From SN Guides
Introduction
Court Line used the name Ilvington Court for two ships:
- Ilvington Court (1) - a cargo ship completed in 1911 as Dalebank - the subject of this entry.
- Ilvington Court (2) - a cargo ship launched in 1924
Ilvington Court (1) had a short working life of 6 years as she was sunk by enemy action during WW1 in December 1917.
Basic Data
- Type: Cargo ship
- Registered owners,managers and operators: Dalecrest Steamship Co. Ltd - Management Harold Taylor & A. Worthington
- Builders: Northumberland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
- Yard: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- Country: UK
- Yard number: 184
- Registry: N/K
- Official number: 131365
- Signal letters: N/K
- Call sign: N/K
- Classification society: N/K
- Gross tonnage: 4,217
- Net tonnage: 2,721
- Deadweight: N/K
- Length: 380 ft
- Breadth: 49.6 ft
- Depth: 26.4 ft
- Draught: N/K
- Engines: Single triple expansion steam engine
- Engine builders: Richardson, Westgarth & Co. Ltd.
- Works: Hartlepool
- Country: UK
- Power: N/K
- Propulsion: Single screw
- Speed: 10 knots
- Cargo capacity:N/K
- Crew: N/K
- Employment: General purpose cargo vessel
Career Highlights
- 31 May1911: Launched as Dalebank
- Jul 1911: Completed
- 1913: Purchased by Court Line Co. Ltd. - managers Haldinstein & Co. Ltd. and renamed Ilvington Court
- 1915: Managers restyled as Haldin & Co.Ltd.
- 6 Dec 1917: Sunk by enemy action during WW1
History before WW1
No information currently available.
War Service WW1
External Resource #2 provides the following account:
She had loaded flour and ammunition at St. John (NB) for Northern France in March 1916. There was no convoy system at this time but she was to be given an escort from 200 miles SW of Ireland. However she mercifully stopped to rescue some 131 survivors from two torpedoed ships, the first of which made her late at the escort picking-up point. This delay probably saved her from destruction as the second ship was torpedoed at the pick-up location.
However she was later destroyed when torpedoed and sunk 8 miles WNW of Cape Shershel, 60 miles west of Algiers, while on a voyage from the UK to Malta with coal, armour plating and Govt. Stores on 6th December that year and 8 crew were lost.
No information further information is currently available about who fired the torpedo but the names of those lost were supplied by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and are included in the Roll of Honour below. All of these names are recorded on the Tower Hill Memorial.
Roll of Honour
|
List of those that lost their lives
|
| Surname.
| Forenames
| Description
| Age and other information
|
| DIXON
| William Henry
| Carpenter
| Age 63. Son of the late John and Elizabeth Dixon; husband of Isabella Dixon (nee Bell), of 47, Norfolk St., North Shields. Born at Penshaw.
|
| GILLIES
| Kenneth
| Boatswain
| Age 25. Son of Catherine Gillies, of Eriskay, South Uist, Inverness-shire, and the late Donald Gillies.
|
| MacDONALD
| Norman
| Sailor
| Age 22. Son of William and Marion MacDonald, of Drinishadder, Tarbert, Harris, Inverness.
|
| McLENNAN
| Norman
| Sailor
| Age 23. Son of the late Norman and Catherine McLellan (nee Cunningham). Born at Harris, Inverness.
|
| MULLALLY
| James
| Fireman and Trimmer
| Age 45. (Served as McNALLY). Son of the late Patrick and Johanna Mullally; husband of the late Mary Mullally (nee Reilly). Born at Rathdowney, Queen's Co.
|
| POWER
| Michael
| Donkeyman
| Age 59. Son of the late Lawrence, and Catherine Power. Born at Waterford.
|
| SALTER
| Frederick William
| Fourth Engineer Officer
| Age 20. Son of Frederick and Esther Williams Salter (nee Holes), of 2, Argyle Rd., Dorchester Rd., Weymouth. Born at Portsmouth.
|
| TAIT
| Charles
| Ordinary Seaman
| Age 23. Son of Mary Tait, of Springfield Cottage, Culcabock, Inverness. Born at Inverness.
|
| WATSON
| Joseph
| Mate
| Age 46. Husband of Mary Todd Watson (nee Lawson), of 1, Vane Terrace, Seaham Harbour, Co. Durham. Born at Seaham Harbour.
|
|
| They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
| 
|
External resources
- Miramar Ship Index: http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
- Norman Middlemiss: Travel of the Tramps - Twenty Tramp Fleets ISBN: 1871128021
- Information provided by Clive Ketley and John Powell
- Information provided to Benjidog by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Images
So far no images of Ilvington Court (1) have been located.
Contributors
- Original material and construction of page by Benjidog
