The life of the SS Adela
The SS Adela was built in 1878 by Henry Murray and Co. at their Glasgow yard. Built for Robert Tedcastle, the vessel was intended for the cross-channel passenger and cargo trade. Constructed with the most modern innovations for the handling of livestock, and with improved cabin space for fare-paying passengers and crew, she would be a very popular ship until her loss in 1917.
Robert Tedcastle was born in Scotland in 1825. He moved to Dublin to join his uncle, and by 1872 he operated a passenger and general cargo service on the Dublin-Liverpool route. In 1897 Robert Tedcastle & Co. joined with a Dublin coal merchant to create Tedcastle McCormick & Co. Ltd, operating from Sir John Rogerson’s Quay. In 1910 the SS Adela played a supporting role in an historic event – the first recorded aeroplane flight from England to Ireland came down in the sea about 200 feet from the shore, and the SS Adela rescued the craft from the water.
The SS Adela continued to sail the Dublin-Liverpool route without any significant incidents until 1917 when she was lost in a torpedo attack.
Below are some of the lost crew members; click on a crew member to find out more about their story and how they are remembered by their family and community.
