Perhaps the best known of all the Manx steamers to visit Fleetwood was Viking. Built by Vickers Armstrong her Parsons turbines could propel her at 24 knots and she could outsail the Midland Railway Company vessels operating out of Heysham. Viking could carry 1600 passengers and, until the arrival of the Sea Cat, held the record for the fastest crossing to Douglas, a time of 2 hours and 22 minutes. The feat was achieved on May 25th 1907. 1915 saw her purchased by the Admiralty as the seaplane carrier HMS Vindex and she is reputed to be the first vessel from which wheeled undercarriage aircraft took off from. The IOMSPC bought her back in 1919 and, again, she became the principle vessel on the Fleetwood-Douglas route until 1930 when the new Lady of Mann took over. WW2 saw her in service again and was used as a troop ship but returned to Fleetwood on June 18th. 1945. Viking continued sailing until August 14th. 1954 and, two days later, made her last voyage to the breaker's yard at Barrow.