Scotia was a British passenger liner operated by the Cunard Line that won the Blue Riband in 1863 for the fastest westbound transatlantic voyage. She was the last oceangoing paddle steamer, and as late as 1874 she made Cunard's second fastest voyage. Laid up in 1876, Scotia was converted to a twin-screw cable layer in 1879. She served in her new role for twenty-five years until she was wrecked off of Guam in March 1904.[1]
Development and design
As a result of competition from the Collins Line, Cunard ordered RMS Persia of 1856, the first iron Blue Riband winner. Scotia was originally planned as a sister for Persia. However, the project was delayed after the loss of the Collins SS Arctic and SS Pacific left Cunard without effective competition on the express service.[2] When Scotia was finally built, she was a larger edition of Persia with an extra deck.