The 'Verity'


This mural is my tribute to the lost seafarers and to their families of the UK-registered cargo ship, 'Verity' which, tragically, sunk after a collision with the much larger Polish-managed bulker, the 'Polesie', on 24 October 2023 in a busy shipping lane off the island of Helgoland in the North Sea.

The 'Verity' was a regular visitor to Wicklow harbour loaded with scrap metal and ballast. She was admired by locals for her beautiful colouring.

The 'Verity' was carrying steel cargo from Bremen, Germany on route to the port of Immingham, Lincolnshire on the Humber Estuary. Of her crew of 7, only 2 survived, with the body of the ship's captain found, but the bodies of the other 4 crewmen not recovered. The crew came from the Philippines, Indonesia and Russia. None of the 22 crew members of the 'Polesie' were injured.The 'Verity' sank fully intact at the bottom of the seabed.  

Then, on 8th September 2024, Germany’s Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSV) reported that the salvage of the 'Verity' cargo ship, was completed overnight nearly a year after the vessel was lost in a collision. The wreck was raised from a depth of approximately 130 feet both to clear an important seaway and to assist in the ongoing investigation. During the operation, the remains of one missing seafarer were recovered.

The German are expected to complete an investigation into the collision in the near future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to My Blog

Image
  Hi everyone, For close on 50 years, I have been the resident artist of maritime murals on the East Pier of Wicklow Town Port in Ireland. This blog aims to create a digital record of my 70+ maritime-themed artworks, and the stories that inspired them, for your enjoyment and for posterity. The East Pier at Wicklow Port continues to be my second home where, as a marine artist, I love sharing my art with so many of you who enjoy walking along the pier from time to time. This vast outdoor canvas has enabled me to create a unique gallery of nautical-themed murals, thereby fulfilling my desire to make the pier a better place for everyone! Fascinated by ships from the age of 9, sketching became my childhood hobby, which I continued as I grew older - capturing visiting ships to the port in pencil sketches and ink drawings. In the summer of 1976, I got permission from the then local Harbour Master, Captain Willie Kinsella to retouch a mural of the Greek ship, the 'Eliana' which had bee...
Read more

The 'PS Waverly'

Image
  The 'PS Waverley' is the last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world.  She was named after Sir Walter Scott's first novel and was built in 1946 by A & J Inglis in Glasgow, Scotland to replace a 'PS Waverley' that was sunk in 1940 while helping to evacuate troops from Dunkirk. Bought in 1974 by a registered charity, the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS), and following a successful public fund-raising appeal, she was restored to her original 1946 appearance to operate passenger excursions around the British coast. I recall how the vessel's owners decided to operate a short series of passenger tours in 1984 from Dublin port and docking at Wicklow Town, Arklow, and on one occasion onward to Rosslare. A shorter series of tours was conducted in 1985 when I decided to create a mural of the 'Waverley' on the East Pier. I included a Scottish flag in honour of the vessel's Scottish roots. This coincided with my early years worki...
Read more

The 'Eliana'

Image
The Greek-registered cargo ship, the 'Eliana', was the first maritime mural painted on the old east pier. It was created by a crew member of the ship in 1971.  In 1976, I was requested by some local people to revive the piece as it had suffered deterioration. This was my first artwork on the pier. The 'Eliana' was a large vessel which regularly deliverd phosphate from Casablanca, Morocco to Wicklow Town harbour. This was used as a component for fertiliser that was produced in Arklow (the 'Eliana' being too large to birth there). I have fond boyhood memories of being allowed to play on the ship's decks and having my first 'foreign' meal there - spaghetti bollanaise!
Read more