ME Johnson

Official Number 76895

Launch reported in the Barrow Times, Saturday, 4th October 1879, page 5, col.2:

" LAUNCH OF A SCHOONER -  A new three-masted schooner, 128 tons gross register, was launched from the shipbuilding yard of Messrs. W. Ashburner and Sons, Hindpool, on the 1st inst. She is to be commanded by Captain Johnson, late master of the schooner R & MJ Charnley. She was christened by Mr. James Postlethwaite, of Gleaston, "ME Johnson" after the captain's wife. She is classed A1 at Lloyd's for 10 years. The builders are the managing owners. She is to load early next week for the Bristol Channel. The sails were made by the Barrow Sailmaking Company. "

In April 1909 at an auction at Connah's Quay the ME Johnson was sold for £1110 to Irish owners, Capts. Frank Tyrrell and Thomas Price, and members of the Kearon family, all of Arklow.  The auction was the last of a series in which the remaining vessels of Thomas Ashburner's fleet were disposed of, and it included the Result and the James Postlethwaite. Basil Greenhill reports in his book "The Merchant Schooners" that there was intense competition for the ME Johnson between the Irishmen and an Appledore shipbuilder, Philip Kelly Harris. The ME Johnson went for a higher price than her newer and larger sisters, and perhaps this was due to the competitive bidding. Reportedly Harris was so disappointed with his failure that he secured Richard Ashburner's services to design a similar ship for him. This he built himself, was named the PT Harris and was launched at Appledore in 1912.

The ME Johnson visited Barrow-in-Furness for the last time on the 11th November 1953, arriving from Dublin via Holyhead. She grounded on a sandbank near Piel Island and had to be pulled clear by a tug before she could berth. Five days later she left Barrow and sailed to the Clyde in a single day. Returning to Arklow early in December, a heavy sea pushed her to the wrong side of the South pier as she tried to enter the harbour. With their ship grounded and pinned to the sea wall by the wind and waves, the crew abandoned her, being taken off by the Arklow lifeboat. Within a day the ME Johnson had disintegrated under the force of the gale.

" LIFEBOAT'S DUAL RESCUE : In a northerly gale and high seas, the Arklow lifeboat last night towed a crippled fishing boat to harbour and then rescued the captain and four members of the crew of a wrecked schooner which was splintering against the pier-head. The fishing vessel was the Pride of Leinster, a local boat, whose captain and owner, James Murray, sent up flares about 9 p.m. The Arklow lifeboat towed her to harbour. As the two boats were entering the harbour, the motor schooner, M.E.Johnson, was seen to be carried by the strong seas against the outside of the pier. The lifeboat completed her tow, turned about and rescued Captain Jack Rezin, and the four members of his crew from the foundering schooner, the M.E.Johnson. The lifeboat itself was damaged as waves crashed against the side of the stricken vessel, and two attempts had to be made to bring the rescue craft in close enough for the schooner's crew to jump to safety. One member of the lifeboat's crew of eight was slightly injured when stanchions of the boat buckled under the impact, but he was able to go to his home in Arklow last night after treatment. The M.E.Johnson is owned by Kieron and Tyrrell, of Arklow. She is a motor-vessel of 180 tons gross. She was bringing a cargo of coal from Glasgow. Although it was not possible late last night to say whether she was a total wreck, it was clear that the vessel was badly damaged. None of her crew, all of whom are Arklowmen, was injured, although they had a severe buffeting and were in grave danger for a while. This was the second shipwreck of the week off the east coast. The fishing-boat, Star of Ulster, went aground and sank off Skerries on Tuesday. Her crew was saved.

BUSIEST NIGHT : This is the story of the Arklow lifeboat's busiest night for years, as told to an Irish Times reporter last night by Mr.John Hayes, mechanic of the lifeboat : ' Our first call,' he said, ' was from the fishing boat Pride of Leinster, which was burning flares about three miles north-east of the harbour. This was about nine o'clock. We discovered that the engine had failed, and took the boat in tow. There was a gale of northerly wind and a very rough sea. On board the Pride of Leinster were the skipper, James Murray, with his crew of Dick Mills, Robert Bulger, and two others. Just as we approached the harbour entrance with the boat in tow we noticed the motor vessel, M.E.Johnson, going in towards the harbour. The seas threw her on the wrong side of the pier head, and she went aground behind the south pier. We towed the Pride of Leinster to safety within the harbour, and at once went back to the M.E.Johnson. The seas were bad, and we could not get in on the lea side. We had to go in on the weather side, which is a dangerous operation. The M.E.Johnson was close to the pier head and crashing up against the back of the pier........The lifeboat was damaged. At the second effort the members of the crew were able to jump into the lifeboat and we landed them safely about 11 p.m. At one point we got a nasty crack against the side of the M.E.Johnson, and one of the members of our crew received slight leg injuries when the boat's stanchions gave way.'

The captain of the M.E.Johnson is Captain Jack Rezin. The crew consisted of Patrick O'Brien, Harbour road, Arklow, mate; Michael Danget, Arklow, engineer, and Edward Fork, Arklow, cook. During the rescue members of the coast lifesaving service stood by. Coxswain of the lifeboat last night was Anthony Weadock and the crew was Christopher Gaffney,(second coxswain), John Hayes (mechanic), William Kenny, William Tyrell, Patrick O'Brien, Peter White and George Greene."

Sources :

1. "Arklow - Last Stronghold of Sail" Jim Rees and Liam Charlton (2nd ed. 1986).
2. The Wicklow People (newspaper), 4th and 11th December, 1953.
3. The Ashburner Schooners, ISBN 0-95-16792-0-1