British & Irish SP Co

Page 1: Origins to 1945

 

 

This page is devoted the fleet of the British & Irish Steam Packet Company. An alphabetical list of ships shown on this page is shown below. The Table beneath gives links to complete history pages on selected individual ships. Below the table are postcards of the fleet in chronological order. The post-war history is shown on B & I Lines.

 

Numbers assigned to ships of the same name include earlier connected companies such as the City of Dublin SP Co, who also had, for example, ships named Munster built in 1860 and 1897. These are Munster (1) and Munster (2), and are on the City of Dublin SP Co webpage.

 

 

Brief History of the British & Irish SP Co:-

The British & Irish Steam Packet Company (B&I) had a long history stretching back to the beginnings of steamship operations, including predecessors such as the City of Dublin SP Co. The first transatlantic crossing by a steamship, the Sirius, was made by an early associated company, the St George SP Co, which evolved into the City of Cork SP Co. British & Irish started operations in 1836, running services from London to Dublin via various south coast ports such as Southampton and Plymouth. Wooden paddle steamers used initially were the Shannon, City of Limerick and Devonshire. The first iron steamers were the Rose and Shamrock acquired in 1845. In 1853, the Lady Eglinton introduced the "Lady" prefix into the fleet. It was not until 1919 that British & Irish became in involved in the route which they were subsequently best known for, from Dublin to Liverpool, when they acquired the City of Dublin SP Co, along with the ships used on the Liverpool routes.

 

British & Irish eventually became part of the giant Coast Lines group, which effectively monopolised regular services on the Irish Sea (with the exception of railway-owned routes). Following an initial fleet rebuilding after WW2, Coast Lines allowed their passenger services to stagnate in the 1960s, not following European trends towards vehicle ferries. The Irish Government acquired British & Irish in 1965, with the intention of updating the services. Three new car ferries arrived in 1969, marketed at the time as B+I Motorway. This page concentrates on this State-owned period, but shows the earlier post-war vessels acquired at nationalisation. B&I suffered during the troubles in Ireland, when tourist traffic declined sharply, and they were taken over by Irish Continental Line. Services were later amalgamated under the Irish Ferries banner.

 

 

Ships on This Page:-

Devonshire (1836-1837)

Galway (2) (1931-1938) - ex-City of Dublin SP Co - ex-Louth, Lady Louth (1), Bandon, Lady Galway

Galway (3) (1938-1939) - later : Lady Wimborne

Kerry (1) (B&I: 1919-1920) - ex-City of Dublin SP Co - later: Lady Kerry

Kerry (2) (1938-1939) - ex-Lady Patricia (2)

Lady Brussels (1922-1929) - ex-Dublin & Lancashire SS Co - ex-Brussels

Lady Carlow (2) (1929-1936) - ex-Logic, Culzean

Lady Cloe (1916-1939)

Lady Connaught (1) (1930-1938) - ex-Heroic - later: Longford (2)

Lady Connaught (2) (1938-19xx) - ex-Patriotic, Lady Leinster

Lady Emerald (1919-1939) - later: Carlow (2)

Lady Galway (1931-1938) - ex-City of Dublin SP Co - ex-Louth, Lady Louth (1), Bandon - later: Galway (2)

Lady Gwendolen (1911-1918)

Lady Hudson-Kinahan (1891-1914)

Lady Kerry (B&I: 1920-1924) - ex-City of Dublin SP Co - ex-Kerry

Lady Kildare (1920-1931) - ex-Setter

Lady Leinster (1930-1938) - ex-Patriotic - later: Lady Connaught (2)

Lady Limerick (1924-1930)

Lady Longford (1923-1930, 1936-1937) - ex-Ardmore - later: Lairdshill

Lady Louth (1) (1920-1920) - ex-City of Dublin SP Co - ex-Louth - later: Bandon, Lady Galway, Galway (2)

Lady Louth (2) (1923-1930)

Lady Louth (3) (1931-1934) - ex-Duke of Montrose, Tiger, Lairdsforest

Lady Meath (2) (1929-1938) - later: Meath (2)

Lady Martin (1) (1888-1914, 1915-17)

Lady Martin (2) (1920-1938) - ex-Northern Coast

Lady Munster (1929-1938) - ex-Graphic - later: Louth (2)

Lady Patricia (1) (1916-1918)

Lady Patricia (2) (1919-1938) - later: Kerry (2)

Lady Roberts (1) (1897-1914)

Lady Roberts (2) (1915-1916)

Lady Wicklow (1920-1938) - ex-City of Dublin SP Co - ex-Wicklow

Lady Wimborne (1915-1938) - later: Galway (2)

Lady Wolseley (1894-1915)

Leinster (3) (1937-1946) - later Ulster Prince (2)

Longford (2) (1938-1952) - ex-Heroic, Lady Connaught (1)

Louth (1) (1919-1920) - later: Lady Louth (1), Bandon, Lady Galway, Galway (2)

Louth (2) (1938-1949) - ex-Graphic, Lady Munster - later: Ulster Duke

Meath (2) (1938-19xx) - ex-Lady Meath

Munster (3) (1938-1940)

Wicklow (1919-1920, 1938-19xx) - ex-City of Dublin SP Co - later: Lady Wicklow

 

Coast Lines Pages:-

British & Irish SP Co - History 1826-1945 - this page!

