Uganda, serving both passenger and cargo transport functions along the Nile river system. This was a crucial period when transportation infrastructure was being established to support colonial administration and economic development. Lugard II operated on the Albert Nile between Pakwach and the border town of Nimule in Sudan. Her capacity was supplemented by pushing a barge or lighter that provided third class accommodation as well as cargo space.^[4]

Lugard II connected at Pakwach with the KURH sternwheelers PS Speke (1910), PS Stanley (1913) and PS Grant (1925) that plied the Victoria Nile and Lake Kyoga until 1962. In that year KURH's successor, the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EAR&H), opened its northern Uganda branch line from Tororo to Pakwach, giving a new connection with Lugard II's Albert Nile service and superseding the Victoria Nile ferries.^[3]

Lugard II was herself withdrawn from service a few years later, and in 1967 EARH offered her for sale.^[2]

See also

• Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard
• Lake Victoria ferries
• History of Uganda
• Victoria Nile
• Albert Nile