# Indorita



## Peter Eccleson (Jan 16, 2006)

Anyone remember the coaster 'Indorita' - she plied the Irish Sea sailing into Holyhead on a few occasions. Often wonder what happened to her and/or who acttually owned her. Think she was Goole registered.


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## R58484956 (Apr 19, 2004)

MV Indorita, 201 tons built 1920 by I J Abdela & Mitchell, Queensferry.
108.6 x 22.1 x 9.4. Oil engine by Bollinger 2Cy 2S CSA. machinery aft. Registered Chester. British flag. Owned by Coppack Bros & Co;.


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## gdynia (Nov 3, 2005)

Peter Eccleson said:


> Anyone remember the coaster 'Indorita' - she plied the Irish Sea sailing into Holyhead on a few occasions. Often wonder what happened to her and/or who acttually owned her. Think she was Goole registered.


Peter
Photo on following

http://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/DATRhagorol/cgi-bin/rhestrarchif.english.pl?archiveid=12&parentid=54138


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## Peter Eccleson (Jan 16, 2006)

Thanks!
Bit far to push but.....wonder what happened to her? (*))


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## Geoff Bray (Jan 6, 2006)

When I was an apprentice ship fitter in Birkenhead (William Cubbin's)
I had the pleasure of working on the Indorita , doing some repairs, she had a very unique Bollinder engine, Swiss I believe. It was a two cylinder job, with a big blow lamp on each cylinder head that was fired by methylated spirits. you had to heat the cylinder head up before you tried to start the main engine. I actually sailed up the dock, and so got to experience the engine running.
That engine should have definatelyhave ended up in a museum.
She had a sister ship who's name escapes me
She was owned by Coppack Bros but carried cargo for Shotton iron works
Geoff Bray


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## Santos (Mar 16, 2005)

*Indorita*
Built by Abdela and Mitchell’s Queensferry, for John Summers Steel Works, Shotton. Launched 1920 and in service 1921. Inward cargoes of pig iron from Workington, ***bria and outward cargoes of steel sheets and basic ash. Dimensions 108’ x 22’ x 10’. Re-engined in 1958 with Crossley 240 b.h.p engine. Working life ended 1970.


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## duquesa (Aug 31, 2006)

Hello Geoff Bray. Been mulling over your post for some weeks and have finally dredged up some old notes from my boyhood ship spotting days. I think the name of the other Coppack Bros., vessel your were thinking of was the "Fleurita". She was not a sister though having been built earlier in 1913 and smaller at 171 gross. They have a few other old coasters, namely, "Bolham", "Hove" (I believe she may have been a steamer) and a slightly more modern "Normanby Hall". I have no idea what became of them. Always regarded them as a bit curious, probably on account of their age though why I should have taken this view I don't know being as I first went to sea on a ship built in 1896! Ho hum!


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## Geoff Bray (Jan 6, 2006)

Duquesa
Yes I remember the Fleurita now, I also remember and worked on the "Hove" she was a steamer. The Normanby Hall was a diesel coaster, I also remember the "Point of Aye" that was on the north wales run.
I was an apprentice in the ship repair business
Best Regards
Geoff Bray


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## GALTRA (Mar 7, 2006)

She was sold in 1971 to J.A.Hind, Bikenhead, who had hoped to bring her back into trading but nothing came of it and she was towed to Gijon, Spain in March 1974 to be scrapped. She did have a sister-ship though. ---- The ELDORITA, also built by I.J.Abdela and Mitchell Ltd; Queensferry in 1920 for John Summers, with a similar engine and also 108.6' x 22.1' x 9.4', 201 gt and 99 nt. Sold in 1946 to Hugh Shaw, Arlingham, Gloucester. and re-engined in 1949 with a 1935 Ruston and Hornsby Ltd; engine. Sold in 1963 to Colchester Shipping Co; Essex. On the 12th. Dec. 1966 she sank after developing severe leaks about 35 miles NNW of the Hook of Holland on voyage from S****horpe to Utrect with a cargo of beans. Crew saved..


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## price (Feb 2, 2006)

*Indorita/Eldorita*

An ex colleague of mine George Gray from the Moray Firth was master of either the 'Indorita' or the 'Eldorita', I forget which, his son sailed with him as a crew member, I remember the Coppack fleet well. in the 50s and 60s.
Bruce.


