SS Ellan Vannin

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SS (RMS) Ellan Vannin (the Manx name for the Isle of Man) was built as an iron paddle steamer in 1860 at Meadowside, Glasgow, and originally named Mona's Isle - the second ship in the Company's history to be so named.

Mona's Isle
Mona's Isle was built by Tod and McGregor Ltd, Glasgow, at a cost of £10,673 (£0 as of 2024). She entered service with the Steam Packet Fleet in June 1860.

Mona's Isle is important in the history of the line, as she was the first vessel to be fitted with oscillating engines, which were also manufactured by Tod and McGregor Ltd. Until 1860 the Company had always used the side-lever engine so favoured by Robert Napier & Co. The oscillating engines possessed a number of advantages over the side-lever, as it occupied less space and had fewer working parts.

There was no requirement for a connecting rod, and the upper end of the piston rod was fitted with a bearing which worked directly on to the crankpin. The cylinder was placed vertically under the crankshaft and could pivot through a small arc, permitting the rod to follow the movement of the crank.

When launched, Mona's Isle had a registered tonnage of 339 tonnes (GRT), and with 600 ihp. This gave her a speed of approximately 12 knots.

Ellan Vannin
Rebuilt in 1883, her weight was increased to 375 tonnes and her speed to 12.5 kn. She was renamed Ellan Vannin (the Manx translation for Mona's Isle) on 16 November 1883, following her conversion to a propeller-driven ship. Ellan Vannin was a twin-screw vessel driven by a two cylinder compound steam engine made by Westray, Copeland and Co. at Barrow. Her boiler pressure was raised to 80 psi.

She was capable of carrying 300 passengers and normally had a crew of 14. Ellan Vannin primarily operated out of Ramsey to Whitehaven, Liverpool and Scotland. She gave 26 years more service, and became the main mail carrier out of Ramsey. In December 1891, she completed a special overhaul at the Naval Construction Works at Barrow, costing £2,913 (£0 as of 2024). By 1909 she was the smallest and oldest ship in the Steam Packet Fleet. Ellan Vannin was considered an exceptionally fine vessel in bad weather, carrying out the daily mail contract when other vessels were safe in harbour.

Indeed stormy weather appeared to be no deterrent to her, and it is reported that when up to 12 ocean liners had been taking shelter in Ramsey Bay, Ellan Vannin steamed through them as she made passage to Whitehaven and returned in the evening, the completion of her voyage being heralded by the ships sheltering in the bay sounding their whistles.

Ellan Vannin became looked upon as a mascot of the Steam Packet fleet, and known by Manx sailors as the Li'l Daisy.

Loss
On 3 December 1909, Ellan Vannin left her home port of Ramsey at 01:13hrs, under the command of her Master, Captain James Teare, who had some 18 years of experience. She was carrying 15 passengers and 21 crew as well as mail and 60 tonnes of cargo.

The weather on departure was moderate, and though the barometric pressure was falling, the Captain did not expect a significant deterioration in the weather. However, the weather rapidly worsened and by 06:35hrs, when the ship arrived at the Mersey bar light ship, the wind had risen to a Hurricane Force 12, and waves were reported to be exceeding 24 ft in height.

The ship foundered, (a nautical term for filling with water and sinking), between the bar light ship and the Q1 buoy in the Mersey approach channel (at 53.53333°N, -3.28333°W). It is believed she was broached by a large wave, which overwhelmed the ship. She was swept by heavy seas and filled, sinking by the stern with the loss of all passengers and crew.

News of the disaster reached Douglas on the Friday evening, and the directors sat in almost continuous session until Monday. Communication was by telegram and information was difficult to ascertain. Then the Liverpool agent reported that two lifebuoys, bags of turnips and a piano had been sighted floating near the Formby lightship. It was five days after the ship went down that the first bodies were recovered.

In January 1910, Captain Teare's body was found washed ashore on Ainsdale beach in Southport. It was subsequently returned to the Isle of Man for burial.

Aftermath
The Board of Trade inquiry found that the Captain was not to blame for the disaster and the cause was extreme weather. The official inquiry referred to waves 24 ft high and declared the ship to have been in good condition and fully seaworthy. After the foundering, her masts broke the surface. Divers inspecting the ship found damage to the bows and that the lifeboat davits had been swung out ready for lowering. Soon after the disaster the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board destroyed the wreck using explosives, as it was causing a hazard to shipping in the channel.

A disaster fund was established for those who were dependants of the deceased, the Steam Packet contributed £1,000 (£0 as of 2024) to this fund. The crew of 21 included one woman, a Mrs. Callister, of Crosby, Isle of Man, who left one child. The 20 men were survived by 18 widows and 70 children. All but two of the crew lived on the Isle of Man. Five of the passengers came from the mainland, the rest from the north of the Island. The last beneficiary of the fund was a Miss Benson of Ramsey, the daughter of one of the crew. She was 20 at the time of the disaster and was in very poor health. It was most unlikely that she would be the last to benefit from the fund, but she was, dying in 1974 at the age of 85.

Although the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has a tradition of reusing ship names, they have never reused the name Ellan Vannin.

A song written by Hughie Jones of The Spinners commemorates the disaster.