Earl of Roden
Wooden paddle steamer b Caleb & James Smith, Liverpool 1826
227 tons burthen, 140' x 23.5', two 65 hp engines.
Owned City of Dublin SPC [as Liverpool & Dundalk SN Co] to 1831
Then St George Steam packet Co, re-registered at Dublin
Aground Derbyhaven (Isle of Man) 1 December 1828 (60 passengers;
all saved)
Aground near Ballycotton (Ireland) 22 March 1843 (3 passengers; all
saved)
[from Gore's Liverpool General Advertiser - Thursday 31 August 1826]: A steam vessel, to be called The Earl of Roden, will be launched from the yard of Messrs. Caleb & Jas. Smith, Baffin-street, near the Queen's Dock, on Tuesday next. She is 400 tons burthen, and will be propelled by engines of proportionate power. We understand she belongs to the St. George Steam Packet Company, and is intended to ply between Liverpool and Dundalk.
A different report [from Liverpool Mercury - Friday 08 September 1826]:
On Tuesday.....The Earl of Roden, a beautiful new steam-packet, built for the City of Dublin
Steam-packet Company, and a brig for Messrs. Holliwell and Highfield, were
launched about half past twelve o'clock, from the yard of Messrs. C. Fletcher and Co. Baffin-street;
Aground 1828: The Liverpool-Dundalk paddle
steamer, Earl of Roden, was driven from her anchors in a strong SExE
breeze and got ashore on rocks at Derbyhaven, Isle of Man on 7 December
1828. That night, the Lifeboat was launched to assist her as she lay
stranded on the rocks. They were unable to get close to her, and the 60
or so passengers aboard were protesting - shouting and firing into the
air. The Captain persuaded them, with difficulty, to calm down and wait
- as the tide was ebbing. The lifeboat stood by and at 6am was able to
take the passengers off.
The lifeboats' crew received cash rewards and the three
volunteers, George Quirk, Thomas Brine, and William Henry Carrington,
the Silver medal of the Institution. The "Earl of Roden" was refloated
on 22 December, much damaged.
Aground 1843. Newspaper Report:
The Earl of Roden Steamer, Captain Alexander Key, left Passage [Passage
West, a few miles inside the Cork Harbour] at eight o'clock on Tuesday
morning [22 March 1843] for London having on board a very large and
valuable cargo consisting principally of cured provisions, a large deck
freight of livestock etc. She had been brought from Liverpool to
replace the usual steamer on this service, Hercules. There were only
three passengers - all steerage. The weather during the day had been
rough but not so as to excite any serious apprehensions till towards
evening, when it became squally with very heavy rain and a strong gale
from the SE which continued with unabated violence during the night.
About twelve o'clock the vessel, while labouring in a heavy sea, sprung
a leak which gained considerably on her by two o'clock, at which time
the engine having become disabled and the vessel lying a helpless mass
in the water, the captain by great exertions ran her on shore near
Poorhead [now Power Head; 6 miles west of Ballycotton] in the only place
where it was possible to save either life or property on that iron-bound
coast. Had she been driven in a mile on either side she must inevitably
have gone to pieces at once and all on board perished. [This place is
now named Ballylanders - a narrow valley running down to a rather rocky
shore]
She lay last night high and dry at low water on the strand
with a very heavy sea breaking over her and, from her disabled state,
she was not expected to hold together until morning. The coast guard
are in possession of the vessel and the police from the neighbouring
station were in attendance, but not, it was feared, in sufficient force
to protect the property. Messengers had been sent to Cork and Spike
Island for military assistance, as several of the packages landed were
plundered by the country people and carried off in spite of the small
force present.
Captain Key, the commander, had received some serious
injuries and was taken to Cloyne where every attention was paid to him
and the crew. At eleven o'clock this morning, another messenger arrived
from the wreck who states that she still holds together though there is
no hope of saving any material portion of her. The plunder had been
going on during the night and unless they were able to procure storage
for what remained today or to obtain a sufficient force to protect it,
it was thought that a vast quantity would be carried off. A party of
the 5th Fusileers from Spike Island had arrived and the general of the
district, Sir Octavius Carey, had upon a requisition presented to him by
the officers of the Saint George Steam Packet Company issued orders to
have a complete force immediately despatched to the spot. The cabin
furniture, beds etc had been landed and the crew and passengers were all
safe. The cargo belonged to several eminent provision houses in this
city[Cork] and its value is estimated at a very large amount.
The vessel broke up over the next few days.
She had had a reputation as rather slow but reliable - she had survived
a passage during the storm that wrecked the Killarney in 1838.