Ilala

Official Number 86254

The Ilala was an iron full-rigged ship built by the Whitehaven Ship Building Co. at Whitehaven, launched 27th September 1882. She had a poop deck 50 feet long and a  forecastle 27 feet long. Her initial owners were Lowden, Edgar & Co.of Liverpool, later to become W.Lowden & Co. As with many of Lowden's iron sailing ships (eg. Eskdale, Ladstock) the Ilala was sold to Norwegian owners, though she was not re-named. From 1903 her owners were Hansen & Anderssen, of Larvik, then from 1916 she was owned at Sandefjord.

On the 5th March 1917 the Ilala developed a leak after being dismasted, at 50.30 N, 25.30 W (600 nm W of Ireland), on a voyage from Buenos Aires to Vaksdal with a maize cargo. The vessel was abandoned, the crew being picked up by the British steamship Albanian. The British ship was an armed merchantman, and she sank the hulk by gunfire, considering her to be a navigation hazard.
 

Sources :

1. Lloyds Register of Shipping 1886-7
2. "Shipbuilding in Whitehaven - A Checklist" by Harry Fancy, Whitehaven Museum (1984)
3. Mariners and ships in Australian Waters - the Ilala arrived at Sydney, Australia, from Liverpool in February 1883.
4. New Zealand Maritime Index - the Ilala arrived at Wellington, NZ, from Liverpool in 1899.
5. There are three photographs of this ship (1, 2, 3) in the Pictures Catalogue of the State Library of Victoria - it states there that the Ilala was abandoned at sea, but gives no date.
6. Photo available at the San Francisco Public Library website.
7. University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections - Photo of the crew on the deck of the sailing vessel Ilala, Capt.J.T.Thorburn, at Puget Sound port, Washington, ca. 1904.
8. Mystic Seaport Library Ship Register Search has shipping register details from 1884 to 1900.
9. Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 1885 - names master as Capt.J.H.Chellew (who later commanded the Netherby), owner as Lowden, Edgar & Co.
10. Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 1890 - names master as Capt.Parsell, owner as Lowden, Edgar & Co.
11. Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 1895 - names master as Capt.A.Davies, owner as W.Lowden & Co.
12. Norsk Skipsfartshistorisk Selskap (Norwegian Shipping History Society)