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## john shaw (Jun 23, 2006)

duquesa said:


> Hello Geoff Bray. Been mulling over your post for some weeks and have finally dredged up some old notes from my boyhood ship spotting days. I think the name of the other Coppack Bros., vessel your were thinking of was the "Fleurita". She was not a sister though having been built earlier in 1913 and smaller at 171 gross. They have a few other old coasters, namely, "Bolham", "Hove" (I believe she may have been a steamer) and a slightly more modern "Normanby Hall". I have no idea what became of them. Always regarded them as a bit curious, probably on account of their age though why I should have taken this view I don't know being as I first went to sea on a ship built in 1896! Ho hum!


Normanby Hall,332 tons, wrecked off Kilroot,Ireland 1965 ,cargo flour/cattlefodder, Birkenhead/Belfast


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## Trader (Jul 1, 2005)

On leaving school in 1950 I worked in a shipbrokers office in Manchester (A.E. Bowen Ltd.) who were agents for Coppack Bros. The "Indorita", "Eldorita" and "Normanby Hall" did the occasional trip to Pomona Dock in Manchester with Granite chippings and Dust from Penmaenmawr and Trevor, N.Wales.
I got a taste for the sea by going aboard all the ships with the mail, wages etc. and after 18 months I packed the job in and went to sea.
Trader.


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## Ken Davies (Oct 25, 2008)

Hi Peter,
R.S Fenton gives all the gen about Indorita and Coppack's other vessel in his 'Cambrian Coasters.' Tom Coppack's book 'A lifetime with ships' is also a great read.
She was built for Summers in 1920 and bought by Coppacks along with Fleurita after the war. Indorita got a 6 cylinder Crossley engine in 1958. She was adapted as a drilling rig during the sixties and worked in the Mersey and off Wylfa Head in Anglesey. I She was sold to JA Hind of B'head in 1971 and in 1974 was towed to Huelva for breaking.
Hope this is helpful
Ken Davies


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## laphroig20 (Feb 3, 2011)

*idorita*

i sailed on both the indorita and normanby hall in the 60,s. the skipper of the idorita was dai jones from connah,s quay, and the normanby hall wich sank off kilroot ireland was skippered by frank sweet from shotton
laphroig20


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## walshproperty (Feb 6, 2011)

when I was on the indorita in 65/66 she was skippered by frank sweet, mate was jack cathrine, any news on this?
mike ex engineer indorita


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## clydesiderman (Nov 28, 2004)

In the website www.ArdrossanShips.com there are three entries listing Indorita at Ardrossan. In 1965 the master was Jones, and in 1967 the master was Sweet.


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## laphroig20 (Feb 3, 2011)

*indorita*

the skipper was f sweet mate jack catherine chief eng jim fitzgerald2nd eng jgallagher deckhands john lenton, dai williams ,cook smudger smith
indoita skjpper bill jones mate kevin duggan chief eng j gallagher


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## Bjorne (Dec 26, 2008)

*Bolinder engine*



Geoff Bray said:


> When I was an apprentice ship fitter in Birkenhead (William Cubbin's)
> I had the pleasure of working on the Indorita , doing some repairs, she had a very unique Bollinder engine, Swiss I believe. It was a two cylinder job, with a big blow lamp on each cylinder head that was fired by methylated spirits. you had to heat the cylinder head up before you tried to start the main engine. I actually sailed up the dock, and so got to experience the engine running.
> That engine should have definatelyhave ended up in a museum.
> She had a sister ship who's name escapes me
> ...


Bolinder engines was swedish engines. There might be that they was licensed to other countries but the orginal was swedish.
BR
Björn


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## Alfmurphy (Apr 4, 2012)

My late father in law was Kevin Duggan, he spoke for years about the Indorita, Fleurita and Normanby Hall which he was aboard at time it sank. Does anybody remember him please? I have a very small poor quality photo of him aboard Indorita, does anyone have any better pics please? Alf


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## laphroig20 (Feb 3, 2011)

*fleurita*

the fleurita was sold to the glenlight shipping glasgow and sank just off islay, she had been renamed limelight by this time


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## danube4 (Aug 20, 2005)

Laphroig20.
The "CRISTO" was sold to glenlight shipping and sank off Islay.

