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Lady Lansdowne

Lady Lansdowne, the world’s oldest surviving iron paddle steamer

The Lady Lansdowne was a paddle steamer of 148 tons, 130 feet in length and 17 feet wide which was built in sections at the in Birkenhead Iron
Works in 1833 (later to be the Cammell Laird foundry). She was the world’s first iron ship with watertight bulkheads and is the world’s oldest surviving iron paddle steamer. She was given the yard ‘number 1’ by Laird as this vessel was the first powered iron ship to be constructed at the Birkenhead Works. These features make the ship of international importance in terms of shipbuilding. At the end of her working life the ship was beached in the shallows on the Ballina side of the Shannon River and left there on the site of what is now the Derg Marina. It is estimated that the date this took place was 1867-1868. As the vessel is more than a hundred years of age it has the protection of the 1987 Monuments Act.

The Lady Lansdowne was the largest steamer to work on the Shannon, and with her two forty-five horse power steam engines she was capable of towing up to four barges. On account of her size she could not venture to Limerick via the canal to the south of Killaloe or travel on the Grand Canal, so the ship was assembled from parts brought by canal barge from Dublin and via Lough Derg to Killaloe. She was built in a wet-dock that had been constructed adjacent to the Pier Head at Killaloe a few years earlier. In the 1820s William Laird, a boiler maker, who had moved from Scotland to the Mersey, was joined by his son John and they started to build ships from iron. In 1833 they received the order for the largest ship that was to work that century on the Shannon. At this time a regular passage between Liverpool and Dublin was being run by the City and Dublin Steam Packet Company (CDSPCo). It was this company who ordered a large iron ship from Lairds, to be named The Lady Lansdowne.
Sections of The Lady Lansdowne were delivered to Dublin by the night mail steamer service from Liverpool on 20 September 1833 and by 24th September, the twenty men and six boys who came over on the CSSPCo steamer Birmingham with the necessary tools and ship sections left Portabello Harbour on the Grand Canal for Shannon Harbour, then on a further barge for Killaloe.

According to newspaper reports The Lady Lansdowne was launched at Killaloe on the 4th March 1834. She had five distinct compartments made of wrought iron partitions that would prevent sinking should a section become flooded. Being an iron ship she would float at a shallower draft than a similar sized wooden vessel. She therefore had an advantage in entering shallow harbour areas on the Shannon River and in Lough Derg.
Such a vessel would also have a corresponding ability to carry more cargo. The engines she received had been removed from another of the Company’s ships, The Mersey, which had recently been re-engined.

The Lady Lansdowne could tow up to four barges (also known as lumber boats) and was an important component of commerce at this time as goods, livestock and passengers could be ferried around Lough Derg. For example cattle could be towed in a barge to Portumna by a large steamer, to Shannon Harbour by a smaller steamer and then taken by canal to Dublin for export, within three days.

Barges also carried slate from the quarries at Garrykennedy and Deer Harbour (known as ‘Killaloe slate’). This slate was finished in Killaloe at the Slate yard. At this time the quarries and yard employed 350 to 400 men with an annual export of seven to ten thousand tons each year, and brought via the Grand Canal to Dublin and to England. In 1840 records show that passenger movements from Killaloe were more than 3,500 passengers and much of this traffic could be attributed to The Lady Lansdowne. This ship worked a six-day week steaming from Killaloe at 0900hrs, leaving after the arrival of the fly-boat from Limerick and returning that evening. She steamed up-lake to Williamstown on the western side of Lough Derg and then on to Portumna at its northern end to arrive in the afternoon. Over the six-day working week she was in service for 49 hours.
The fuel used initially was coal but in the 1840s peat began to be used and The Lady Landsdowne converted to this cheaper fuel, almost certainly supplied from Coos Bay and Rossmore on the western side of Lough Derg. She could reach Portumna from Killaloe in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Because of her size The Lady Lansdowne was confined to working on Lough Derg until improvements were made to the river and new locks built at Meelick and Athlone in the 1840s. Her first visit to Athlone in 1849 was a novelty. There was now competition, arising from the development of the railway network in Ireland, this resulted in less trade by water although a continued passenger service did take place for a while.
The railway company (The Midland and Great Western Railway- MGWR) bought two vessels The Duchess of Argyle and The Artizan and these went into competition with the CDSPCo and caused them to discontinue their passenger service in 1859.
By 1860 the railway companies MGWR and The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) agreed to discontinue their passenger service. Yet The Duchess of Argyle still provided a service between Killaloe and Athlone three times a week. This service was short lived and soon after in 1865 the passenger vessels, including The Lady Lansdowne were described in a report, to the Select Committee on Navigation, as being in a wretched state and rotting at Killaloe. Most of these vessels were tied-up or moored at this time and were unlikely to have had much subsequent use.
Photographs from about 1900 shows a ship on the Tipperary side almost opposite the Pier Head.

In 1957 this vessel on the eastern side of the river was examined. All indications were that it was The Lady Lansdowne on account of her size and design. However, this could not be confirmed as there were two other slightly smaller vessels that worked on the Shannon Navigation (The Duchess of Argyle and The Lady Burgoyne). The vessel surveyed was lying on an even keel and her stem projected from the water.
The majority of the wreck was about 3’ below the water surface. This survey involved measurements using a surveys tape from the surface using a dingy. At this time the ironwork was said to be intact. Indeed the low levels of carbon in iron produced at this time would indicate that the many sections should be in good condition. Even some of the timber decking survived.