B & I Lines - History 1945-1995

British & Irish SP Co Motorships - More detailed history of the Harland & Wolff Liverpool-Dublin night motorships.

City of Dublin SP Co - Taken over by B&I in 1919

Coast Lines

P&O Ferries

 

Associated Pages:-

Irish Ferries

Ferry Postcards

Cruise Ship Postcards

Ocean Liner Postcards

Simplon Postcards Home Page

 

References:-

The B&I Line: by Hazel P.Smyth - Gill & Macmillan 1984

Across the Irish Sea: by Robert Sinclair - Conway Maritime 1990

Irish Passenger Steamship Services - Volumes 1 & 2: by D.B.McNeil - David & Charles 1969

 

           

 

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Table of Ship Histories

Name	Other names	Built
Lady Connaught (1)	Heroic, Longford (2)	1906
Lady Connaught (2)	Patriotic, Lady Leinster, Lady Killarney	1912
Lady Leinster	Patriotic, Lady Connaught (2), Lady Killarney	1912
Lady Munster	Graphic, Louth (2), Ulster Duke	1906
Leinster (5)	Innisfallen, Ionian Sun	1969
Longford (2)	Heroic, Lady Connaught (1)	1906
Louth (2)	Graphic, Lady Munster, Ulster Duke	1906
Innisfallen (3)	Poseidon	1948
Innisfallen (5)	Leinster, Ionian Sun	1969

 

 

 

 

 

B&I Fleet List

 

Devonshire

(B&I: 1836-1837)

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Martin (1)

(1888-1914, 1915-17)

 

Lady Martin (1) was the first of a series of steel single-screw steamers built for the London-Dublin service. Four ships of around 270 ft long and 1300 gross tons were added to the B&I fleet between 1888 and 1897. Further additions after 1910 were slightly larger. Lady Martin (1) was sold to Turkish buyers in 1914, but seized at Glasgow before delivery, following the Turkish entry into the war. She was resold to the British & Irish SP Co, and then sold again to Cunningham, Shaw & Co and renamed Purfleet Belle.

 

 

Official B&I postcard of Lady Martin (1).

 

 

 

Official generic B&I postcard for Lady Martin, Lady Hudson-Kinahan, Lady Wolseley and Lady Roberts. The passenger had to fill in the name of his ship.

 

 

 

Official generic B&I postcard for Lady Martin, Lady Hudson-Kinahan, Lady Wolseley and Lady Roberts. The passenger had to fill in the name of his ship. The card was posted from Lady Roberts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Hudson-Kinahan

(B&I: 1891-1914)

 

Official generic B&I postcard for Lady Martin, Lady Hudson-Kinahan, Lady Wolseley and Lady Roberts. The passenger had to fill in the name of his ship.

 

 

 

Official generic B&I postcard for Lady Martin, Lady Hudson-Kinahan, Lady Wolseley and Lady Roberts. The passenger had to fill in the name of his ship. The card was posted from Lady Roberts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Wolseley

(B&I: 1894-1915)

 

Official generic B&I postcard for Lady Martin, Lady Hudson-Kinahan, Lady Wolseley and Lady Roberts. The passenger had to fill in the name of his ship.

 

 

 

Official generic B&I postcard for Lady Martin, Lady Hudson-Kinahan, Lady Wolseley and Lady Roberts. The passenger had to fill in the name of his ship. The card was posted from Lady Roberts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Roberts (1)

(B&I: 1897-1914)

 

Official generic B&I postcard for Lady Martin, Lady Hudson-Kinahan, Lady Wolseley and Lady Roberts. The passenger had to fill in the name of his ship. The actual ship may not be Lady Roberts.

 

 

 

Official generic B&I postcard for Lady Martin, Lady Hudson-Kinahan, Lady Wolseley and Lady Roberts. The passenger had to fill in the name of his ship. The card was posted from Lady Roberts.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Roberts.

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Gwendolen (B&I: 1911-1918)

 

Lady Gwendolen was slightly larger then her predecessors, at 300 ft long and 2162 gross tons.

 

 

Official B&I postcard of Lady Gwendolen.

