''Irene'' is a 100-foot West Country Ketch built in

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...

in 1907, the last ship built in the docks and the only Ketch built in the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glouce ...

still sailing. It was built by FJ Carver and Son and launched in May 1907. The

Blake Museum The Blake Museum is in Bridgwater, Somerset, England at what is believed to be the birthplace of Robert Blake, General at Sea (1598–1657). Since April 2009 it has been run by Bridgwater Town Council with help from the Friends of Blake Museum. ...

in Bridgwater opened an exhibit about the ship in 2010. She was first owned by Symons of Bridgwater and named after Irene Symons.Ships monthly, Volume 17, Issues 10-12. Endlebury Pub. Co., 1982, p21-22 For 53 years the ship was a trading vessel for bricks, tiles and other goods, mainly in the

Severn estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...

and to Ireland. She was owned by the Bridgwater Brick and Tile Company. The ship retired from service in the 1960s and was found derelict by Leslie Morrish, the present owner, in 1965. The ship was restored in Brentford, Middlesex, and the cargo hold was converted into quarters for 15. The ship was a charter vessel in the Caribbean until she sank due to a fire in 2003 at Marigot, Saint Martin and was restored once more. She ran aground off Arran on the way to the Tall Ships Race in Greenock July 2011, before being refloated. The ship sailed from Plymouth with an international crew called the New Dawn Traders to promote the transport of goods by sailing ships and to take goods including beer, olive oil, cocoa and coffee over the Atlantic.

References

External links

*
Irene, National Historic Ships UK
on the National Register of Historic Vessels {{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919) Individual sailing vessels Sailing ships of the United Kingdom 1907 ships Ships and vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels Tall ships of the United Kingdom