SS Ellan Vannin

[Adrian RParticipant @adrianr]

If I’m going to spend time (years) building a model, it has to catch my imagination. The trouble is, now that I build from scratch, many of my ideas are still-born from lack of plans or information. And I now have an idea for my next model, which unfortunately is rather obscure except in her home port.

In 2001 we went on holiday to the Isle of Man. That was when I first heard tell of a ship whose memory is part of the folklore of the Island, the SS Ellan Vannin. She was the first vessel of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, freeing the island from dependency on Liverpool shipowners. We returned to the Isle of Man this year, and this time I did some research including a trip to the "Manx Museum", who were very helpful, though details of her design are scanty.

"Ellan Vannin" is Manx for "Isle of Man". She was built in 1860 as the paddle steamer Mona’s Isle 2. In 1883 she was converted to twin-screw propulsion, raising her grt to 375: this was when she was renamed and bought by the IoM Steam Packet Co. Sadly, on 3rd December 1909 she was lost with all hands approaching Liverpool in unforecast hurricane-force winds. 21 crew and 14 passengers were lost; in the height of summer she sometimes carried over 300. A song has been written about her; there is a memorial plaque at her home port of Ramsey, but they have never re-used the name for a ship.

The research could be the tricky bit. The Manx Museum showed me a copy of a book written by a local author Richard Stafford on the loss of the ship, and photocopied some of the photographs for me. But the book does not give many technical details; it’s mainly about the inquest and the biographies of the people lost. I considered buying it over the internet, but it’s expensive and I found an internet site which gives most of the information in the book. The book does have a basic layout plan, but this differs from the photos in some details!

The book does have a photo of a large-scale display model by a Phil Walker of Douglas, IoM.

So what I am asking is:
1) Can anyone give me contact details of Mr Walker (with his permission)?
2) Does anyone have any information or photos (other than those easily available from an internet search) or (what I’m really after) proper plans for this vessel?

Adrian

[Archibald MainstreamParticipant @archibaldmainstream22940]

I have this book and found it very interesting. One person who may help is the ex member of the spinners folk group who wrote a song about the tradegdy.

http://uk.geocities.com/davenhel_uk/spinners.html

This link might help contacting Hughie Jones.

Apart from that try the publishers they should forward any question on to the author of the book. He should know how to contact the builder of the model shown in the book as they might shed some light on any reasurch. The archives in the IOM steam packet company might provide more information, they usually like to help modellers especially one who is going to build one of their most revered and remembered ships.

The model I think is in Liverpool, perhaps the museum there might help.

I did think about building her but never got around to the reasurch as I found the same problems  you have come across.

Good Luck

Daryl

[Adrian RParticipant @adrianr]

Daryl

Thanks for this – some good ideas for further leads. I’ll try the Liverpoor museum and the IOMSPCo

 Adrian

[Adrian RParticipant @adrianr]

Plans?? Anyone know Phil Walker?

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