View source for SS Irish Pine (1919)

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
<!--{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image               =
| Ship caption             = 
}}-->
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header              =
| Ship name                =*''West Hematite'' (1919-41)
*''Irish Pine'' (1941-42)
| Ship owner               =*United States Maritime Commission (1919- )
*United States Shipping Board (1933-43)
| Ship operator            =*Cosmo Shipping Co (1919-21)
*United States Maritime Commission (1921- )
*United States Shipping Board (1933--41)
*Irish Shipping Ltd (1941-42)
| Ship registry            =*{{flagicon|United States|1912}} Seattle (1919-41)
*{{flagicon|Ireland}} Dublin (1941-42)
| Ship route               = Bordeaux - Rotterdam - Le Havre - New York (1919-21)
| Ship ordered             =
| Ship builder             = J F Duthie, Seattle, Washington
| Ship original cost       =
| Ship yard number         = 23
| Ship way number          =
| Ship laid down           =
| Ship launched            = 26 April 1919
| Ship completed           = June 1919
| Ship christened          =
| Ship acquired            =
| Ship maiden voyage       =
| Ship in service          =
| Ship out of service      = 16 November 1942
| Ship identification      =*United States [[Official number]] 218111 (1919-41)
*United Kingdom Official number 159843 (1941-42)
*Code Letters LRGF (1930-33)
*{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Romeo}}{{ICS|Golf}}{{ICS|Foxtrot}}
*Code Letters KLCS (1934-41)
*{{ICS|Kilo}}{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Charlie}}{{ICS|Sierra}}
*Code Letters EINQ (1941-42)
*{{ICS|Echo}}{{ICS|India}}{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Quebec}}
| Ship fate                = Torpedoed and sunk by ''U-608''
| Ship notes               =
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header              =
| Header caption           =
| Ship class               =
| Ship tonnage             =*{{GRT|5,621}}
*3,491 [[Deadweight tonnage|DWT]]
| Ship displacement        =
| Ship length              =*{{convert|409|ft|7|in|m|2|abbr=on}} (''West Hematite'', 1930)
*{{convert|410|ft|4|in|m|2|abbr=on}} (''Irish Pine'', 1941)
| Ship beam                =*{{convert|54|ft|2|in|m|2|abbr=on}} (''West Hematite'', 1930)
*{{convert|54|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} (''Irish Pine'', 1941)
| Ship height              =
| Ship draught             =
| Ship draft               =
| Ship depth               =*{{convert|27|ft|7|in|m|2|abbr=on}} (''West Hematite'', 1930)
*{{convert|30|ft|2|in|m|2|abbr=on}} (''Irish Pine'', 1941)
| Ship decks               =
| Ship deck clearance      =
| Ship ramps               =
| Ship ice class           =
| Ship sail plan           =
| Ship power               = 1 x triple expansion steam engine
| Ship propulsion          = Single screw
| Ship speed               = {{convert|10.5|kn|km/h}}
| Ship capacity            =
| Ship crew                = 33
| Ship notes               = Built to Design 1013
}}
|}

'''''Irish Pine''''' was a {{GRT|5621|link=off}} cargo ship which was built in 1919 for the [[United States Maritime Commission]] (USMC) and named '''''West Hematite'''''. She was [[bareboat charter|chartered]] in 1941 by [[Irish Shipping|Irish Shipping Ltd]] and renamed ''Irish Pine''. On 16 November 1942, ''Irish Pine'' was [[torpedo]]ed and sunk by {{GS|U-608||2}}.

==Description==
The ship was built to [[Design 1013 ship|Design 1013]] by [[J. F. Duthie & Company]], [[Seattle, Washington]], was launched on 26 April 1919 and completed in June of that year.<ref name=Miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=2218111|access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> The ship was {{convert|409|ft|7|in|m|2}} long, with a beam of {{convert|54|ft|2|in|m|2}} and a depth of {{convert|27|ft|2|in|m|2}}. She was propelled by a [[triple expansion steam engine]] which had cylinders of {{convert|24.5|in|cm}}, {{convert|41.5|in|cm}} and {{convert|72|in|cm}} bore and {{convert|48|in|cm}} stroke. It was built by the Llewellyn Iron Works, [[Los Angeles]].<ref name=Hematite>{{cite web|url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/30/30b1293.pdf |title=Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships|publisher=Plimsoll Ship Data |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> She could make {{convert|10.5|kn|km/h}}.<ref name=Miramar/>

''Irish Pine'' was recorded in [[Lloyd's Register]] as being  {{convert|410|ft|4|in|m|2}} long, with a beam of  {{convert|54|ft|m|2}} and a depth of {{convert|30|ft|2|in|m|2}}.<ref name=Pine/>