She was named renamed Limelight. I was on the Cristo for about 12 months in the early 50s running out of Liverpool.

Barney.(Danube 4)


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## laphroig20 (Feb 3, 2011)

sorry about wrong information about fleurita, she actually sank in 1965


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## Ken Glasdir (Jan 1, 2009)

laphroig20 said:


> i sailed on both the indorita and normanby hall in the 60,s. the skipper of the idorita was dai jones from connah,s quay, and the normanby hall wich sank off kilroot ireland was skippered by frank sweet from shotton
> laphroig20


Would welcome contact to chew the cud
Ken Davies (Glasdir)
[email protected]


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## Ken Glasdir (Jan 1, 2009)

Would welcome contact to chew the cud
Ken Davies (Glasdir)
[email protected]


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## laphroig20 (Feb 3, 2011)

i sailed with kevin onthe indorita, i was also on the normanby hall for over a year with frank sweet
john gallagher


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## Ken Glasdir (Jan 1, 2009)

*Kevin Duggan*



Alfmurphy said:


> My late father in law was Kevin Duggan, he spoke for years about the Indorita, Fleurita and Normanby Hall which he was aboard at time it sank. Does anybody remember him please? I have a very small poor quality photo of him aboard Indorita, does anyone have any better pics please? Alf


Hi Alf: Sorry to hear of Kevin's passing. I have a good photo of him aged about 18 along with me and Joe Keane of Cobh. Make contact if you wish:
[email protected]


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## Ken Glasdir (Jan 1, 2009)

Hi Alf: Sorry to hear of Kevin's passing. I have a good photo of him aged about 18 along with me and Joe Keane of Cobh. Make contact if you wish:
[email protected]


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## Ken Glasdir (Jan 1, 2009)

*Kvin Duggan*



Alfmurphy said:


> My late father in law was Kevin Duggan, he spoke for years about the Indorita, Fleurita and Normanby Hall which he was aboard at time it sank. Does anybody remember him please? I have a very small poor quality photo of him aboard Indorita, does anyone have any better pics please? Alf


Knew Kevin well and have a good photo, Alf
Look forward to hearing from you
[email protected]


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## batchman (Nov 9, 2019)

walshproperty said:


> when I was on the indorita in 65/66 she was skippered by frank sweet, mate was jack cathrine, any news on this?
> mike ex engineer indorita


Remember Frank Sweet and the Indorita very well. From 1963 to about 1968, I worked for Frank Armitt & Son in Runcorn (Agents/brokers). I remember the first time I went on board. She was berthed at a high wall in the docks (about the same height as the top of her masts). The dock ladder was nearly non existent, and the only way I could get on board was to ask the stevedores to hoist me with the crane.Happy days. Health & safety didn't exist in those days. She was a regular at Runcorn loading bagged salt for Ireland.


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## Barrie Youde (May 29, 2006)

In terms of nostalgia, of which all of us here are guilty, the significance of Coppack's Indorita and Normanby Hall is that they were (as far as I know) the last two sea-going commercial traders registered in Chester, in a line of trade from there since Roman times. Trade to and from the Dee continues (if sporadically) to the present day, not least via the export of Airbus wings from Broughton to Toulouse for the construction of aircraft. Broughton and its loading-berth are, however, at some distance downstream below Chester, where Indorita and Normanby Hall were both registered.

I've never met any of the Coppack family but I'm pleased to confirm (and dammit, I'm proud, too) to confirm that my own ancestors also were Chester shipowners in the early nineteenth century, via my twice-great grandfather Captain John Gorham, who was owner of the topsail-schooner Cheshire Lass and also the schooner May (originally of Pugwash, Nova Scotia), both of which were engaged then in the trade in Cheshire cheese from the then enormous dairy-farm otherwise known as the county of Cheshire, exporting into all of northern Europe. All of the cheese was loaded at the Crane Wharf in Chester, which wharf is adjacent to the Lock into the Shropshire Union Canal. ( The ancient Cheshire Cheese tavern in Fleet Street, London is well-known. I wonder how it got its name? I have been there many times in salutation of the name of John Gorham.)

