Cymric (schooner)
Encyclopedia
Cymric was an Arklow Schooner, built in 1893. Initially she traded with South America. She served as a Q-ship during the First World War. She failed to sink any U-boats, but did sink a British submarine, in error. She returned to the merchant service. In Ringsend, she collided with a tram
, her bowsprit smashing through the tram’s windows. In 1944, during the Second World War, sailing as a neutral
, she vanished without trace with the loss of eleven lives.
. According to local tradition, it extends back to the export of tin
and copper
by the Phoenicians
. The fleet was locally owned, managed, mastered and manned. Historically each ship was an individual enterprise, each divided into 64 shares. A captain would probably have a 25% interest in his ship: that is 16 shares. The owner listed in documents was the 'managing owner', not necessarily the beneficial owner
. The Arklow shipowners cooperated. They established their own mutual insurance company. A century ago, ownership became concentrated. In 1966 Tyrrell and Hall formed an umbrella company
to operate their ships: Arklow Shipping. Now they have a modern fleet of 45 ships.
. Cymric was launched in March 1893. Gaelic was launched in March 1898. They were built as barquentine
s, In Arklow the preferred sail configuration was the double top sailed schooner Cymric was then rigged as a schooner
Cymric was an iron schooner
. She had a shallow draught
of only 10.8 feet, three wooden masts
, no poop deck
, a flaring bow
, a round counter-stern and very square yards
on her fore
mast. She was built by the Thomas yard for their own fleet. Her early days, under Captain Robert Jones were spent in the South American trade running from Runcorn
to Gibraltar
and on to the Rio Grande
, docking at the Brazil
ian port of Porto Alegre
. In 1906 she was sold to Captain Richard Hall of Arklow. In WWI she was requisitioned
.
The new century, 1900, saw an expansion in Arklow, as larger iron-hulled schooners were purchased. Job Tyrrell purchased Detlef Wagner and Maggie Williams, while Job Hall acquired Patrician, Celtic and Cymric. In the main, all of these ships engaged in the Spanish wine
trade until Detlef Wagner was sunk by UC-72
on 28 May 1917
to be used as Q-ship
s, they were: Cymric, Gaelic and Mary B Mitchell. They sailed the Southwest Approaches
, masquerading as merchantmen
, inviting attack by U-boat
s. Their guns were concealed, when a U-boat approached, a "panic party" would abandon the ship, while the gun crews waited for their target to come into range. The expectation was that the U-boat would approach the apparently abandoned ship and would be surprised and sunk when the guns were revealed and opened fire. Great successes were claimed and medals awarded. Mary B Mitchell claimed to have sunk two U-boats in the same day.
Post-war analysis did not confirm these claims. After the war, it was concluded that Q-ships were greatly over-rated, diverting skilled seamen from other duties without sinking enough U-boats to justify the strategy.
Cymric did sink a submarine; unfortunately it was what we now term 'friendly fire
'. On 15 October 1918, , a J-class
submarine
was on the surface outside her base, Blythe
when she was spotted by Cymric which mistook her 'J6' marking for 'U6'. Cymric opened fire, J6 tried to signal, but the signalman
was killed. J6 fled into a fog bank, but Cymric located J6 again, and sank her, with the loss of 14 lives.
were more profitable than sailing ship
s for ocean voyages. However, within Ireland transport was becoming more difficult. The neglect of the networks during World War I
was compounded by destruction during the war of independence
and the subsequent civil war
. It was more cost-effective to transport
goods by sea around the coast rather than using internal road
or rail
. Cymric had a new career: transporting malt
from port
s such as Ballinacurra
, New Ross
and Wexford
to Dublin.
It was on one of these voyages that she collided
with a tram
. It seems that Cymric was waiting for Mac Machon Bridge, a bascule bridge
, at the entrance to the Inner Basin
of the Grand Canal Dock
53.342369°N 6.23795°W to open, when a gust of wind propelled her towards the bridge and her bowsprit
speared tram number 233. There are many versions of this story. Many details differ, including the date which varies from 12 February 1927 or 1928 to 21 December 1943 Research by Dr Edward Burke established that there were two separate incidents: on Tuesday November 29 1921, Cymric did, indeed, collide with a tram. On 21 December 1943 Happy Harry, a different Arklow schooner, collided with the same bridge. No one was hurt in either incident.
Cymric was witness to a sad event which would change the way lighthouse
s and lightships
are administered in Ireland. At the time, they were directly controlled from the UK by Trinity House
, who removed a lightship from the Arklow Bank
. On 19 February 1931 the Julia enroute from Glasgow
to Newhaven
, grounded
on the Arklow Bank and was wrecked with the loss of the crew of five, two of whom were from Arklow. Cymric, with her shallow draught, discovered the tragedy two days later. It became a political issue. In 1935 the 'Irish Lights Commissioners (Adaptation) Order' was made. It is the legislative basis for the Commissioners of Irish Lights
.
