The RMS Royal Adelaide was a paddle steamship operated by the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, primarily serving the route between London and Cork. Although specific technical specifications such as tonnage, length, and propulsion details are not provided in the available source, it is known that she was a paddle steam vessel, a common design for passenger and cargo ships of that era, equipped with side-mounted paddle wheels powered by steam engines. Constructed to facilitate passenger and freight transport across the Irish Sea, the Royal Adelaide played a vital role in maritime connectivity during the mid-19th century. Under the command of Captain John Batty, she departed Cork fully laden with cargo and approximately 250 passengers on 27 March 1850. The vessel made a stop at Plymouth on the evening of 28 March, and by the time she departed for London at 3:00 am on 29 March, her passenger count had increased to nearly 300, including a significant number of deck passengers. Tragically, the Royal Adelaide was lost at around 11:00 pm on 30 March 1850 on Tongue Sands, located north of Margate. The ship foundered with the loss of all on board, including over 150 deck passengers, many of whom were Irish, coinciding with the height of the Great Famine. The sinking was not immediately reported; news of the disaster only reached London late on Sunday when a river pilot, waiting for the ship, encountered a Deal pilot who had seen a ship of similar description in distress the previous evening. This tragic event underscores the perils of maritime travel during that period and marked a significant loss for the Irish and British maritime communities. Overall, the RMS Royal Adelaide's brief service history and its tragic sinking highlight the challenges faced by 19th-century paddle steamships in maintaining safe and reliable transportation across the busy Irish Sea route.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.