Such are the quirks, foibles and variations of family life that I knew virtually nothing of this until a little more than fifteen years ago (about 2004). It was brought to my attention through the research of some distant cousins. My father (in 2004) was aged 94, with eyes locked on the future and with scant regard for history - and even for family history. When I challenged my Dad then (razor-sharp, but in the last months of his life) about the Gorhams, Dad simply piped up, "Oh yes, we owned the cheese-boats."

Cunard we were not, nor Holt nor Vestey nor Weir nor Ellerman. But we could look the Coppacks in the eye!


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## capkelly (Feb 13, 2006)

Eldorita brings back memories, docked here Youghal a few times and Michael one of the O'Brien brothers ( Willie and Jack were mainly deep sea, sailed with both) was on her for a few years. All fine fishermen/seamen now unfortunately crossed the bar.


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## batchman (Nov 9, 2019)

walshproperty said:


> when I was on the indorita in 65/66 she was skippered by frank sweet, mate was jack cathrine, any news on this?
> mike ex engineer indorita


Hi Mike, sorry for delay in replying - I was a young lad working for Frank Armitt & Son in Runcorn. We always had the agency when the Indorita came to Runcorn area. From memory, she had a dwcc of about 250 tons, and her nett tonnage was 110.28. Strange how you remember things like that - I've got to think what I had for breakfast today. She was loading bag salt once, when I was only about 16, and the dock wall was so high at one berth, even the top of the masts didn't reach the quay. The dock ladders were nearly non existent. The crane driver got me to sit on a pallet of salt and "loaded" me on to the ship, and off after I'd seen Frank. Health & Safety?? Happy days.


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## BillH (Oct 10, 2007)

FLEURITA	
O.N. 124627	171g 92n	103.2 x 22.1 x 8.3_feet
2-cyl. 2SCSA oil engine by J. och C.G. Bolinders Mekaniska Verksted, Stockholm, Sweden.
1913: Completed by I.J. Abdela and Mitchell Ltd., Queensferry (Yard No.351) for John Summers and Sons Ltd., Queensferry as FLEURITA. 
1945: Sold to Coppacks of Connah's Quay. 
1961: Fitted with 4-cyl. 2SCSA oil engine made by Crossley Brothers Ltd., Manchester. 
1961: Sold to Civil and Marine Ltd., London. 
29.1.1965: Foundered one and a half miles north east of the Barrow Deep Lightvessel after being abandoned by her crew two miles south southwest of the Gunfleet Light when she developed a leak in heavy seas whilst on a voyage from Felixstowe to London with a cargo of sand and stone.

INDORITA	
O.N. 144884	201g 99n	108.6 x 22.1 x 9.4_feet
2-cyl. 2SCSA oil engine by J. och C.G. Bolinders Mekaniska Verksted, Stockholm, Sweden.
8.1920: Completed by I.J. Abdela and Mitchell Ltd., Queensferry (Yard No.408) for John Summers and Sons Ltd., Queensferry as INDORITA. 
1946: Sold to Coppacks of Connah's Quay. 
1958: Fitted with 6-cyl. 2SCSA oil engine made by Crossley Brothers Ltd., Manchester. Tonnages became 203g and 110n. 
1971: Sold to J.A. Hind, Birkenhead. 
26.3.1974: Arrived at Gijon in tow to be broken up by Desguaces Hevia, who began work next day.

ELDORITA	
O.N. 145689	201g 99n	108.6 x 22.1 x 9.4 feet
2-cyl. 2SCSA oil engine by J. och C.G. Bolinders Mekaniska Verksted, Stockholm, Sweden.
9.1920: Completed by I.J. Abdela and Mitchell Ltd., Queensferry (Yard No.409) for John Summers and Sons Ltd., Shotton as ELDORITA. 
1946: Sold to Hugh Shaw, Arlingham, Gloucester. 
1949: Fitted with 4-cyl. 4SCSA oil engine made in 1935 by Ruston and Hornsby, Lincoln.
1963: Sold to the Colchester Shipping Co. (Richard S. Banyard, manager), Tiptree, Essex.
12.12.1966: Foundered in position 52.06N, 03.00E after developing leaks about thirty five miles north north west of the Hook of Holland whilst on a voyage from S****horpe to Utrecht with a cargo of beans.


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