The War Time Fleet

Each vessel of the wartime fleet was unique in her own way and for that reason it is appropriate to give a brief outline of the history and service provided by each of those ships. Although it is appropriate to treat the ships as separate and distinct units of the fleet it is also important to acknowledge that the ships would not have operated without the men who manned them and displayed extraordinary courage in doing so at a time of extreme danger on the high seas.


The Irish Poplar

The Irish Elm

The Irish Beech

The Irish Hazel

The Irish Larch

The Irish Plane

Casualties of War

The Irish Pine

The Irish Oak


The Irish Willow

The Irish Fir

The Irish Rose

The Irish Alder

The Irish Spruce

The Irish Ash

The Irish Cedar

 

 

In describing the experience of being on board ship in mid-ocean, even in times of world peace, seafarers would offer a very apt analogy by commenting that "being on a ship at sea was akin to being in prison with the added risk of drowning"! Obviously, that risk was increased manifold during the Second World War. In bad weather conditions with gale force winds and mountainous seas lashing merchant ships, seafaring can be a very hazardous occupation, even in peacetime. The vessels of the Irish Shipping wartime fleet were unique in their separate histories and in the manner of their acquisition by the company.They were also unique in the frequency and extent of the necessary repairs which they required to put them into minimal operational condition.

Undoubtedly, it was a test of courage and fortitude for men to venture across the Atlantic in them in peacetime but it took even greater valour in the turmoil and ferocity of the war which raged on the high seas at that time. The first five years of its history represent a truly proud chapter in the story of the State-owned enterprise.