The Ensign was a iron hulled cargo steamship built for James R Currie and Co Ltd., Glasgow at Rutherglen and launched on 11th November 1882 by her builders Thomas B. Seath and Company (Yard No. 224). Her hull dimensions were 145.0′ x 23.1′ x 10.4′ and her tonnage was 318 gross tons, 146 net tons. She was powered by a 2 cylinder compound steam engine of 50 registered horse power manufactured by J & T Young of Ayr. Her official number was 86734. She had a major refit at Bowling in 1894 and emerged with dimensions 155.5′ x 23.1′ x 10.4′ and her tonnage was 399 gross tons, 129 net tons. She had a number of owners in the Glasgow area before she was purchased by Mr William Robertson in 1896.
Lloyd’s Register 1897.
SS Ensign under way
The Ensign left Workington for Port Glasgow on the morning of 22nd December, 1897 with a cargo of 350 tons of pig iron. Initially the voyage went well but as they steamed up the Galloway coast, the visibility deteriorated to the extent that, when they passed Corsewall, they could not see the lighthouse. Still, the captain and crew were not concerned and a course was set for Pladda. An hour later they were aground on the rocks at Clachog Point, Arran. The master, Donald Downie, seeing the heavy list of his ship to starboard, ordered the crew into the boats and they safely reached the shore around 11pm.
The Glasgow Salvage Association were called in to assist with the recovery of the vessel and for the next three days preparations went well and the weather remained calm and foggy. However on Christmas Day the fog cleared, the wind got up and soon the wreck was being pounded by a southerly winter gale which continued, unabated, until 3rd January. By this time the Ensign was well battered but surprisingly the hull was only penetrated at one place and her keel was still intact. The respite from the weather was short as the next day another gale blew up and the salvors recommended she be sold where she lay.
Extract Glasgow Herald – Jan 1898.
The auction, took place on 19th January and she was sold to the ship breaking company Ross and Marshall of Greenock who eventually refloated and repaired the wreck and re named her Leelite. She was sold in 1901 and remained in service until October 1926 when she became a constructive total loss following a collision, her registry was closed in 1927.
A Board of Trade inquiry took place in Glasgow on 26th and 27th January 1898, to establish the cause of the loss. The Court found the master alone in default for not posting adequate lookouts, and suspended his masters certificate for three months, but granted him a mate’s certificate for that period.