In July 1967 the wreck was examined by diving and several artifacts, rudder, skylight window, bolts, portholes, port lights, tiller 2’10”, fire irons (poker and ash rake) bottles and jar (one with a message with the names written in ink of “John McEvoy Killaloe 30 July 1867” and “John Brosnan Killaloe 30 July 1867”, it is thought that these men may have been watchmen on board the vessel), a timber plate without an identifiable name, a large spanner, a wash basin, a rail section, a steam cock, lead pipe and brackets, were found within the hull and outside of the hull and some of these were removed and placed on display in the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
A porthole from the ship was presented to the Heritage Centre in Killaloe.
Only one porthole, a brass porthole, was removed that had the name ‘Lilley and Son London’ and all indications are that this may have been added as late as 1846 in a refit; but this company was actually operating from 1812. The survey involved the shooting of a cine film of the wreck (by Messrs D Morgan and G Hayes) and underwater photographs were taken (by Mr J Hazzard). This survey confirmed that The Lady Lansdowne lies at the Derg Marina, the design and artifacts found were of a vessel from her time of service. At this time her stern lay about 20’ from the bank and in deeper water. The main frame and bulkheads were complete but the plating and much of the decking was missing.
The boiler and paddle wheels had been removed.

The demise of The Lady Lansdowne took place in the 1860’s and the names of John McEvoy and John Brosnan in the bottle may have signified an end to their work with the vessel. The vessel sank about this time and records in the House of Lords Select Committee would suggest that it was either then, or in 1868, that the vessels was no longer operative.

The remains of The Lady Lansdowne is believed to have been filled in during the early 1990s with development at the Derg Marina and grassed over.
The vessel now exists in an area where there are plans to build an apartment block over part or close to her remains.
Construction of this building could result in a loss of a world heritage wreck unless it is carefully surveyed and raised for display.

Acknowledgements: My thanks to Ruth Delaney, Andrew Bocock and Prof. Peter Davies for information provided.

Particulars relating to the iron paddle steamer The Lady Lansdowne

Information is based on the following articles:

Anon. Manuscript: Steam navigation on the Shannon (to 1860s) 14pp, plates

Bocock, A. 2006. Early iron ships of the River Shannon. The Mariner’s Mirror 92(3): 309-325.

Davies, P.N. 1961-1971. An expedition to identify and survey the wreck of the paddle steamer Lady Lansdowne.
Transactions of the Liverpool Nautical Research Society. 1: 22-25 (three plates)

Griffin, K. A. 1995. A brief account of passenger transport on the River Shannon in the 18th and
19th centuries, Sliabh Aughty, 6, 1995, 33–36, pls.

http://www.irishwrecksonline.net/Lists/ClareListB.htm (indicates a sinking in 1855)
Naughton, A. Cammell-Laird shipbuilders to the world at Birkenhead. In: Mackenzie, J.G. (ed) Naval, maritime and Australian history and more
http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/CammelLairdShipbuildersat.html
Watson W.: Letter dated 20 September 1833: Conveyance of iron boat to Killaloe, 2 pages.

Watson W.& Baylis J: Letter dated 24 September 1833: arrival of men and tools for Killaloe, 1 page

Warren, K. 1998. Steel, ships and men: Cammell-Laird and Company 1824-1993. Liverpool University Press.
Google Search

Young F.T. 1867. The fouling and corrosion of iron ships: their causes and means of prevention, with mode of application to the existing iron clads.
The London Drawing Association, London pp 36-49 http://www.bruzelius.info/nautica/Shipbuilding/Young(1867)_Ch3.html

Naughton, A. Cammell-Laird shipbuilders to the world at Birkenhead. In: Mackenzie, J.G. (ed) Naval, maritime and Australian history and more
http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/CammelLairdShipbuildersat.html

The departure of a passage boat from Shannon Harbour was heralded by the ringing of a large bell in the now empty cote over the stables.
This was tolled three times, once for the horses to be harnessed, twice for the passengers to board, and thirdly as a signal for departure.
http://www.offalyhistory.com/articles/121/1/Boating-on-the-Canal-in-the-1940039s/Page1.html

Iron vessels could carry greater loads and were lighter compared with wooden ships. They were also less likely to suffer from arching from loads
and were more resistant should they strike rock.
Google Search

Associated letters on file:
Mr A.O. Bowcock CEng MRINA Basford, Newcastle, Staffordshire, ST5 0NG, England
Prof P.N. Davies School of History, The University of Liverpool, Abercrombly Square, Liverpool,
L69 7WZ, England
Prof Sarah Palmer, Greenwich Maritime Institute, University of Greenwich, Park Row, London,
SE10 9LS, England
British Commission for Maritime History, London, England
Prof. Richard Harding, The Society for Nautical Research, University of Westminster, Northwick
Park, Middlesex, HA1 3TP, England
Mrs Ruth Delaney, Heritage Council, Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny

Dan Minchin, 3 March 2008 ©