Irish Shipping Co

[Doc Vernon]

On my usual trawling on the great WWW i today came across the above mentioned Shipping Company,and it seemed that in past Years they had quite a large Fleet of Ships!

Most of their Ships were named after Trees,and it was interesting to read all about them!

I am wondering if any of you Guys out there were perhaps employed on any of these past Ships!
This CompanY was formed during WW2.
Just to name a very few of these 9their first Ship being)

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20...Poplar-01.html

Acquired in 1941
Irish Poplar (March 1941 - 1949) Ex Vassilios Destounis
Irish Larch (28 July 1941 - November 1949) Ex Hiafa Trader
Irish Beech (13 May 1941 - 1948) Ex Cetvrti
Irish Elm (August 1941 - 1949) Ex Leda
Irish Fir (14 October 1941 - 1949) Ex Margara
Irish Hazel (17 June 1941 - 1949) Ex Noemijulia
Irish Oak (21 May 1941 - 15 May 1943) Ex West Neris
Irish Pine (21 May 1941 - 16 November 1942) Ex West Hematite
Irish Plane (26 December 1941 - 1 February 1947) Ex Arena
Irish Willow

Acquired in 1942
Irish Rose 1942 to 1946
Irish Alder 1942 to 1946
Irish Spruce 1942 to 1949
Irish Ash 1942 to 1949

Acquired in 1943
Irish Cedar

Ships acquired in 1948
As most of the original tonnage was in poor condition, in 1946 the company placed orders for 8 vessels with British yards.

Irish Rose new build (1948–1954)
Irish Willow new build (1948–1954)
Irish Pine new build (1948–1965)

Ships acquired in the 1950s
Several vessels of different types were delivered in the early 1950s, Irish Oak, a near sister to the 1948 Irish Pine. Both of these vessels were steamships, with triple expansion reciprocating engines, converted to motor vessels in the mid fifties and powered by Doxford diesel engines.

Irish Elm, ca 1953, steam triple expansion. 1953 to 1953
Irish Hazel, ca 1952. (1950? to 1960)
Two sisterships were delivered in 1952 and 1954:

Irish Heather 1952 to 1964
Irish Fern 1954 to 1964
They were utilised on several routes and carried many varied cargoes.

Three sisterships were delivered in 1956,

Irish Willow 1956 to 1959
Irish Rose 1956 to 1969
Irish Fir 1956 to 1959
These were smaller vessels, with accommodation aft and twin holds. Originally designed primarily for Baltic trading they were utilised on the North Atlantic and even saw service in South America and the far north of Canada in Hudson Bay.

The following dry cargo vessels built for Irish Shipping during the mid 1950s and were powered by Doxford opposed piston engines.

Irish Alder 1956 to 1968
Irish Ash 1958 to 1970
Irish Larch 1956 to 1968
Irish Maple 1957 to 1968
Two steam turbine vessels were also built in the 1950s the sisters Irish Poplar and Irish Spruce. Irish Poplar (2), Steam Turbine, delivered in 1956. GRT 8012, NRT 4575, ON 400072. NHP 1107. The Irish Poplar and her near sister operated on the North Atlantic Liner trade for most of their lives. The Irish Poplar was sold in 1972. Irish Spruce, Steam Turbine, delivered in 1957, was a near sister of the Irish Poplar. Both of these vessels were equipped with refrigerated cargo tweendecks for the carriage of meat. The Irish Spruce ran aground in the Caribbean in 1972 and was subsequently broken up for scrap.

The tankers
The Irish Hawthorn 1958-1965, Irish Blackthorn 1959-1965 and Irish Holly 1954-1967 were the only tankers ever operated by ISL. Both the Irish Hawthorn and Irish Blackthorn were sold in 1965.

The Irish Blackthorn and Irish Hawthorn were steam turbine vessels.

The Irish Holly was primarily a coastal oil tanker, triple expansion steam engine. This vessel survived in the fleet for some time after the two larger vessels.

There are more,but would take up too much space!
Cheers

[Gulliver]

Hi Vernon.Many thanks for that interesting article.I think that the Irish MN, along with the Swiss MN must be one of the least discussed MN fleets of all.!
By the way there's a link here for the Irish Shipping guys.

www.irishships.com/

What interested me in your list was the second ship purchased by Irish Shipping-the Irish Larch. She went on to survive a total of 58 years,in a career that spanned two World Wars and 6 different countries of registry!
Launched as the Tregothnan in 1903 she was one of six sisters for Hain SS Co(of St.Ives,GB),the others being Trevider,Treloske,Trevean,Tregantle and Trewyn. They were Yard Numbers 363-368 of Redheads,South Shields and were approx.3,000 grt,and 12 knot single-screw steamships. I don't know of her WW1 exploits,but she was sold in 1923 to associated company Strick's.Interestingly she seems to have had her own 'flag-of-convenience' thing going on as she was registered to owners Dwina ltd.of St.Ives in 1926,then S.A.M.Killingbeck of St.Ives in 1928,then Sami Khouri of Alexandria,Egypt in 1932,and Basile Sapovalos in Piraeus,Greece in 1935. Her name was still Tregothnan.
In 1939 she was under the ownership of Palestine Transport & Shipping of Haifa,Palestine(Israel) and renamed Haifa Trader. Under this flag she participated in several WW2 convoys in 6/40-7/41.
Here she was sold to the Irish Shipping Co. as Irish Larch. In 1941 she appears to have participated in at least 2 convoys during 9-12/41.
Then,probably when Ireland declared neutrality,she would have most likely continued to trade convoyless and unescorted throughout the war in her neutral guise.
Perhaps we should reflect here that even though Irish vessels were neutral they and their crews still performed on that vital supply line to various countries,not just their own,and rescued many seamen after attacks (some reports say over 500) from watery graves -on both sides of the conflict.

