SS Ida: iron screw steamer built Palmer Bros, Jarrow, 1865. ON 49737.
824grt, 645nrt, 211.6 x 28.0 x 17.0ft
Engine 90hp
Built for Malcolmson Bros., Waterford
1866 owned Liverpool, Cork & Rotterdam SS Co., E. Pike, Cork.
Sunk by collision with SS City of Brooklyn 15 November 1871 near Crosby LV.
Captain McCabe; crew of 23 saved, except 2nd mate lost.
Wreck dispersed with explosives by February 1872.
From: Manchester Evening News, Thursday 16 November 1871
THE DISASTROUS COLLISION IN THE MERSEY.
The following are the particulars
of
the disaster which befell the Liverpool and Rotterdam steamer Ida at the mouth
of the Mersey yesterday morning, The Ida left the Nelson Dock, outward bound,
about 12:30 yesterday morning. She was steaming down the
Crosby Channel, when
about 1:30 [15 November 1871], at a point nearly midway between the Formby and
Crosby lightships,
a steamer was discerned coming in. The helm it is said was starboarded and
while the vessel was proceeding towards the westward of the channel under its
influence, she was struck on the starboard side near the funnel, a little
abaft of midships, by the Inman screw steamer City of Brooklyn, Captain
Brooks, which was coming in from New York and Queenstown [Cobh]. The night was
pretty
clear; both vessels had their lights burning brightly, and it is difficult
to get any distinct account of the cause of the collision; but it would seem
as if, in trying to avoid the steamer, Captain M'Cabe, of the Ida,
unfortunately ran across the bows of the City of Brooklyn.
When the vessels met there was naturally great confusion on board the Ida, which was much the smaller vessel of the two, and was seen to be in a sinking condition. Some of the crew attempted to clamber over the bows of the City of Brooklyn while the vessels remained together, which was only for a very short, and one of those so attempting was seen to drop into the water. As the second officer of the Ida, J. Hamilton, is missing, it is supposed that it was he who thus fell and was drowned. As soon as possible the boats of the City of Brooklyn were launched, and one of the Ida's boats was also got afloat. By these means, all who could be found were saved before the Ida sunk, which occurred in about a quarter of an hour. [The steam tugs Slasher and Sampson at once went to the scene of the disaster and were successful in picking up two of the boats]. The survivors were mustered on the City of Brooklyn, and then it was found that of the crew of the Ida, 23 hands, all told, only one, the second officer, was missing.
The Ida sunk about mid-channel, directly in the pathway of the navigation [with only the top of her mast showing]. The divers found the Ida lying with her head to the N.W., in about thirty feet of water. The hull is so nearly cut in two by the collision that it is feared it will be impossible to raise her, and that the wreck will have to be removed by gunpowder. Yesterday portions of the cargo were being cast on shore. The cargo was valued at £20000 and consisted principally of African palm oil and cotton.
Postscript: The wreckage of the Ida was obstructing the channel and was blown up with gunpowder by February 1872 by MDHB. The location was described as 1.125 miles NW of the Crosby Lightship. It is now charted as "foul"
Note that the MDHB wreck cards - which are the source of the HO information files - quote the wreck as 870 gt but give erroneous length and width data. Also some wreck summaries quote different dates of build for the Ida - but the definitive official wreck list quotes the ON which is specific to the vessel described above.