On Christmas Eve
1933, Cymric grounded on a bank in Wexford Harbour
. Rope
, which had been used the previous day in an attempt to re-float another vessel, fouled
her propeller
. She spent five days aground and was eventually refloated
with the aid of a diver and the removal of some barrels of malt from her cargo
.
there were only 56 ships on the Irish register, 14 of those were Arklow schooners. These schooners played a vital role in keeping Ireland supplied.
Cymric was charted by Betsons to travel to Portugal. Betsons imported agricultural equipment and fertilisers from America. On November 1939, Roosevelt
signed the Fourth Neutrality Act forbidding American ships from entering the "war zone", which was defined as a line drawn from Spain
to Iceland
. Cargoes intended for Ireland were shipped to Portugal
. With cargoes "piling up on the quays of Lisbon awaiting shipment", Betsons chartered Cymric to travel to Lisbon to collect these cargoes.Spong, page 7. Setting sail from Ireland, Cymric would carry food to the United Kingdom. There she would collect the British export of coal, and carry it to Portugal. In Lisbon, Cymric loaded the awaiting American cargo, and brought it back to Ireland.
In October 1943 she had a total refit in Ringsend Dockyard. On, what was to be her final voyage, on 23 February 1944 she left Ardrossan
in Scotland
where she loaded a cargo of coal for Lisbon. She was sighted off Dublin on the following day, that was her last sighting. No wreckage was ever found. She might have hit a mine
, was sunk by a U-Boat or was driven by a gale into the 'prohibited area' of Bay of Biscay and was attacked and sunk by Allied aircraft enforcing the blockade. was fortunate to survive an attack by the RAF
in that area.
Neither the Cymric or her crew of eleven was ever seen again. When Dublin's docklands were redeveloped, a new residential street was named 'Cymric Road'53.345°N 6.21514°W. It is not far from where she collided with the tram. On the third Sunday, every November, those who lost their lives on neutral Irish ships, including Cymric are remembered.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
, her bowsprit smashing through the tram’s windows. In 1944, during the Second World War, sailing as a neutral
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
, she vanished without trace with the loss of eleven lives.
Arklow Schooners
Arklow has a long history of ship-owningShip-owner
A shipowner is the owner of a merchant vessel . In the commercial sense of the term, a shipowner is someone who equips and exploits a ship, usually for delivering cargo at a certain freight rate, either as a per freight rate or based on hire...
. According to local tradition, it extends back to the export of tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
by the Phoenicians
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
. The fleet was locally owned, managed, mastered and manned. Historically each ship was an individual enterprise, each divided into 64 shares. A captain would probably have a 25% interest in his ship: that is 16 shares. The owner listed in documents was the 'managing owner', not necessarily the beneficial owner
Beneficial owner
Beneficial owner is a legal term where specific property rights in equity belong to a person even though legal title of the property belongs to another person. Black's Law Dictionary...
. The Arklow shipowners cooperated. They established their own mutual insurance company. A century ago, ownership became concentrated. In 1966 Tyrrell and Hall formed an umbrella company
Umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
to operate their ships: Arklow Shipping. Now they have a modern fleet of 45 ships.
Early career
Two Arklow schooners, Cymric and Gaelic, were built by were built by William Thomas in AmlwchAmlwch
Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. The town has no beach, but it has impressive coastal cliffs. Tourism is an important element of the local economy. At one time it...
. Cymric was launched in March 1893. Gaelic was launched in March 1898. They were built as barquentine
Barquentine
A barquentine is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.-Modern barquentine sailing rig:...
s, In Arklow the preferred sail configuration was the double top sailed schooner Cymric was then rigged as a schooner
Cymric was an iron schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
. She had a shallow draught
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of only 10.8 feet, three wooden masts
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
, no poop deck
Poop deck
In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or "aft", part of the superstructure of a ship.The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis...
, a flaring bow
Flare (ship)
Flare is a descriptive term for the angle at which a ship's hull plate or planking departs from the vertical in an outward direction with increasing height. A flared hull typically has a deck area larger than its cross-sectional area at the waterline. Most vessels have some degree of flare above...
, a round counter-stern and very square yards
Square rig
Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called yards and their tips, beyond the last stay, are called the yardarms...
on her fore
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
mast. She was built by the Thomas yard for their own fleet. Her early days, under Captain Robert Jones were spent in the South American trade running from Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and on to the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, docking at the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian port of Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
. In 1906 she was sold to Captain Richard Hall of Arklow. In WWI she was requisitioned
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
.
