# SS Irwell

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Postcard depicting the SS Irwell History United Kingdom Name 1906–1954: SS Irwell Operator 1906–1922: Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway 1922–1923: London and North Western Railway 1923–1935: London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1935–1948: Associated Humber Lines 1948–1954: British Transport Commission Port of registry Builder Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson[1] Yard number 758 Launched 10 May 1906 Completed May 1906 Out of service 3 April 1954 Fate Scrapped General characteristics Tonnage 1,040 gross register tons (GRT) Length 255 feet (78 m) Beam 36 feet (11 m) Draught 16.3 feet (5.0 m)

**SS *Irwell*** was a freight vessel built for the [Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway](/source/Lancashire_and_Yorkshire_Railway) in 1906.[2]

## History

She was built in 1906 by [Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson](/source/Swan_Hunter) as a sister ship to [SS Mersey](/source/SS_Mersey), and launched on 10 May 1906 for the [Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway](/source/Lancashire_and_Yorkshire_Railway) to provide freight services from Goole to Rotterdam. She made her maiden voyage from the River Tyne to Goole on 13 June 1906.[3]

In June 1907, two stowaways were discovered when she had departed [Hamburg](/source/Hamburg). Clowes Enoch of [Schleswig Holstein](/source/Schleswig_Holstein), and Joseph Todhunter of Birkenhead were found among the sails in the after part between decks[4]

In December 1913, she was returning to Goole from [Ghent](/source/Ghent) when she reversed forcefully into the north wall of the dock. A small boat was smashed and some pieces of the wall were dislodged.[5]

In 1914, she was engaged in the potato trade from [Jersey](/source/Jersey), bringing the produce directly into [Kingston upon Hull](/source/Kingston_upon_Hull).[6] She was transferred to the [London and North Western Railway](/source/London_and_North_Western_Railway) in 1922 and to the [London, Midland and Scottish Railway](/source/London%2C_Midland_and_Scottish_Railway) in 1923.

On 15 May 1929, she left Goole for Copenhagen, but became stuck in ice off the Danish Coast north of [Sjaelland](/source/Sjaelland) with a broken rudder and the steward was reported as dead.[7] The mate of the ship fell overboard, striking his head against one of the anchor chains, and was killed.[8] On 18 October 1934, she collided with the British [sloop](/source/Sloop) *Edna* in the [Humber](/source/Humber) estuary at [Whitton](/source/Whitton%2C_North_Lincolnshire), [Lincolnshire](/source/Lincolnshire), [England](/source/England). *Edna* sank.[9]

She was transferred to Associated Humber Lines in 1935. She was based in [Icelandic](/source/Iceland) waters as a naval supply ship during [World War II](/source/World_War_II). In 1946, she switched to [Larne](/source/Larne) to [Loch Ryan](/source/Loch_Ryan) service.

On 28 December 1947, she was on a voyage from [Rotterdam](/source/Rotterdam) in heavy seas; the second officer reported seeing a [yacht](/source/Yacht) tossing helplessly flying distress signals. The American vessel, the *Seafarer* had set out from Cowes to sail to Norway. During the crossing, their engine failed, and the sail was blown away by the westerly [gale](/source/Gale). They had drifted for two days before being spotted by *Irwell*. The crew of *Irwell* managed to get a line aboard *Seafarer*, and they towed the yacht to [Masslius](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Masslius&action=edit&redlink=1).[10]

In 1948, she was transferred to the [British Transport Commission](/source/British_Transport_Commission) and she was scrapped in March 1954 at [Gateshead](/source/Gateshead).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["SS Irwell (1906)"](http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/I-Ships/irwell1906.html). www.tynebuiltships.co.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Duckworth, Christian Leslie Dyce; Langmuir, Graham Easton (1968). *Railway and other Steamers*. Prescot, Lancashire: T. Stephenson and Sons.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["The new steamer Irwell"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19060614/131/0007). *Hull Daily Mail*. Hull. 14 June 1906. Retrieved 22 October 2015 – via [British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Enoch likes England. But Goole sends him away"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19070621/029/0003). *Hull Daily Mail*. Hull. 21 June 1907. Retrieved 22 October 2015 – via [British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Steamer runs into dock wall"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19131205/141/0005). *Yorkshire Evening Post*. Yorkshire. 5 December 1913. Retrieved 22 October 2015 – via [British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["The steamer Irwell"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19140624/076/0008). *Hull Daily Mail*. Hull. 24 June 1914. Retrieved 22 October 2015 – via [British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Goole Ship's Plight"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19290319/052/0009). *Hull Daily Mail*. Hull. 19 March 1929. Retrieved 22 October 2015 – via [British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Mate killed at sea"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000329/19290321/082/0009). *Western Morning News*. England. 21 March 1929. Retrieved 22 October 2015 – via [British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Times191034a_9-0)** "Casualty reports". *The Times*. No. 46889. London. 19 October 1934. col. E, p. 24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Goole Ship in Dramatic Rescue"](http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19471230/036/0003). *Hull Daily Mail*. Hull. 30 December 1947. Retrieved 22 October 2015 – via [British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive).

