The Irish Elm
The vessel was trading in South American waters when Denmark was occupied by the German army, in 1940, and the ship was taken over by the Chilean Government. When she was bought for £200,000 from Compania Leda de Vapores of Panama she was trading under the Panamanian flag and lying at New Jersey . While berthed at New Jersey she was hit by a barge causing damage to her propeller which had to be replaced before sailing to her first loading port of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Leda was taken over by Capt. W. J. Henderson of Islandmagee, Co. Antrim, and a crew of thirty-seven. Chief Officer was James W. Jacques of Cork and her Chief Engineer was F. Fitzgibbon.
The
ship docked at Halifax on 15th July and, having completed loading, she
sailed on 25th July for Dublin but had to return to Halifax again for
some minor repairs before finally clearing the port on 10th August.
She arrived in Dublin on 31st August where she discharged her cargo
of grain and was renamed Irish Elm (Pictured left).. Capt
Henderson was also Master of the Irish Plane when that ship rescued
the crew of the Irish Oak on 16th May, 1943 and landed them at
Cobh four days later. A report on the condition of the Irish Elm
by Liffey Dockyard Ltd. disclosed serious defects in the engine room
and the Directors visited the vessel following a meeting of the Board
on 4th September to see the condition of the ship for themselves.
On 20th March, 1943, whilst on passage from Cork to St. John, the vessel was stopped by a German U-Boat and was obliged to provide proof of her neutral nationality. In July, 1943, on arrival in Dublin Bay from St. John, New Brunswick, the ship suffered a broken engine part which was essential to restart the engines. As it was not possible to berth the vessel immediately on arrival, she had to sail round and round the bay throughout the night to avoid stopping the engines. Eventually, the ship could be brought in to her berth next day.
The Irish Elm traded between St. John and Irish ports bringing wheat, tobacco, newsprint and tea and between Tampa, Florida and Dublin bringing phosphates for W. & H. M. Goulding Ltd. during the war years. On one voyage to Tampa, Florida in January, 1943, an unusual incident took place when the ship's Radio Officer was conscripted at Tampa by the American authorities as eligible for military service with the United States' armed forces. The matter was reported to the Board of Irish Shipping Limited who issued instructions that the Marconi Company should be advised of the incident and asked to ensure that such a situation did not recur.
Towards the end of the war, the ship's two Radio Officers, Brian Corbally of the Naul, Co. Dublin and D. J. O'Brien of Cork, produced a daily ship's newspaper which they titled The Western Roller and which carried news of the war in the Pacific and Burma as well as prices on the Stock Exchange and a regular cartoon. Three copies of the paper were produced daily without the aid of any form of copying process.
The Irish Elm continued in service with the company until October, 1949, when she was sold to a Turkish company and renamed Sadiklar. Eventually the ship was scrapped in 1961 after fifty-one years of varied and, at times, exciting seagoing service. In 1950, her original Danish owners sought compensation from the Chilean government for the period during which she had been taken over by the South Americans. In pursuit of their claim the Danish company requested Irish Shipping Limited to attest the signature of the vendors to the contract of sale drawn up in March, 1941.