The new century, 1900, saw an expansion in Arklow, as larger iron-hulled schooners were purchased. Job Tyrrell purchased Detlef Wagner and Maggie Williams, while Job Hall acquired Patrician, Celtic and Cymric. In the main, all of these ships engaged in the Spanish wine
Spanish wine
Spanish wines are wines produced in the southwestern European country of Spain. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 2.9 million acres planted—making it the most widely planted wine producing nation but it is the third largest producer of wine in the world, the largest...
trade until Detlef Wagner was sunk by UC-72
SM UC-72
SM UC-72 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 12 August 1916...
on 28 May 1917
Q-ship in WWI
Three Arklow schooners were requisitioned by the AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
to be used as Q-ship
Q-ship
Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships, or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them...
s, they were: Cymric, Gaelic and Mary B Mitchell. They sailed the Southwest Approaches
Southwest Approaches
The Southwest Approaches is the name given to the offshore waters to the southwest of Great Britain. The area includes the Celtic Sea, the Bristol Channel and sea areas off southwest Ireland...
, masquerading as merchantmen
Merchantman
A merchantman is any non-naval vessel, including Tankers, freighters, or cargo ships, but not troopships.Merchantman may refer to:*ST Merchantman, a tug in service with United Towing Co Ltd from 1946 to 1962...
, inviting attack by U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s. Their guns were concealed, when a U-boat approached, a "panic party" would abandon the ship, while the gun crews waited for their target to come into range. The expectation was that the U-boat would approach the apparently abandoned ship and would be surprised and sunk when the guns were revealed and opened fire. Great successes were claimed and medals awarded. Mary B Mitchell claimed to have sunk two U-boats in the same day.
Post-war analysis did not confirm these claims. After the war, it was concluded that Q-ships were greatly over-rated, diverting skilled seamen from other duties without sinking enough U-boats to justify the strategy.
Cymric did sink a submarine; unfortunately it was what we now term 'friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
'. On 15 October 1918, , a J-class
British J class submarine
The J class of submarines was a seven submarine class developed by the Royal Navy prior to the First World War in response to claims that Germany was developing submarines that were fast enough to operate alongside surface fleets...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
was on the surface outside her base, Blythe
Blyth, Northumberland
Blyth is a town and civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately 21 kilometres northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne...
when she was spotted by Cymric which mistook her 'J6' marking for 'U6'. Cymric opened fire, J6 tried to signal, but the signalman
Signaller
In the armed forces, a signaller or signaleer is a specialist soldier or seaman or airman responsible for military communications. Signallers, aka Combat Signallers or signalmen or women, are commonly employed as radio or telephone operators, relaying messages for field commanders at the front line...
was killed. J6 fled into a fog bank, but Cymric located J6 again, and sank her, with the loss of 14 lives.
Between WWI & WWII
After the war she was disarmed and returned to Halls of Arklow. The auxiliary engine remained. By now large steamersSteamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
were more profitable than sailing ship
Sailing ship
The term sailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large...
s for ocean voyages. However, within Ireland transport was becoming more difficult. The neglect of the networks during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was compounded by destruction during the war of independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
and the subsequent civil war
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
. It was more cost-effective to transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
goods by sea around the coast rather than using internal road
Road transport
Road transport or road transportation is transport on roads of passengers or goods. A hybrid of road transport and ship transport is the historic horse-drawn boat.-History:...
or rail
Road transport
Road transport or road transportation is transport on roads of passengers or goods. A hybrid of road transport and ship transport is the historic horse-drawn boat.-History:...
. Cymric had a new career: transporting malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
from port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
s such as Ballinacurra
Ballinacurra, County Cork
Ballinacurra is a small harbour village on the outskirts of Midleton, County Cork. It is about 20 miles east of Cork city.The village grew up around the where the Owenacurra River meets the east channel of Cork Harbour...
, New Ross
New Ross
New Ross is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. In 2006 it had a population of 7,709 people, making it the third largest town in the county after Wexford and Enniscorthy.-History:...
and Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
to Dublin.
It was on one of these voyages that she collided
Collision
A collision is an isolated event which two or more moving bodies exert forces on each other for a relatively short time.Although the most common colloquial use of the word "collision" refers to accidents in which two or more objects collide, the scientific use of the word "collision" implies...
with a tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
. It seems that Cymric was waiting for Mac Machon Bridge, a bascule bridge
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
, at the entrance to the Inner Basin
Canal basin
A canal basin is an expanse of waterway alongside or at the end of a canal, and wider than the canal, constructed to allow boats to moor or unload cargo without impeding the progress of other traffic, and to allow room for turning, thus serving as a winding hole...
of the Grand Canal Dock
Grand Canal Dock
Grand Canal Dock is an area in Ringsend near Dublin city centre, surrounding the Grand Canal Docks, an enclosed harbour or docking area between the River Liffey and the Grand Canal...
