Penarth Dock, South Wales - the heritage and legacy

Volume One - Into the Victorian Age - The Penarth Shipbuilding & Ship Repairing Company Limited . . .

'Seaforth' - built as the 'Aira Force' in 1890

The 'Seaforth' built in 1890 as the 'Aira Force' at the shipyard of the Penarth Shipbuilding & Ship Repairing Co., Limited and launched into the River Ely estuary; being of 349 tons gross, 145 feet long, and intended for carrying general freight. Originally built for William Kennaugh and Company of Whitehaven on the Cumbrian coast, she was sold in 1909 to Alfred Smith of Fowey and renamed the 'Seaforth'. She traded mainly between the Continent and the south coast ports with occasional calls at Fowey to unload timber and building materials. The lower image has been colourised.

She met her fate during 1929 when in collision in the Bristol Channel with the 'Cristina' en route Cardiff to Plymouth with a cargo of flour. These photographs were taken after the 1909 sale. Mr. B's distinctive Clifton Suspension Bridge spans the Avon Gorge in the distance; it's a shame he didn't live long enough the see it completed. [000] [158] [290]

1905 - 'The screw steamer 'Aira Force', lately owned by Messrs. W. S. Kennaugh & Co., Whitehaven, has been sold to Messrs. G. Webster & Co., Glasgow. She was built and engined by the Penarth Shipbuilding Company, Penarth in 1891. Dimensions 145 ft. x 23ft. 2in. x 11ft. ; 349 tons gross ; with engines 18in., 36in. x 24in. stroke. She has been renamed 'Seaforth'. - The Maritime Review - [059] [684] - 9th June 1905.

1890 - Launch at Penarth Dock - 'On Monday the Penarth Shipbuilding and Ship Repairing Company (Limited) launched from its yard at Penarth Dock the screw steamer Aira Force, built to the order of Messrs. W. S. Kennaugh and Co., Whitehaven. The dimensions of the Aira Force are : Length over all, 148 ft. ; breath, extreme, 23 ft. 2 in. ; depth, 11 ft. 4½ in. She is fitted with compound surface-condensing engines, also constructed by the Penarth Shipbuilding Company, having cylinders 18 in. and 36 in., with 24 in. stroke, and a multitubular boiler, 11 ft. diameter by 9 ft. long, having two furnaces, and working at a pressure of 100 lb. per square inch.' - Engineering [516] [499] 26th December 1890.

Loss of the 'Seaforth' in July 1929:

Description:

This record comprises a documentary reference to a shipping casualty which has been assigned to the maritime named location BRISTOL CHANNEL pending more information which may allow a more precise location for the loss to be assigned.

Event and Historical Information:

The SEAFORTH was an iron-hulled steamship built by Penarth Shipbuilding and Ship Repairing Co Ltd, Penarth Dock, in 1891. It was placed on the Port of Bristol Shipping Register on 29 April 1913 ( (formerly 41 in 1905 at Glasgow). At that time, technical and configuration specifications are given as 349gt, 133rt; 145.3ft length x 25.2ft breadth x 9.2ft depth; 1 deck, 3 masts, schooner rigged, elliptical stern, clincher built, framework iron, 3 bulkheads, ballast tank 1, 25 tons; official number 94036. At time of loss, the vessel was owned by Alfred J Smith Ltd of Bristol. The ship's register was closed with the annotation 'ship sunk in collision in Bristol Channel on 12 July 1929 and totally lost'.

Sources include: Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 July - 30 September 1929, p.9 (f) Port of Bristol Shipping Register 1892 - 1916, Bristol Record Office 37908/1/13, Folio 242 SS Seaforth, Wreck Site EU

Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, February 2011. [071] [Archive Number NPRN 515719]