The ''Inishtrahull'' was a passenger cargo vessel that sank off the coast of

Kilkee Kilkee () is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in the parish of Kilkee ''(formerly Kilfearagh)''. Kilkee is midway between Kilrush and Doonbeg on the N67 road and is a popular seaside resort. The horseshoe bay is pro ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

between 28 and 29 December 1894. After leaving

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

with a consignment of coal for

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

city on 27 December 1894, the ship ran into difficulty somewhere near Kilkee and foundered due to the heavy gales reported along the west coast of Ireland in late December of that year. This was confirmed on 3 January 1895 when a section of a port bow marked "Glasgow" was picked up near Kilkee.

Early years

Built in 1885, the ship was a steel-made, steam-powered vessel used for both cargo and passenger services. At the time of launch the vessel was fitted with all modern appliances, including accommodation for 40 first-class passengers and room to carry cattle on the main deck and lower decks. In October 1892, while on a voyage from

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

with about 250 tons of goods, the ship developed a heavy list after meeting heavy storms and arrived in Cork harbour nearly keeling over.

Collision with the ''Maggie''

On 29 December 1891, the ''Inishtrahull'' was involved in a collision with an Irish sailing vessel from

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

named the ''Maggie''. The collision occurred in the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

, just off the

Kish Bank The Kish Bank ( Irish: ''Banc na Cise'') is a shallow sand bank approximately off the coast of Dublin, in Ireland. It is marked by the Kish Lighthouse,

. It was found in an investigation afterwards that the fault laid squarely in the hands of the second officer of the ''Inishtrahull'', who left

the bridge The Bridge may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Art * ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US * Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists * ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...

without a competent officer in charge (a carpenter was left alone on the bridge). After the collision the second officer was suspended from duty for two years. As all the crew had been evacuated and the vessel was taking on water, the ''Maggie'' was believed to have sunk somewhere around the Kish Lighthouse around .

Sinking

Leaving Glasgow Port on the morning of 28 December 1894, the ship was scheduled to arrive in Limerick on 30 December. After being missing for six days it was assumed that due to the storms blowing on the 28th, the ship had taken shelter and wasn't in a position to

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

its whereabouts. On 3 January 1895, however, a section of a port bow from a ship with a brass plate marked "Glasgow" was picked up by the Kilkee coastguards near the town and reported to the

Receiver of Wreck The Receiver of Wreck is an official who administers law dealing with maritime wrecks and salvage in some countries having a British administrative heritage. In the United Kingdom, the Receiver of Wreck is also appointed to retain the possession o ...

s in Limerick. This was not proven to be from the missing ship until 8 January when The

Clyde Shipping Company The Clyde Shipping Company was one of the earliest shipping companies in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Eu ...

abandoned the search for the ship and released the names of those thought to be aboard, coming to 26 including the captain, Thomas Whip.

References

{{1894 shipwrecks Shipwrecks of Ireland Maritime incidents in Ireland Maritime incidents in 1891 Maritime incidents in 1894 Kilkee 1885 ships Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ships of the Clyde Shipping Company

Early years

Collision with the ''Maggie''

Sinking

See also

References