&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:SS_Irish_Willow.jpg) Oil painting by Kenneth King from the deck of U-boat U-753, signalling to Irish Willow "send master and ships papers" National Maritime Museum of Ireland
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Lake Sunapee |
| Owner | United States Shipping Board (1918–23) |
| Operator |
|
| Launched | 28 December 1917 |
| Out of service | 1921–23 |
| United States | |
| Name | Frank Lynch |
| Owner | W.J. Gray, San Francisco (1923–37) |
 Greece | |
| Name | Nestor |
| Owner | George D. Gratsos and Co Ltd. (1937–38) |
 Estonia | |
| Name | Otto |
| Owner | K. Jurnas (1938–1946) |
 Ireland | |
| Name | Irish Willow |
| Owner | K. Jurnas; M/s Egon Jurgenson (1938–1946) |
| Operator | Irish Shipping Limited (1942–46) |
| Route | Saint John, New Brunswick to Ireland(1942–45) |
| Fate | Returned to owners 6 May 1946, then sold |
 Panama | |
| Name | Veraguas |
| Owner | Cia de Vapores (1946–60) |
| Fate | 26 July 1960 Broken up by J Boel et fils |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Lake freighter[1] |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 252 ft (76.8 m) |
| Beam | 43 ft 5 in (13.2 m) |
| Depth | 18 ft 9 in (5.7 m) |
| Decks | 1 |
| Propulsion |
|
| Capacity | 130,000 cubic feet (3,681 m3) |
Irish Willow was one of the few ships which maintained Irish trade during World War II.
At the outbreak of World War II, sometimes referred to in Ireland as "The Emergency",[3][4] Ireland declared neutrality and became isolated as never before.[5] Although Ireland had a substantial food surplus, there were shortages of specific foods such as fruits, wheat and tea. There were very few Irish ships as shipping had been neglected[6] since independence. Foreign ships which had transported Irish cargoes, before the war, were soon unavailable.
No country had ever been more effectively blockaded because of the activities of belligerents and our lack of ships ...
Otto, an Estonian ship, was in Cobh when the Republic of Estonia was annexed by the USSR. In October 1941 trustees for the absent owners leased her to Irish Shipping. She was renamed Irish Willow,[7] She made 18 voyages to Saint John, New Brunswick, returning with wheat. She also exported food to Britain and imported coal. Initially Irish ships sailed in British convoys. In the light of experience they chose to sail alone, relying on their neutral markings. German respect for that neutrality varied from friendly to tragic.
- ^ Cleare p. 60
- ^ Spong p. 28
- ^ Share (preface p.ix)
- ^ "Existence of National Emergency". Dáil debates. 77. Government of Ireland: 19–20. 2 September 1939. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ Ferriter, What If?, p. 100: (Quoting Garvin) "Irish isolationism was a very powerful cultural sentiment at that time".
- ^ Sweeney p. 204
- ^ Cleare p. 62