M.V. Plassy: Rescue The Last Voyage of the M.V. Plassy by Michael Kirwan Originally published in the Winter 2010 edition of the Limerick Journal The 8th March, 2010 marked the 50th anniversary of the grounding of the M.V. Plassy on the Finnis Rock, Inisheer Island, County Galway. The ship is shown on the opening credits…
Lifeboat Mary Stanford A postage stamp was issued in 1974 to mark the 150th anniversary of the RNLI. This depiction of the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Lightship by the Ballycotton lifeboat RNLB Mary Stanford was chosen as the image to be represented on that postage stamp – Oil painting by B. F. Gribble Career…
Lord Cloncurry and the Aid In October 1803 the brig AID left Leghorn in Italy (some reports state the port of departure as Citta Vecchia) bound for Bristol with a general cargo. Some of this cargo was discharged there and more was loaded and the brig headed for Dublin. Buried deep in the hold was…
Rival The loss of the Rival In Connemara Edward J Bourke The Rival can be unequivocally described as Ireland’s most forgotten wreck. Not only was this unfortunate ship the fifth most serious loss of life in Irish waters; but no folk memory survives in Connemara or anywhere else in Ireland. Five bodies were washed ashore but that location is…
Irish Willow SS Irish Willow Oil painting by Kenneth King: from the deck of U-753, signalling to Irish Willow “send master and ships papers” (National Maritime Museum of Ireland) Career (United States) Name: Lake Sunapee Owner: United States Shipping Board (1918–23) Operator: United States Army (1918–1919) Out of service: 1920–23 Career (United States) Name: Frank Lynch Owner: W.J. Gray,…
The Lady Nelson – Shipwrecked 14th October 1809 By James Robinson M.Phil. On 14th October 1809, The Lady Nelson, Captain Bernard Wade, was shipwrecked on a voyage from Oporto to Liverpool, off the Skelligs, Co. Kerry. The 200 tonne vessel contained a cargo of wine and fruit. 25 souls perished in the disaster. The Freeman’s Journal The…
Lines of the Tayleur THE LINES OF TAYLEUR By Cormac F. Lowth. This article discusses the dimensions and construction of the Tayleur For the shipwreck: see Tayleur was lost at Lambay. For the Tayleur Medals, see Tayleur fund for the succour of shipwrecked strangers Tayleur from pre-launch advertisement There are few divers on the east coast of Ireland who…
Loss of Emigrant Ship Exmouth In 1847, During the Great Hunger, the Brig Exmouth left Derry (Londonderry) for Quebec. Rather than sailing west across the Atlantic, a gale blew her east and she was wrecked on the island of Islay, off the coast of Scotland. There were only three survivors. She was registered for 165½ passengers (two…
APOSTLESHIP OF THE SEA (Stella Maris) by Rose Kearney The Apostleship of the Sea (affectionately known as Stella Maris to seafarers in approximately 60 countries (many with multiple ports) From humble beginnings in Glasgow in 1895, the organisation has endeavoured to create a home from home atmosphere for seafarers. Stella Maris has a presence in Dublin…
R.M.S. Titanic She was the largest ship in the world at the time She was proclaimed unsinkable She collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage The element of Greek tragedy If only she heeded the 7 ice warnings, she received on the day of the sinking If only she had slowed down…