Foremost amongst the more notable Clyde steamers and arguably the most famous of them all, Columba was built by Messrs. J. & G. Thomson of Clydebank for David MacBrayne Ltd. in 1878. With her outmoded curved stem and square stern, she had a distinctly old-fashioned appearance even when she was brand new yet she was a decidedly handsome vessel with her two large funnels fore and aft of the paddleboxes. Registered at 602 tons gross, she measured 301½ feet in length with a 27 foot beam, and she could steam comfortably at 18 knots. At this speed she was the fastest vessel on the route to the Isles and although nominally a 'tourist' steamer, she soon established herself as the premier ship catering for the wealthy West Highland landowners and thier summer house guests.
Usually regarded as the MacBrayne flagship, she was lavishly equipped to the point of carrying a barber's shop and a post office, and rapidly built for herself a reputation for style which, if anything, grew stronger with the passing years. Even after Glen Sannox outpaced her in 1892, she remained a firm favourite with passengers to the extent that she was re-engined at considerable expense in 1900 and her speed increased to 19½ knots. Probably due to her advancing age, Columba was not required for wartime duty in 1914; nevertheless, she played her part indirectly by helping to keep services running normally after so many of her consorts had been requisitioned for war service. Her owners held her in such high esteem that, even in old age, she was never relegated to inferior duties. MacBrayne kept her, perfectly maintained, on their most important route until she was finally withdrawn after the summer season of 1935 to be sold for breaking the following spring.