Lot Essay
Valhalla, 1,218 tons gross, was the only British steam yacht to have a full ship rig and is believed by many to have been the finest example of a steam auxiliary ever built. Designed by W.C. Storey and built for Captain J.F. Laycock in 1892, she is best known for her achievement of third place in the Kaiser's famous Trans-Atlantic Race of 1905 despite the competition afforded by the much faster schooners taking part. She had several owners, most notably the Earl of Crawford & Balcarres (from 1902 to 1908), and she also did War service with the Royal Navy including a period at Limnos - in the Aegean - during the Gallipoli campaign. After the War she became a Spanish-owned fruit carrier but she was wrecked and sunk off Cape St. Vincent in 1922.