SS Ellan Vannin Memorial Plaque on the quayside in Ramsey from where the ship set sail.
On the top of the white concrete pillar is a blue rectangular plaque with a silver border on which the following dedication appears in silver lettering:
Undinys Eiraght Vannin
In memory of the
fourteen passenger and
twenty-one crew of
SS Ellan Vannin
which sailed from this harbour on
3rd December 1909 and foundered near the
Mersey Bar with all hands lost.
Below the dedication is a relief image of the Ship.
On the front of the pillar is another rectangular blue plaque which first lists the names of the passengers who were lost and then lists the crew and their position. The full list of names can be found on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Ellan_Vannin_(1883) )
'In the terrific hurricane that prevailed on Friday of last week the S.S. Ellan Vannin, of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's fleet, went down with all hands, in some thirty feet of water (at low water), about a mile or more on the Liverpool side of the Mersey Bar.' (Source: Isle of Man Times, December 11th, 1909)
The ship was recognised as the oldest mail steamer in the world at time of her loss; She had regularly served Ramsey for over 35 years on passages to Glasgow, Whitehaven as well as Liverpool. The ill-fated Ellan Vannin was built in 1860 by Tom and McGreggor of Glasgow, and named ‘Mona’s Isle II’. Originally a paddle steamer she was converted in to a twin screw steamer in 1883, and renamed ‘Ellan Vannin’.
'She was mocked by some, although other Manx Sailors regarded her as the safest vessel afloat, bestowing her the colloquial name 'Li'l Daisy''.
An article in The Liverpool Journal of Commerce in the week following the disaster, contained the assertion that it was a commonly-held opinion that the Ellan Vannin was ‘too old and small for the service, considering the heavy weather frequently encountered on the Isle of Man Service during the winter months.'
This view was however, discounted at the official enquiry and the fact that the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company had already laid down a new vessel was irrelevant, as this was to replace the ‘Mona III, which had just been disposed of.
One of the Ellan Vannin’s Captains was reported as saying that ‘there was no finer little boat sailing out of the Mersey in all weathers’, and her record, as well as her Board of Trade licence to carry 313 persons, qualify her for the description of ‘tough little craft’, and ‘sturdy veteran of the fleet’.
A veritable workhorse, Ellan Vannin departed from the quayside at Ramsey a little after 1 a.m. on the 3rd December 1909 upon her regular journey to Liverpool with an assorted cargo, fourteen passengers and twenty one crew members. Prepared for an estimated journey of 7 to 8 hours, the ship set sail in a stiff North-Westerly with Captain Teare, a cautious master, at the helm. Within an hour and half the wind had increased to almost tornado force. She was last seen by the lookout on the Mersey Bar Lightship just before 7 a.m. During the remainder of 3rd December 1909 and the next day , wreckage of all kinds reached the banks of the Mersey, and on the following afternoon, the Ship was located. Three bodies were found inside; others were later washed ashore.
Word of the disaster soon reached the Island, where thousands of people waited for news and social events were cancelled. At the suggestion of Lord Raglan, the Lieutenant Governor at the time, the Ellan Vannin Disaster Fund was instigated, boosted by a generous £1,000 donation by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Fundraising events around the world contributed much to the Fund, and by spring of 1910 stood at almost £13,000.
The Mersey Docks and Harbour Board raised concern that the wreck was a danger to shipping and the wreck was subsequently blown up on the 6th April, 1910.
The official Board of Trade enquiry into the disaster was held in Liverpool in March 1910. At the enquiry 3 questions were propounded and answered
• The first question concerned the stowage of the cargo and the value and insurance of the ship (insured for £5,000);
• The second question concerned her equipment and seaworthiness; which were judged satisfactory;
• The third question, the answer to which was most eagerly awaited, was ‘what was the cause of the loss of the ‘Ellan Vannin’ and the loss of life?’
Unfortunately the answer to the third question could only deal with probabilities as there was no direct evidence.
The following is an extract from the Board of Trade enquiry report:
‘The vessel passed the Bar Lightship at 6.45 a.m. on December 3rd, the weather at the time being very bad, and the wind of hurricane force. The sea was of a height of about 24 feet, and generally, the weather was the worst ever experienced in that vicinity. The wind and sea were slightly on the starboard quarter. Before reaching Q1 Buoy she broached to, and was probably swept by heavy seas, which washed away the after companion, filling the after part of the vessel, and causing her to sink by the stern, leaving the bows out of the water. While in this position the heavy seas striking the fore part of the ship would account for the bows being broken off, as described by the divers.
The Court does not consider there is any evidence of the ship having been previously in collision either with another vessel or with floating wreckage; nor do they consider that the fact of the bows breaking off under such exceptional circumstances implies structural weakness. The catastrophe by which the vessel was overtaken must have been so sudden that there was probably no time for those on board even to put on lifebelts or to take any other steps to save life, which accounts for the unfortunate loss of all on board.’
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Source: "Shining By The Sea- A History of Ramsey 1800 - 1914": Constance Radcliffe