==History==
''West Hematite'' was built for the USMC.<ref name=Uboat>{{cite web|url=http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/2434.html |title=Irish Pine |publisher=Uboat |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> She was initially chartered to Cosmo Shipping Co and was used on the [[Bordeaux]] – [[Rotterdam]] – [[Le Havre]] – [[New York City|New York]] route.<ref name=Ellis>{{cite web|url=https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/ship |title=West Hematite |publisher=Ellis Island |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> On 16 February 1923, she ran aground in the [[Weser]]. The American cargo ship {{SS|Schroon||2}} went to her assistance and also ran aground.<ref name=Times170223>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Casualty reports |date=17 February 1923 |page=19 |issue=43268 |column=G }}</ref> By 1933, she had passed to the [[United States Shipping Board]] (USSB).<ref name=Hematite/> She was later withdrawn from service and placed in the reserve fleet.<ref name=Uboat/>

[[File:The Seamen's Memorial - Limerick City (35173970954).jpg|thumb|left|Memorial dedicated to men who lost their lives on SS Irish Pine]]
On 26 September 1941,<ref name=Uboat/> ''West Hematite'' was chartered from the USSB by Irish Shipping Ltd and renamed ''Irish Pine''. {{SS|Irish Oak|1919|2}} was also chartered from the USSB.<ref name=Forde>{{cite book|last=Forde|first=Frank|title=The Long Watch|publisher=New Island Books|location=Dublin|page=40|orig-year=1981|year=2000|isbn=1-902602-42-0}}</ref> On 4 August 1942, the [[Union-Castle Line|Union-Castle Line's]] {{MV|Richmond Castle|1939|2}} was torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-176||2}} off [[Cape Farewell, Greenland|Cape Farewell]]. ''Irish Pine'' rescued 15 of the 50 survivors and landed them at [[Kilrush]].<ref name=Richmond>{{cite web |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/1942/08/04.htm |title=August 4th, 1942 |publisher=Andrew Etherington |access-date=3 December 2009 |archive-date=23 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023090309/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/1942/08/04.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

At 00:15 on 16 November 1942, ''Irish Pine'' was hit by a single torpedo from ''U-608''.  Although the 33 crew started to take to the [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboats]], the ship sank at 00:17, costing everyone on board their life.<ref name=Uboat/> Her position was {{coord|42|45|N|58|00|W|display=inline, title}}, in the North Atlantic south of [[Cape Breton Island]], Canada.<ref name=Miramar/> [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] had not declared war on [[Nazi Germany|Germany]], and therefore ''Irish Pine'' was a neutral vessel.<ref name=Neutral>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishseamensrelativesassociation.org/Crews%201.htm |title=Neutral Irish registered vessels and their crews lost as a result of belligerent action during 1939 - 46 |publisher=Irish Seamen's Relatives Association |access-date=9 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005032729/http://www.irishseamensrelativesassociation.org/Crews%201.htm |archive-date=October 5, 2008 }}</ref>

==Official number and code letters==
Official Numbers were a forerunner to [[IMO ship identification number|IMO Number]]s. ''West Hematite'' had the United States Official Number 218111.<ref name=Hematite/> Irish Pine had the United Kingdom Official Number 159843.<ref name=Pine>{{cite web|url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/42/42b0431.pdf |title=Lloyd's Register, Navires a Vapeur et a Moteurs|publisher=Plimsoll Ship Data |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref>

''West Hematite'' used the [[Code Letters]] LRGF from 1930<ref name=Hematite/> and KLCS from 1934.<ref name=Hematite2>{{cite web|url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/34/34b0908.pdf |title=Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships |publisher=Plimsoll Ship Data |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> ''Irish Pine'' used the Code Letters EINQ.<ref name=Pine/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.irishships.com/irish_shipping_ltd.html Irishships - Irish Shipping Ltd]
*[http://www.irishseamensrelativesassociation.org/Irish%20Pine%20Crew.htm List of crew lost on ''Irish Pine''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215073543/http://www.irishseamensrelativesassociation.org/Irish%20Pine%20Crew.htm |date=2010-02-15 }}

{{Design 1013 ships}}
{{Irish Shipping}}
{{1923 shipwrecks}}
{{November 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish Pine}}
[[Category:1919 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built by J. F. Duthie & Company]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United States]]
[[Category:Merchant ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Steamships of the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Independent Ireland in World War II]]
[[Category:Maritime history of Ireland]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1923]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1942]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Ships lost with all hands]]
[[Category:Design 1013 ships]]