 

 

 

Alternative copy of the same official B&I postcard of Lady Gwendolen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Wimborne (B&I: 1915-1938)

Galway (3) (B&I: 1938-1939)

 

Lady Wimborne in B&I service.

 

 

 

Lady Wimborne in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Cloe (B&I: 1916-1939)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Louth (1) (B&I: 1919-1920)

Lady Louth (1) (B&I: 1920-1920)

Bandon (City of Cork: 1920-1931)

Lady Galway (B&I: 1931-1938)

Galway (2) (B&I: 1938-19xx)

 

Photograph of Lady Galway (ex-Louth, Lady Louth (1), Bandon) in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wicklow (B&I: 1919-1920)

Lady Wicklow (B&I: 1920-1938)

Wicklow (B&I: 1938-19xx)

 

Photograph of Lady Wicklow (ex-Wicklow) in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kerry (B&I: 1919-1920)

Lady Kerry (B&I: 1920-1924)

 

Photograph of Kerry.

 

 

 

Photograph of Lady Kerry (ex-Kerry) in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Patricia (2) (B&I: 1919-1938)

Kerry (2) (B&I: 1938-1939)

 

Photographic postcard as Kerry (2) in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northern Coast (Coast Lines: 1913-1920)

Lady Martin (2) (B&I: 1920-1938)

 

Lady Martin (2) in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Setter (Burns: 1920-1920)

Lady Kildare (B&I: 1920-1931)

 

Lady Kildare in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Brussels

(B&I: 1922-1929)

 

Lady Brussels was built in 1902 as the Brussels for the Great Eastern Railway's Harwich-Antwerp service. In WW1, she transferred to the Tilbury-Hook route, and was captured by German warships in 1916. Her master, Captain Fryatt, was executed by German firing squad for attempting to ram a U-Boat which had attacked his ship. In 1920 she was sold to the Dublin & Lancashire SS Co, and later served with the British & Irish SP Co as Lady Brussels. She was scrapped in 1929.

 

 

Postcard issued in the war after the execution of Captain Fryatt.

 

 

 

Lady Brussels in B&I service.

 

 

 

Lady Brussels in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Louth (2) (B&I: 1923-1930)

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Louth (2) in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ardmore (City of Cork: 1921-1923)

Lady Longford (B&I: 1923-1930)

Lairdshill (Burns & Laird: 1930-1936)

Lady Longford (B&I: 1936-1937)

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Longford in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Limerick (B&I: 1924-1930)

 

B&I company postcard of Lady Limerick.

 

 

 

B&I company postcard of a stateroom on Lady Limerick.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Limerick in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Limerick in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Meath (B&I: 1929-1938)

Meath (2) (B&I: 1938-19xx)

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Meath in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Meath in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Meath in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Meath in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logic (Belfast SS: 1898-1921)

Culzean (Laird: 1921-1929)

Lady Carlow (B&I: 1929-1936)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graphic (Belfast SS: 1906-1929)

Lady Munster (B&I: 1929-1938)

Louth (2) (B&I: 1938-1949)

 

Graphic and her sister Heroic, were built in 1906 by Harland & Wolff for the Belfast Steamship Company. They both had careers of over 40 years with various Coast Lines companies. They were the first Belfast SS ships with quadruple expansion engines, and were followed by the slightly larger Patriotic in 1912, although she reverted to triple-expansion engines. Graphic was 1800 gross tons and 325 feet long (Patriotic was only 5 feet longer, but 2300 gross tons). Graphic continued on the Liverpool-Belfast route throughout the First World War, and had an encounter with a surfaced U-Boat, which she managed to escape. In the summer of 1920, according to D.B.McNeil, Graphic operated on the Ardrossan-Belfast daylight route. However, Duckworth and Langmuir, writing in 1939, refer to her operating this service in the summers of 1921 and 1922. In 1923 she was involved in a collision with with a freighter off Holywood, and sank in the Victoria Channel. She was refloated and repaired at her builders.

 

Graphic was withdrawn from Belfast SS service in 1929 on the delivery of the three new Belfast SS Motorships, Ulster Monarch, Ulster Queen and Ulster Prince (1). She was given an extensive overhaul, which included a rearward extension of the boat deck, and the provision of two shorter and more modern funnels (one of which was a dummy) to match those of the new motorships. She was renamed Lady Munster and joined the British & Irish SP Co fleet between Liverpool and Dublin until again displaced by new motorships, the Munster (3) and Leinster (3) of 1938. The Lady Munster then became the Louth (2). In 1938, Louth (2) had her funnels painted yellow (Coast Lines cruising colours) and began a service from Liverpool to Glasgow (actually Greenock) twice weekly with passengers for the Empire Exhibition at Bellahouston. These runs were soon abandoned. During the war, Louth (2) had run on the LMS railway route between Heysham and Belfast.