53.342369°N 6.23795°W to open, when a gust of wind propelled her towards the bridge and her bowsprit
Bowsprit
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a pole extending forward from the vessel's prow. It provides an anchor point for the forestay, allowing the fore-mast to be stepped farther forward on the hull.-Origin:...
speared tram number 233. There are many versions of this story. Many details differ, including the date which varies from 12 February 1927 or 1928 to 21 December 1943 Research by Dr Edward Burke established that there were two separate incidents: on Tuesday November 29 1921, Cymric did, indeed, collide with a tram. On 21 December 1943 Happy Harry, a different Arklow schooner, collided with the same bridge. No one was hurt in either incident.
Cymric was witness to a sad event which would change the way lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
s and lightships
Lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...
are administered in Ireland. At the time, they were directly controlled from the UK by Trinity House
Trinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...
, who removed a lightship from the Arklow Bank
Arklow Bank Wind Park
The Arklow Bank Wind Park is the first offshore wind farm in Ireland and the world's first commercial application of offshore wind turbines over 3 megawatts in size. It is located on the Arklow Bank, a shallow water sandbank in the Irish Sea, around off the coast of Arklow with an area of...
. On 19 February 1931 the Julia enroute from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to Newhaven
Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
, grounded
Ship grounding
Ship grounding is a type of marine accident that involves the impact of a ship on the seabed, resulting in damage of the submerged part of her hull and particularly the bottom structure, potentially leading to water ingress and compromise of the ship's structural integrity and stability...
on the Arklow Bank and was wrecked with the loss of the crew of five, two of whom were from Arklow. Cymric, with her shallow draught, discovered the tragedy two days later. It became a political issue. In 1935 the 'Irish Lights Commissioners (Adaptation) Order' was made. It is the legislative basis for the Commissioners of Irish Lights
Commissioners of Irish Lights
The Commissioners of Irish Lights is the body that serves as the lighthouse authority for Ireland plus its adjacent seas and islands...
.
On Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
1933, Cymric grounded on a bank in Wexford Harbour
Wexford Harbour
Wexford Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland is the natural harbour at the mouth of the River Slaney. The estuary originally was about ten miles wide at its widest point, with large mud flats on both sides. These were known as the North Slob and the South Slob from the Irish word slab, meaning mud...
. Rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
, which had been used the previous day in an attempt to re-float another vessel, fouled
Foul (nautical)
Foul is a nautical term meaning to entangle or entwine, and more generally that something is wrong or difficult. The term dates back to usage with wind-driven sailing ships.-Fouled anchor:...
her propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
. She spent five days aground and was eventually refloated
Marine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
with the aid of a diver and the removal of some barrels of malt from her cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
.
World War Two
At the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
there were only 56 ships on the Irish register, 14 of those were Arklow schooners. These schooners played a vital role in keeping Ireland supplied.
Cymric was charted by Betsons to travel to Portugal. Betsons imported agricultural equipment and fertilisers from America. On November 1939, Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
signed the Fourth Neutrality Act forbidding American ships from entering the "war zone", which was defined as a line drawn from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. Cargoes intended for Ireland were shipped to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. With cargoes "piling up on the quays of Lisbon awaiting shipment", Betsons chartered Cymric to travel to Lisbon to collect these cargoes.Spong, page 7. Setting sail from Ireland, Cymric would carry food to the United Kingdom. There she would collect the British export of coal, and carry it to Portugal. In Lisbon, Cymric loaded the awaiting American cargo, and brought it back to Ireland.
In October 1943 she had a total refit in Ringsend Dockyard. On, what was to be her final voyage, on 23 February 1944 she left Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
where she loaded a cargo of coal for Lisbon. She was sighted off Dublin on the following day, that was her last sighting. No wreckage was ever found. She might have hit a mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
, was sunk by a U-Boat or was driven by a gale into the 'prohibited area' of Bay of Biscay and was attacked and sunk by Allied aircraft enforcing the blockade. was fortunate to survive an attack by the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in that area.
Neither the Cymric or her crew of eleven was ever seen again. When Dublin's docklands were redeveloped, a new residential street was named 'Cymric Road'53.345°N 6.21514°W. It is not far from where she collided with the tram. On the third Sunday, every November, those who lost their lives on neutral Irish ships, including Cymric are remembered.
See also
- Mary B MitchellMary B MitchellThe Mary B Mitchell was a British schooner which served as a Q-ship during the First World War. She was in service from April 1916 until the end of hostilities, operating in the Southwest Approaches from her base in Falmouth....
Arklow Schooner Arklow ship Arklow Schooner - Irish Mercantile Marine during World War IIIrish Mercantile Marine during World War IIThe Irish Mercantile Marine during World War II continued essential overseas trade during the conflict, a period referred to as The Long Watch by Irish mariners....