After her 'spell ' of eight years including WW2 with Irish Shipping she was sold in 1949 to the Turks,changing hands again in 1953 and in 1958.
It wasn't until 27/7/61 that she was broken up by Fratelli Cosulich in Trieste,Italy.

I find that remarkable!
Two pics below:
one as Tregothnan,another as Irish Larch.
http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20...0Larch-03.html
http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20...othnan-01.html


As another little aside,I have been searching to no avail for a casualty report of the grounding and subsequent loss of the 1957 built Irish Spruce.She struck Quita Sueno Bank in the Caribbean on 26/1/1972 whilst on a voyage from Callao(Peru) to New Orleans.
Anyone here(maybe from Irish Shipping) know of the circumstances?

Regards
Gulliver


Sorry-I've just noticed that there is a link to some information re Irish Spruce within the Irish Shipping site.
http://www.irishships.com/images/ISL%20Ltd/IRISH%20SPRUCE%20GOES%20AGROUND.jpg

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Dr Vernon Hi Davey, hi shipmates Only knew one shipmate who was in the Irish navy , he spent his time at sea going to small ports all around Ireland ? The main Cargo was live stock? We lost touch a few years ago he was good company, he liked his creature and could sing a song. Thank you for the memory

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Louis
Thank you for the nice reply post ,and yes it is very interesting reading all about the Irish S C.
As you say doesnt seem to be too much about them posted on the Web,but like many other they of course will never be forgotten !
Cheers

I have attached that Pic of your link,just to make it a bit easier for others to read!
Many thanks Louis!


http://www.irishships.com/irish_shipping_ltd.html

[Ian Walsh (paddy)]

Hi Vernon,after getting my walking papers from the merch at the end of '68,due to ,I might add a totally wrong medical diagnosis by the pool quack in Liverpool,I returned to Ireland and once again became " a man from the motor trade". I was contacted by an old friend at the end of 1970 who was 3rd mate on the IRISH POPLAR,telling me they needed a deckhand or they could'nt sail,would I do it? what the hell sez I, showed up at the office,got the paperwork,dashed around Dublin to the Union,Doctor etc,signed on and off we went to the US.It was a great trip and,I was asked to stay but,I did'nt like the mate so declined,I wish I had'nt as the crew were great,she was a lovely ship.I had a good mate on there and we used to set up for O/T ,painting cabins as soon as we knocked off in the afternoon,we would start then,grab tea and then right back at it and be done in short order,get the Bosun's check,knock off,three SSSs,done,used to piss the mate off bigtime.I thought ther were some entries on irishships.com te her sister ships grounding and loss,I havent been on there for a while tho'
all the best,
Ian

[Graham Evans]

From 1965 - 1967 I sailed 2nd. Mate, in the former Irish Elm, then owned by J.R.Mullion of H.K. She was an extremely comfortable berth and never broke down in almost 2 years. She was renamed Ardrossmore, according to my old sight book we averaged 10kts on 24 tons of Bunker C. and an indeterminate quantity of Allsopps Lager and J.W. Black Label. We were chartered to the Commie Chinese so had some enlightening trips to Haiphong and Cuba. When I tell people that I saw slaves walking in a line in Hodeida (Yemen), they think I am drinking again ! Good old days - I would go back like a shot. some hope.

[Doc Vernon]

Were there two Irish Elm Ships?
Think one was a Cargo and the other a Tanker!Not sure though!
Cheers

Yes funny things happened in them days.i too have a few stories of old that many would not believe!

[j.sabourn]

The one I know was as Graham describes in a nice way. She was a steamer and burned Bunker C. Some mate previous to me had his double wardrobe fitted out as a bar and could lock himself inside which I was told he did at various times. No 2nd. Mate when I was there as the Egytian one jumped over the side in Kiel Canal. Half a blade missing off the propeller which believe may have been the iron spare which was on. The 4 Lifeboats had been condemned for sometime. The super heating elements around the tubes in the boilers were all leaking. The Ch. Engineer came from Sunderland, he died in Singapore supposedly with cancer probably brought on by the stress of the particular job, most of the sounding pipes were blocked so never got an accurate reading of what was in the ship. Know for a fact the way she flopped from side to side that she had negative stability at times. The reefer boxes originally in the upper tween decks had been removed and as far as I know no new stability criteria supplied. The manning of vessel started with 5 Europeans The R.O. Master Mate Chief and Second, when I left there were myself and the master, believe he was removed shortly after I walked away from. Stories a normal person would not believe. Cheers John Sabourn

[j.sabourn]

Ref. the Glendalough.. Harley Mullions bought 2 vessels for his son or sons. The other one was lead to believe was similar to the Glendalough. She was arrested in Montreal and sold to pay the crews wages. She was manned by Yugoslavs. Which I believe was about the same time we are talking late 60"s early 70"s. Whenever I hear of ships being lost like the little information given out by the media re. the loss of 19 seamen lost off the Korean coast, I always think back to such vessels as has been described here. Regardless of all the new laws supposedly in force I know through experience that a huge amount of such vessels are still ploughing the oceans of the world and will continue to do so, I also think it is probably worse now, by a large amount of the crews on these vessels not having the seamanship skills required. Regards John Sabourn

[j.sabourn]

Irish Elm.... Re the history someone has written down of the Irish Shipping Co. seems to match up with what I was told re. the Irish Elm. Built 1953 and sold 1953. Was told she only did the one trip and was sold. The reasons being various from different people. John Sabourn