User:Mike Peel/De Wadden

= To do =
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 * Link from List of museum ships, Irish Mercantile Marine during World War II, Irish maritime events during World War II, James Postlethwaite, 1961 in Ireland
 * Add to Template:Surviving ocean going ships

= Article =

De Wadden is a ship.

Structure
De Wadden was constructed as a coasting cargo vessel, and was set out as a three-masted fore-and-aft auxiliary schooner with a long bowsprit. The ship has a beam of 7.44 m, a length of 35.60 m and a depth of 3.10 m. The hull was constructed from riveted steel. The ship is one of a few schooners to have water ballast tanks.

The ship was designed with the economy of crew in mind; her crew consisted of five men and a boy. She did not need to have a qualified marine engineer on board since she had sails. The ship also had a motor, which was almost always used when the ship was sailing, which meant that she was built with a flat bottom and shallow draught. While this meant that she didn't sail well without motors, it maximised the amount of cargo that the ship could hold whilst giving it the ability to enter small harbours. A motor winch in the forward deckhouse meant that cargo could be lifted on or off the vessel without extensive port facilities, and the ship was constructed with wide hatches to make it easier to load and unload cargo.

History
De Wadden was built in the Netherlands in 1917 by Gebr van Diepan, Waterhuizan, for the Netherlands Steamship Company, along with two sister ships, the De Dollart and De Lauwers. She was commissioned "in order to take advantage of the very lucrative trading conditions created by Dutch neutrality in the First World War, and it is vessels like her which provided the foundation for the continuing Dutch strength in the European short-sea trades". Originally equipped with a 125 horsepower 'SteyWal Dutch engine, which provided a maximum speed of five knots.

Continental sea trading suffered from a slump at the end of WWI in 1918, leading to De Wadden being sold in the 1920s due to a global shipping slump. Purchased by Richard Hall of Arklow, south Ireland, in 1922, and between 1922 and 1961 she was used to carry bulk cargoes between the River Mersey and various Irish ports. Typical cargoes included coal, pit props, china clay, mineral ores and grain. As a result, the ship was a frequent visitor to Liverpool during this era.

The original engine suffered a major failure, which led to it being replaced by a 80hp Bolinder engine that was bought from the Admiralty. An additional 50hp Kelvin engine was added to the port quarter to provide additional power. In January 1942, both engines were removed and were replaced by a sic cylinder 150 hp Crossley DR diesel.

The longest serving Captain was Victor Hall between 1933 and 1954. Victor took over ownership of the business that owned De Wadden after the death of his father, Richard Hall.

During WWII, De Wadden was one of a small number of ships (amongst others of her kind) that delivered essential supplies to the Irish Republic, while most ships were being used for the war. The ship made several trips to Portugal in 1944.

On 10th February 1960 the ship was slipped at Scott and Sons Bowling Ltd yard, Clyde. At the time, the ship did not have a cook, and each crew member took turns at doing the cooking. On the day, the designated cook used the same axe for cutting the meat as had been used for breaking up coal for the cooking range a few minutes earlier.

The ship was retired by the Halls in 1961 in favour of a modern motor coaster. Up until that point she had remained economical due to the combination of sail and motor power. She was purchased in 1961 by Mr McSweeney, and was subsequently used in Scotland for a variety of purposes from dredging sand to taking out fishing parties. Was used to transport sand from the Kyles of Bute to Dunoon; this was stopped by the authorities in 1977. Leisure charter fishing vessel.

Appeared in a number of films, including the BBC's The Onedin Line. Was the last trading sailing ship to use Liverpool's port. In 1980, the existing engine was replaced by a 450 hp Caterpillar Diesel engine. As of 1980, her sails had been removed, and her deck was made of tarmac. She may have also still been used to ferry sand at the time.

Preservation
In 1984, De Wadden was sold by Kenneth Kennedy of Dunoon to the Merseyside Maritime Museum. She was drydocked in 1987 to enable the ship's conversation and restoration. Has been in a graving dock for over 30 years.

In the early 1990s the Museum ran some tours of the ship and educational sessions. These were discontinued in order to enable further conservation work. The Merseyside Maritime Museum's Ship Keeping Department carried out conservation work on the ship between 1984 and 2001. It was determined that the most significant role of the ship had been its role as an Irish Sea trading vessel, and it was decided to restore the ship to the specification it had at that time. This meant that later changes to the ship needed to be reversed, such as the modifications to the main hatch coamings that were made during its time as a sand dredger.

As of 2010s, undergoing restoration in a dry birth in Liverpool, next to the Edmund Gardner. The ship symbolises the history of trade between Ireland and Liverpool. It is representative of the other coastal schooners of the era. Is one of only three surviving Irish Sea schooners. Is the only steel auxiliary schooner. The other two ships are the Kathleen and May (1900) and The Result (1893).

Is the last of many Arklow-owned and -manned sailing trading vessels that were used to train local boys and men in seamanship over several centuries. One of the last surviving Dutch motor schooners, and one of the earliest surviving vessels of its distinctive type. Represents the transitional phase from sail to diesel motor coasters developed in the 1920s (aka a transition from sail to mechanical propulsion. ) Was the last schooner or ketch using sails and operating in Ireland or Britain. Was the last vessel to regularly trade into the River Mersey that used sails.

Was briefly used in 2008 and 2009 to carry wine from France to the UK and Dublin.

Included in the British National Historic Ship list. Permanently in dry dock, close to Pier Head and Albert Dock. The conservation and restoration process includes the manufacture and fitting of new masts and bowsprit, along with extensive work on her steel hull. The purchase of the materials for the masts and bowsprit was funded by Victor Hall.