The Irish Fir

The next vessel to be acquired by the company was the Margara and she was also the smallest vessel of the wartime fleet. Built at the Bremer Vulkan Shipyard, Vegesack, Germany, in 1920, this 2,030 deadweight tons ship was originally named Agnetapark when she was built for her Dutch owners, Scheepvaart Transport of Rotterdam, at which port she was first registered. The vessel was trading under the Chilean flag when negotiations for the purchase of the Margara were initiated in April, 1941, and it was not until 14th October of that year that she was delivered to Irish Shipping Limited at Norfolk, Virginia. The purchase price was £82,000 and the vessel had been brought from Valparaiso where she had been lying. The Chilean Government had raised difficulties with regard to flag transfer, which led to the six months' delay in completing the purchase of the ship. The Chilean owners of the ship at the time of purchase were Rafael Torres y Cia. Soc. Anon. Comercial of Valparaiso and her port of registry was Valparaiso.

Under the command of Capt. Thomas Baird of Islandmagee, Co. Antrim, a full crew of twenty-three went from Ireland to take over the vessel at Norfolk. Her Chief Engineer on the voyage back to Limerick was Henry Sturgeon of Belfast and William Jeffares of Cork was Chief Officer and subsequently was a well-known Master with Irish Shipping Limited.

Although the Margara sailed from Norfolk on the homeward passage on 16th October, 1941, she had to return on 3rd November for engine repairs. On her second visit to Norfolk, the ship's Second Engineer, T. Murphy of Cork left the vessel and was replaced by C. O'Flynn of Limerick who was promoted from his position as Donkeyman. When the ship finally sailed from her loading port for the second time, the difficulties she had already experienced continued. On 17th November, 1941, part of a lifeboat was swept away by high seas and two days later the vessel developed engine problems which caused her to be diverted to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she arrived on 23rd November. Major repairs were carried out and it was over two months later that the Margara was ready to sail on 2nd February, 1942, with grain and general cargo for Ireland.

Misfortune continued to attend the vessel on her maiden voyage for the company and on 23rd February, 1942, while proceeding to Galway, the ship's steering gear jammed and she struck the pier head damaging the ship's plating. Eventually, the Margara arrived at Limerick on 28th February, 1942, thus completing a most eventful first voyage for Irish Shipping Limited. After discharge of her cargo, further repairs were carried out on the ship and due consideration was given to the question of fitting her out for either the Atlantic or Lisbon trade. It was decided that the provision of adequate bunker capacity for the Atlantic crossings would involve a long period in drydock and the repairs carried out enabled the vessel to trade to and from British west coast ports only. Now named Irish Fir ( Pictured above ), she sailed from Limerick on 21st March, 1942, for the Bristol Channel but prior to her arrival there she developed engine trouble once again and was forced to send out an S.O.S. call, and was towed into Milford Haven for investigation.

On her return to Dublin she discharged her coal cargo and then proceeded to Rushbrooke where it was decided to fit her out for the Atlantic trade. She was three months in drydock at Rushbrooke. She sailed for Port Talbot on 15th July to take on bunkers and then loaded cargo at Lisbon for Dublin where she arrived on 20th August.. She sailed for Ardrossan to take on bunkers and left there for St. John, New Brunswick on 8th September to load grain and general cargo for Limerick arriving back at her discharge port on 17th October. The Irish Fir made eleven further voyages to St. John up to September, 1944, when she was diverted to the cross-Channel coal trade and remained on this service until June, 1945.

In June 1943, under the command of Capt. John Herbert, the Irish Fir was forced to call at Horta in the Azores to take on fresh water after a mishap caused a loss of water from the vessel.

Capt. J. P. Kelly was Master of the ship from September, 1943 until August, 1945. On 21st July, 1944, the vessel had a very narrow escape when subjected to attack by a submarine when she was about twenty miles off the Fastnet on passage from St. John to Waterford. The Master, Capt. J. P. Kelly, and crew members saw a torpedo miss the ship's bow and were able to track the missile for half a mile. Soon afterwards they observed an Allied aircraft patrolling the area for two hours and they surmised that this might have prevented further attack from the submarine. During the post war period Capt. Frank Kelly, brother of Capt. J. P. Kelly; Capt. J. A. Caird; Capt. C. Conroy; Capt. P. A. Brennan and Capt. J. McGough, all served as Master of the Irish Fir which then traded on the Baltic route. Commodore Peter Kavanagh, subsequently Director of the Naval Service, was also an Officer on the Irish Fir during the war years.

Some idea of life aboard ship in those days can be gauged from the extra clauses in the ship's Articles on the first voyage of the Irish Fir under Irish Shipping ownership. In particular the following insert is enlightening "Bed and bedding to be supplied to all members of the crew and to be returned in good condition at termination of voyage. Firemen and sailors mutually assist each other in discharge of their respective duties; firemen to keep galley supplied with coal."

The vessel was sold to Dublin & Silloth Steamship Company on 23rd March, 1949, and she was renamed Delgany. She was managed then by Palgrave Murphy Ltd. who took over ownership themselves in 1953 and changed the ship's name to City of Amsterdam. She was scrapped at the Hammond Lane Foundry, Dublin in 1959 after thirty years in service.