v t e Ships operated by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway LYR operated ships Aire Alt Berlin Calder Colne Cuxhaven Dearne Derwent Don Douglas Equity Hebble Hodder Humber Irwell Liberty Mersey Nidd Ouse Ouse Ralph Creyke Rawcliffe Rosa Rother River Crake River Ribble Rye Spen Unity Wenning West Riding Wharfe Jointly operated with the London and North Western Railway Colleen Bawn Duke of Albany Duke of Argyll Duke of Clarence Duke of Connaught (I) Duke of Connaught (II) Duke of Cornwall Duke of Cumberland Duke of Lancaster Duke of York Earl of Ulster Ivernagh Kathleen Mavourneen Lune Mellifont Norah Creina Prince Arthur Prince of Wales Princess of Wales Royal Consort Thomas Dugdale Tredagh

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1929 Shipwrecks 2 Jan: Malakoff 16 Jan: Hsin Wah 12 Feb: Alloway 19 Feb: Kanowna 22 Mar: I'm Alone 25 Mar: Muggia 29 Mar: Selje 26 May: Aleutian 9 Jul: HMS H47 17 Jul: USS General Alava 1 Aug: Asakaze 30 Aug: San Juan 7 Sep: Kuru 9 Sep: Andaste 11 Sep: Acielle 2 Oct: Commandant Bultinck 22 Oct: Milwaukee 29 Oct: Wisconsin 31 Oct: Senator 4 Nov: Gilbert San 29 Nov: Norwich City 7 Dec: Ägir 18 Dec: Fort Victoria Unknown date: San Antonio Other incidents 5 Jan: Siboney 20 Jan: President Garfield 29 Jan: City of Cairo 28 Feb: Liberty Glo 7 Mar: Thétis 10 Mar: Pengreep 22 Mar: USCGC Dexter 25 Mar: Germaine L D 26 Mar: Europa 28 Mar: Libia 30 Mar: Naïade 6 Apr USS Childs 7 Apr Paris 18 Apr Paris 27 Apr: Duchess of Richmond April (unknown date) Franconia 15 May: Irwell May (unknown date): Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Rothesay 9 Jul: HMS L12 11 Jul: I-55, Kinugasa 3 Aug: Medway Queen 9 Aug: Viceroy of India 20 Aug Paris September (unknown date): Binnendijk, Eider 5 Oct: NRP Adamastor 12 Oct: USFS Widgeon 13 Oct: Empress of Canada 19 Oct: Bowes Castle 20 Oct: USAT Liberty 6 Nov: Barbana G 13 Nov: Ro-63 22 Nov: Parizhskaya Kommuna 7 Dec: Aba 18 Dec: Algonquin 24 Dec: Roosevelt 1928 1930

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1934 Shipwrecks 13 Feb: Chelyuskin 12 Mar: Tomozuru 14 Mar: USS Fulton 15 May: LV-117 20 Jun: Dresden 29 Jun: Miyuki 9 Aug: Bluebell 8 Sep: Morro Castle 21 Nov: W. C. Franz 19 Dec: Orania Other incidents 12 Jan: HMS Nelson 24 Jan: Aquitania 15 May: Olympic 9 Jun: Inazuma 13 Jul: af Chapman 23 Jul: Monte Rosa 25 Jul: Charlotte Cords 12 Aug: Domala 26 Aug: Midland City September (unknown date): Duke of Lancaster 18 Oct: Irwell 23 Nov: Koolonga 9 Dec: Thiebek Unknown date: Majestic, Patria 1933 1935

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [SS Irwell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Irwell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Irwell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.