 

Only one of the 1938 British & Irish SP Co motorships survived the war, and only Ulster Monarch from the 1929 trio returned to Belfast SS service, and so Louth (2) initially reverted to the Liverpool-Dublin route. On delivery of the 1948 British & Irish SP Co replacements Leinster (4) and Munster (4), she became the Ulster Duke and again ran between Liverpool and Belfast until 1951. She was immediately sold for scrapping in La Spezia, but sank in the Bay of Biscay whilst being towed en route.

 

Complete history of Lady Munster/Louth

 

 

B&I company postcard of Lady Munster.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Munster in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Munster in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Munster in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heroic (Belfast SS: 1906-1930)

Lady Connaught (1) (B&I: 1930-1938)

Longford (2) (B&I: 1938-19xx)

 

Heroic and her sister Graphic, were built in 1906 by Harland & Wolff for the Belfast Steamship Company. They both had careers of over 40 years with various Coast Lines companies. They were the first Belfast SS ships with quadruple expansion engines, and were followed by the slightly larger Patriotic in 1912, although she reverted to triple-expansion engines. Heroic was 1800 gross tons and 325 feet long (Patriotic was only 5 feet longer, but 2300 gross tons). Unlike her sister, Heroic was requisitioned as an armed merchant cruiser during the 1914-18 war, afterwards returning to the Liverpool-Belfast route.

 

Heroic was withdrawn from Belfast SS service in 1930 on the delivery of the three new Belfast SS Motorships, Ulster Monarch, Ulster Queen and Ulster Prince (1). She was given an extensive overhaul, which included a rearward extension of the boat deck, and the provision of two shorter and more modern funnels (one of which was a dummy) to match those of the new motorships. She was renamed Lady Connaught (1) and joined the British & Irish SP Co fleet between Liverpool and Dublin until again displaced by new motorships, the Munster (3) and Leinster (3) of 1938. The Lady Connaught (1) then became the Longford (2) in 1939, but was laid up until the war. After the war she ran on the Dublin-Liverpool route until 1952.

 

Complete history of Lady Connaught (1)/Longford (2)

 

 

B&I company postcard of Lady Connaught (1).

 

 

 

B&I company postcard of Lady Connaught (1) (variation).

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Connaught (1) in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Connaught (1) in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Connaught (1) in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Longford in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patriotic (Belfast SS: 1911-1930)

Lady Leinster (B&I: 1930-1938)

Lady Connaught (2) (B&I: 1938-19xx)

 

B&I company postcard of Lady Leinster.

 

 

 

B&I company postcard of Lady Leinster (variation).

 

 

 

B&I company postcard of Lady Leinster (variation).

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Leinster in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Leinster in B&I service.

 

 

 

Photographic postcard of Lady Leinster in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duke of Montrose (1906-19xx)

Tiger (Laird Line: 19xx-19xx)

Lairdsforest (Burns & Laird: 19xx-1931)

Lady Louth (3) (B&I: 1931-1934)

 

Postcard of Lady Louth (3) in B&I service.

 

 

 

Postcard of Lady Louth (3) in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dundalk (B&I: 1937-19xx)

 

Photographic postcard of Dundalk in B&I service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leinster (3) (B&I: 1937-1946)

Ulster Prince (2) (Belfast SS: 1946-)

 

The two sisterships Leinster (3) and Munster (3) entered service between Liverpool and Dublin in 1938, the Leinster (3) having run on the Belfast SS route until the new Dublin terminal was completed (the Ulster Monarch was having a lengthy overhaul at the time). They were delivered with buff coloured hulls, which was later replaced with dark green. The ships were the largest in the Coast Lines fleet when delivered, and proved to be too large for the Liverpool-Dublin service for much of the year. They also lacked the ability to carry cattle, a major traffic out of Dublin. Following the Second World War, only one of the trio of Belfast SS ships remained, and the Leinster was refitted in 1946 to become the Ulster Prince (2). The Ulster Prince, ex-Leinster, was sold in 1967, being bought later by Epirotiki Lines. She reappeared as the Odysseus. In 1976, Odysseus was used as an accommodation ship at Kyle of Lochalsh, later moving to Glasgow. She was broken up in Faslane in 1980.

 

 

An attractive B&I art card of Leinster as delivered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Munster (3)

(B&I: 1938-1940)

 

The Munster (3) was the second of the 1930s B & I motorships, and entered service between Liverpool and Dublin in 1938. The Munster (3) was lost in 1940.

 

 

An attractive B&I art card of Munster (3) as delivered with buff hull.

Click on image for larger version in new window

 

 

 

B&I art card of Munster (3) as delivered with buff hull.

 

 

 

An Ensign photo card of the Munster (3) with her original buff hull.

 

 

 

A later official colour card of Munster. I believe the same card was issued for the Leinster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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